2024 Kia EV3 is sub-£30k baby SUV to replace Soul EV

The Kia EV3 SUV will go on sale next year to kick-start a significant push into more affordable bespoke electric vehicles by the Korean firm, with pricing due to start from around £28,500.

The machine was revealed in concept form at the Korean firm’s inaugural EV Day, where it was displayed alongside the Concept EV4 and the larger EV5 SUV. But while the EV5 SUV was shown in production form, the EV3 will actually be the first to go on sale.

The Concept EV3 is a B-segment model and features boxy styling similar to the current Soul EV, in particular with its distinctive sloping roofline. Although the Soul EV is going out of production, Kia design boss Karim Habib insisted that “it was not really our intention” to directly reference that model. Indeed, while dimensions have not been given, the EV3 appears slightly larger than the Soul EV, in part because the bespoke electric platform allows for the wheels to be pushed right to the corners of the car.

The styling features clear family links to the larger EV5 and EV9 SUVs, although it gains a bespoke interpretation of Kia’s ‘Tiger face’ front, including a bold, lower frontal section and revamped LED headlights. The sharp lines and smooth body forms are intended to represent the firm’s ‘Opposites united’ design philosophy.

Habib said the focus for the design team with the model was on blending usability and flexibility, and the design features chunky wheel arch cladding and other popular SUV design cues. The front windscreen has been pushed forward and is relatively vertical to help maximise interior space.

While Habib confirmed that the exterior is “pretty close” to the production version, the interior is far more concept based: as with Kia’s other recent EV concepts, the rear doors open backwards, which, Habib said, was done to better showcase the interior.