Kia EV3 First Look: Second In Europe, First In The World

The Kia EV3 finished second at the 2025 European Car of the Year, with 291 points to the Renault 5’s 353. On 16 April 2025 it went one better and won World Car of the Year, ahead of the BMW X3 and the Hyundai Inster. We photographed it on Kia’s stand at the Brussels Motor Show on 10 January 2025, and again at Martigny that March.

The Car On The Brussels Stand

The EV3 in our photograph is light grey, with a plate that reads “EV3” and a stand card for the “EV3 Business”. The European jury announced its ranking in a ceremony held at the start of the show.

Kia Belux opened EV3 orders on 8 July 2024. The launch car was the 81.4 kWh version, with 600 km of WLTP range, and a 58.3 kWh version followed. Belgium’s four trims are Business, Earth, Business Plus and GT Line, and Kia’s price list gives 150 kW (204 PS) for all of them.

Sportage Space In A Shorter Body

Per Kia figures in Wikipedia’s entry, the EV3 is 4,300 mm long with a 460-litre boot and a 25-litre front storage space. The AUTO TV walkaround says it is shorter than a Kia Sportage but matches its interior space.

The walkaround starts with the shape and says the clean lines and geometric forms make other crossovers look dated. Inside, it points to a clean dashboard with a dual-screen layout and physical buttons for the climate controls.

It adds vehicle-to-load capability, which lets the car power outside devices, and a charge from 10 to 80 per cent in about half an hour.

The Martigny Car Is A GT Line, Says The Video

Our second photograph, dated 23 March 2025, shows a grey EV3 on the Cristal Garage stand, with a “New Kia EV3” sign on the floor. A card on the windscreen offers an “EV Experience 24 heures”, with the line “Réserver. Tester. Profiter. kia.ch”. The stand does not name the trim. The video that goes with it is titled “GT-Line”.

That video describes gloss black accents and a floating panoramic display with three screens across the dash. It adds fabric dashboard inserts and artificial leather seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a small front storage space for charging cables. It also mentions Kia’s seven-year warranty.

The Martigny show ran from 21 to 23 March 2025, three weeks before the World Car win, and the video was published on 14 May 2025, after it. We cover how Kia’s range looks on regional stands in Kia’s Electric Range On Regional Stands and the award timing in Prize Cars On A Valais Dealer Floor.

The GT Line’s 19-inch wheels, which the video mentions, cost range. Kia Belgium’s list gives 582 to 589 km for the GT Line against 605 km for the Business and Business Plus with the same 81.4 kWh battery.

What Belgium And Switzerland Pay

In Belgium the EV3 started at €41,190 for the 81.4 kWh version at launch (Kia Belux, 8 July 2024). Autotijd’s list of December 2024 ran from €36,890 for the 58.3 kWh Business to €50,390 for the GT Line.

Kia Belgium’s price list valid from 1 October 2026 runs from €38,490 for the Business 58.3 kWh to €51,590 for the GT Line 81.4 kWh. The Business 81.4 kWh is €42,490 and the Business Plus €46,990. Against December 2024, that is €1,600 more at the bottom of the list and €1,200 more at the top.

Switzerland has its own list, in francs. Kia Switzerland lists the EV3 Air 58.3 kWh at CHF 36,950 and the GT-Line 81.4 kWh 4×4 at CHF 51,950, both before a CHF 2,000 premium. The sportier EV3 GT is CHF 58,950 (kia.ch, 15 October 2026).

We filmed it again at Passion Auto Show Martigny 2025, in March 2025:

Our Take

The AUTO TV videos sell the EV3 as an everyday electric SUV. That means a small footprint with real space, a clean cabin and an 81 kWh battery. Both stand photographs and Kia’s figures support that picture, and the prizes agree with it.

Two juries and two stands point the same way. The EV3 puts what the walkaround calls Sportage space into a body 4,300 mm long.

Independent editorial. No brand or organiser paid for or reviewed this article.