Kia EV4
In a world where some of the largest car manufacturers are culling models to slim down over inflated ranges, Kia just seems to march on and now almost have a model for any occasion.
In simple terms, if a Kia‘s got an actual worded name; Sportage etc then it is at least partly powered by internal combustion. If it’s pure electric it’s an EV prefix followed by a number that gets larger as the model does. This is the EV4, it sits roughly mid-way through the Kia range and it’s an actual hatchback; not an SUV, not a crossover – a bonafide Golf-size hatchback.
So it’s definitely a hatchback, then?
Unless, that is, you go for the EV4 Fastback, and then it’s not actually a hatchback at all. The Fastback variant has an elongated rear end which adds around 55 litres of extra carrying capacity in the boot but the access is via a far less practical saloon style lid. If we’re honest, it looks fairly awkward too.
Back to the more appealing hatchback version we have here. Its overall shape may hark back to the good old days of the family hatch, but that doesn’t mean it’s conventional. The EV4’s ‘face’ continues Kia’s latest trend for spacing the headlights as far apart as possible; in this case they’re positioned just ahead of the wheel arches. They’re also vertical slashes which accentuates the distance between them.
But with little bits of SUV
There’s some interesting shapes around the rest of the bodywork, too. The wheel-arches aren’t circular which adds a bit of SUV-ness and the rear lights are also narrow, slashed affairs. It’s fair to say that on Kia’s electric cars at least, the tiger-nose styling has been retired.
Kia’s improved quality inside continues
Inside the EV4 continues Kia’s onwards march towards quality and a more premium feel. The design is dominated by screens, admittedly, but there’s just the right amount of physical buttons for the important aspects that you want to adjust in a hurry like interior temperature.
The feel of everything tactile is such a step up, even from Kias just a decade ago. That’s not to say it’s quite up to Volvo, Audi etc standards just yet and there are a few scratchy plastics but the improvement is impressive.
Roomy, too
What’s also impressive is just how much room there is inside the EV4. This is most apparent in the rear seats which, in part thanks to a flat floor, offer way more space to stretch out in than the exterior dimensions may suggest.
Whichever EV4 you go for from the 5-strong trim range, it’ll be powered by a 201bhp single motor driving the front wheels. EXCEPT the EV4 GT, that is, which is AWD, has 288bhp and will set you back a shade under £50k.
Two battery options
The rest of the EV4 range comprise of Air, GT-Line, Motion & GT-Line S flavours and they all come with an 81.4kWh lithium-ion battery with the base mode Air spec getting the option of a 58.3kWh battery labelled SR – standard range.
What’s the EV4’s range?
What this means in terms of range is a claimed 273 miles of combined city and motorway driving in the smaller battery EV4 and 388 miles or 362 miles in the larger battery version, depending on whether you go for 17″ or 19″ wheels. Even if that comes down to circa 300 miles in a British winter it’s still very usable but do bear in mind that the EV4 doesn’t come with the 800 volt system some Kias are equipped with so 10-80% charging takes around half an hour at its quickest and 55-79 minutes on the more prevalent 50kW chargers.
How quick is it?
Performance and electric cars tend to go hand in hand and even more sedate models can post acceleration stats that would embarrass some pretty keen hot-hatches. This, of course, comes at a cost and that cost is usually range, which is daft when you think about it as one of the most common reasons quoted for not taking the plunge and going fully electric is range anxiety.
Thankfully Kia’s seen fit to show a bit of restraint with the EV4, and dare we say, common sense too? GT aside, as that’s more performance oriented, the EV4 ‘only’ does the 0-62mph dash in 7.5 – 7.9s, with the lightest small battery version unsurprisingly being the quickest. Now, while that’s not exactly sluggish it’s not set your pants on fire quick either, but if it keeps the car’s range more liveable, we’re all for it.
How much will it cost?
Prices start at £34,745 for the smaller battery Air spec EV4 and you can then currently take £3,750 off for the government electric car grant. This GT-Line version sits just below the middle of the range and we think it’s the sweet spot in terms of equipment and range. It lists at £39,445 which means it doesn’t qualify for the grant as it’s over £37k so the Air spec with the larger battery may be the more sensible option.
Should I buy a Kia EV4?
The EV4 ticks so many boxes and can’t really be faulted in terms of range, feel and interior space. It’s not the quickest which doesn’t bother me in the slightest but if performance is your thing there’s always the GT spec version.
By Ben Harrington
The Kia EV4 is available now, priced from £30,995 with government grant. For full details go to: www.kia.com
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