The fabulous Kia EV2 is my latest compact electric fave

Introduction

I’m always excited about driving a new Kia, as I’ve yet to be disappointed with the growing range. The current portfolio has just been boosted with the arrival of this, the Kia EV2 – a compact electric hatchback designed to take on the likes of the fabulous Renault 5, VW ID.Polo or Volvo EX30. It’s also in competition with Kia’s own EV3, which is equally as likeable. In that respect, Kia could almost be seen as competing with themselves.

No matter, the Kia EV2 is a welcome arrival and I for one am loving the choices now available in this segment of the EV spectrum. I recently got to drive two variants of the Kia EV2, with most of my time being spent in the four-seat model. This is notable for its fully independently adjustable back row, that allows much more flexibility when it comes to moving things from A to B. A standard-issue five seat model is also available. The EV2 is only 4.6 metres long, 1.5 metres wide and 1.8 metres high but the interior feels really spacious.

The front-wheel Baseline trim car I drove, on 18in alloys, featured a 42.2 kW standard range battery good for around 200 miles or so. The bigger 61kW Long Range option and its range of up to 280 miles might be better suited to anyone who does longer runs and suffers from range anxiety jitters.

The styling

The EV2 keeps things consistent on the design front by calling on Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ philosophy, which means this compact car slots in perfectly alongside the rest of the current Kia fleet. The exterior packs plenty of angular panel work that makes it genuinely distinctive to look at. Equally, it’s instantly recognisable as a Kia, and I like that a lot against a sea of rivals that are bland and forgettable.

At the front, those vertical daytime running lights are an obvious highlight. At the back, the taillights are quite understated and planted right at the edges of the bumper section. The upside to this is it allows for a sizable tailgate and that means easy access to the boot area. Fuss-free access is also granted via the four doors, all of which feature the trademark Kia recessed handles. Trim flourishes at the foot of the doors add a hint of contrast as do the roof rails. Meanwhile, the cool 18in alloys keep the design firmly in tune with other cars in the range. A GT-line variant is also being offered with 19in rims.

While I found the exterior lines great, I was just as impressed by the interior of the Kia EV2. Considering it looks quite compact from the outside, the cockpit and rear seating areas were generously proportioned, plus there was loads of headroom both front and back. This is a car that really does feel bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside. The faux leather and cloth combination for the seat coverings felt both good to the touch and comfortable too.

The were some neat little design quirks dotted around the interior, from ‘Have a nice day’ messages behind the door handles to colour contrasted trim flourishes in a sort of pastel shade of lime green. It worked quite well against the grey-ish hue of the main trim. That’s what I like about Kia’s current design ethos: there’s enough going on to make the interior’s interesting and memorable, without verging on the daft. Well done, Kia. The boot space wasn’t bad for a car of this class either.

The drive

Just like the design theme, driving the Kia EV2 follows the same path as other current models in the range. I loved the overall setup, from the drive selector behind the steering wheel to paddles either side that can be used to control the level of regenerative braking. I chose to pull the left lever right back to lock in the i-Pedal setting, which effectively allowed for one-pedal driving that works so well when you’re behind the wheel of an EV.

There are modes for all scenarios too, with the everyday default setting of Normal proving perfect for most tasks. The Sport mode doesn’t exactly unleash any real extra potential, but it’s fun for country lanes and enthusiastic driving around town. Modes such as Eco and Snow are there, but I’m not sure how much they’d ever get used, especially seeing as the Kia EV2 seemed fine on the efficiency front with the standard setting engaged. More usefully, the My Drive option allowed for personalisation of preferred driver settings. Oh, and there’s a 750kg towing capacity for anyone who does trips to the dump with a trailer.

While I wasn’t quite so enamoured by the driving position in the EV2 – I couldn’t quite seem to get comfortable enough for some reason – I thought it was great fun and very easy to drive. Views out of the rear window were very impressive with lots of glass making the car both light and easy to manoeuvre around town. Indeed, the 2.56-metre wheelbase with the wheels at the far corners makes this a great car to drive on traffic choked city streets.

Kia underlined how much it has done to minimise noise, using different types of insulation to cover everything from motor whine to wind noise. There was a little bit of buffeting in evidence at speed along the motorway, but otherwise, I thought the sound deadening did the trick.

The technology

I got on really well with the tech on offer inside the Kia EV2. It’s essentially got the same array of screens seen in their other cars, so I knew everything would be sensibly laid out and, crucially, work. A little 5.3in display, sandwiched between the 12.3in instrument cluster and similar-sized infotainment screen, shows the climate control options to the right of the driver – though I found it was often obscured by the steering wheel. Aside from that, the look and feel of the controls was excellent, as was the Kia sat nav system.

Curiously, the row of touch sensitive core control options that sit below the infotainment screen were really hard to read in my first Baseline trim car. However, in the five-seat model with its darker more agreeable trim, the buttons were far more legible.

Nevertheless, anyone familiar with a recent Kia would have little problem getting to grips with the options. I liked the way the manual temperature controls also meant there was less need to prod that partially obscured climate screen. My test car also packed an eight-speaker Harmon Kardon audio system, which was very acceptable to these ears.

Elsewhere, the array of USB charger ports, wireless smartphone charging pad in the front and wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto left me wanting for nothing. I also love the way Kia is making its V2L and V2G tech really accessible to owners, with the ability to charge all manner of electrical items using the former, both from inside and out. A deceptively practical proposition.

Kia EV2 verdict

I think the majority of buyers might opt to plump for the Long Range edition of the Kia EV2 as the smaller battery offers around 196 miles of range to play with, which is okay but not great. I found it as respectably efficient as all the other Kia models I’ve driven though, so the base level car will be fine for many buyers on a budget. Anyone needing more versatility on the cargo-carrying front might be best off investigating the four-seat model with its easily adjusted rear row.

However, both the four and five-seater variants are big on space, offer high levels of comfort and pack in plenty of visibility to boot. Add to that the ease with which the Kia EV2 can be driven and it’s a very appealing prospect. There’s also the extra benefit of a consistent design theme, one which runs right across the range and makes the car instantly identifiable. Unless you accidentally  mistake it for a Kia EV3 that is.

Kia EV2 technical specifications