Here’s a car from the Lego brick school of car design that you’ll probably be seeing a lot of on UK roads.
It’s the sort of shape a young child (or even my wife) would come up with if you asked them to draw a car.
And to be fair there’s nothing wrong with that because it hints of potentially a decent amount of interior space.
Which is what Kia’s new EV2 all electric offering has. Headroom, legroom, shoulder room – all the boxes are ticked in this B segment SUV, the most affordable Kia EV on offer here in the UK.
The three trim levels were on show on the UK press launch – Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S – all with the longer range 61 kWh battery which should give you over 250 miles between charge.
With this power pack, all variants qualify for the Government’s £3750 electric car grant, so prices start at £24,245 for the Air 61.0 kWh (WLTP Range 275 miles). And it offers 10-80 per cent charging in 30 minutes.
The ride has a softish feel to it and it copes well with the parlous, pot-holed state of our roads. On the smoother surfaces we encountered on the test route it became far more relaxed, and the light and precise steering has good feel, so a boon around town traffic.
You want to feel safe and relaxed behind the wheel and that’s not a problem here. There’s a mix of fabric and plastics that marry up well on the inside, the seats offer decent support and comfort and come with the softest but supportive headrest you’ll also find on other Kias.
The instrumentation is contained in a large sweeping screen that covers a big chunk of the dash, and there is a lot of info and menus both displayed and hidden therein. Our brief time behind the wheel wasn’t long enough to delve too deeply but there’s plenty to absorb and adapt to your particular needs.
With the Long Range battery pack, EV2 is powered by a front-mounted motor producing 99.5kW (133bhp) and 184 lb/ft torque (at 3,800rpm). This drives the front wheels and gets you to 62mph in 9.5 seconds and a top speed of 100mph.
EV2 features various regenerative braking modes, operated via the steering wheel mounted paddles. A long hold of the right paddle will enable ‘auto’ regen, which operates the system automatically and will the car to a complete stop when in traffic. A long hold of the left paddle engages i-Pedal mode which itself features four different levels of regenerative braking strength (off, 1, 2 and 3).
As is the case with every Kia, the list of standard equipment is generous – too much to list here – but so all you have left to do is pick your colour and maybe a few accessories.
Like all Kia vehicles, EV2 will be offered with their long-standing seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. The high-voltage battery pack is covered by a further year.
Kia EV2 Air
Price: £24,245
Engine: 61.0 kWh Li-ion polymer NMC battery
Power: 133 bhp
Torque: 184 lb/ft
Transmission: single speed
Top speed: 100 mph
0-62mph: 9.5 seconds
Range: 275 miles
CO2 emissions: 0 g/km
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