This is our first look at the Kia EV2 Concept, previewing a forthcoming B-segment electric crossover-SUV that will slot into the Korean company’s range below the existing EV3. The EV2, which is still at least a year from entering the Irish market, was revealed in full for the first time at the Kia EV Day in Barcelona this week, which also saw the wraps come off both the Kia EV4 and the PV5 commercial vehicle.
This looks pretty small - why didn’t Kia call it an EV1?
Because there’s probably going to be another, even cheaper car than the EV2, perhaps based on the underpinnings of the existing Hyundai Inster, that will one day form the Kia EV1. As it is, the EV2 is clearly ideologically more similar to the EV3 than a super-cheap city runaround, and so it’s reasonable to assume that the EV2 will have similar technology to its bigger sibling.
Targeted at the smaller, more affordable likes of the Stellantis electric trio, namely the Jeep Avenger, the Opel Frontera and the Citroen e-C3 Aircross, the EV2 is believed to cost less than €30,000 in selected European markets, which bodes well for it landing here at the same sort of price level. To that end, we’d expect the EV2 to run the single-motor, front-wheel-drive format of the EV3 and not have any dual-motor variations, plus it will probably only use the EV3’s smaller (58kWh) battery pack, eschewing the bigger (and more expensive) 81kWh unit.
That should still be enough to bless the EV2 with a 400km-plus driving range, while it is highly likely that the same electrical architecture would allow for 128kW maximum DC charging speeds, meaning the compact Kia should take around half-an-hour for a 10-80 per cent top-up on a public charger.
Can you talk me through the design of the Kia EV2?
It’s hard to tell from the concept car shown in Barcelona, but the overall length of the EV2 will likely be much closer to four metres, rather than 4.3 metres as with the EV3. It’s also fair to assume the rear-hinged back doors (referred to as ‘suicide doors’) and Ford B-Max-like side apertures without B-pillars are only for the concept car, as are the fancy, super-light and thin seats inside the cabin. Kia is making a lot of noise about the doors, though, so maybe that will be the EV2’s USP.
No matter, it is clear to see that the Kia Concept EV2 is not far from production-ready. With those quad ‘Star Map’ headlamps exerting a strong, vertical theme, the visual tie-in with the existing EV3 and EV9 electric SUVs is evident, although the treatment of the rear lamps is unusual; rather than elongated, upright clusters as seen on the two existing electric SUVs, the EV2 concept simply has low, wide-set lamps that result in a smoothed-off rear. It’s also quite a boxy and square thing in profile, with an interesting upsweep to the lower window line that gives the Kia’s flanks some definition.
And how about the Kia EV2’s cabin?
It’s suitably outlandish, as you’d expect of a concept car, but Kia does give some hints as to which parts of it will make it through to the showroom-bound EV2. Most of the materials employed will be from a sustainable source, while the rear seats will be foldable, allowing for expansion of the boot area. Technologies such as Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging and over-the-air (OTA) updates will be part of the EV2’s canon, and the widescreen layout up front is almost certain to be a feature of the compact Kia crossover when it eventually goes on sale.
What probably won’t make it any further are features such as the expansive and ultra-swish LED interior lighting (the EV2 will have ambient lighting in the cabin, no doubt, but a simpler setup) as well as the rear seats’ ability to fold out of the way completely, so that the front seats can be slid back much further than is usual in production cars.
Kia says this function is so that users can take full advantage of the EV2’s cabin when it is parked, allowing them to “relax in the seats, stretch out their legs, or even sit on the vehicle’s flat floor to enjoy a meal”. There are also details such as ‘message windows’ - through which the occupants can use the Kia’s glasshouse to communicate with pedestrians and other road users outside the car - and portable triangular speakers which can be removed from the door cards.
Anything else to add at this stage?
Just the thoughts of Kia’s president and CEO, Ho Sung Song, who said: “The Kia Concept EV2 represents a bold step forward for the future of urban mobility. With the Concept EV2, we challenged ourselves to create a vehicle that defies expectations, offering innovative technology and practicality beyond its size. This concept previews Kia’s future vision to redefine the segment, bringing a new level of sophistication and usability to urban drivers. It’s a clear signal of our dedication to making electric vehicles truly accessible for everyone.”
The Kia EV2 is expected to launch in Europe and worldwide in late 2026.