Kia is diversifying its electric car portfolio by introducing a sedan/hatchback pair tailored to those who haven’t been bitten by the SUV bug. We first saw the EV4 as a concept in October 2023, and a couple of weeks ago, official images showed the production models from the outside. A complete photo gallery and full technical specifications for the electric duo are now available. The EV4 premiered today alongside the EV2 concept.
Since we are already familiar with the exterior, we are hopping inside the cabin. It adopts a triple-screen setup, with a pair of 12.3-inch displays flanking a 5.3-inch screen for the climate settings. Not everything is accessed from the 30 inches of screen real estate, though, since there are still a few shortcuts on the dashboard and at the edge of the central armrest. If you’re scared of being crushed while inside, Kia says the roof can withstand more than five times the vehicle’s weight.
Photo by: Kia
Photo by: Kia
The EV4 sedan and hatchback are 73.2 inches (1860 millimeters) wide and share a wheelbase measuring 111 inches (2820 millimeters). At 186.2 inches (4730 millimeters) long, the sedan is 11.8 inches (300 millimeters) longer than its hatch sibling. It also sits 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) lower, at 58.2 inches (1480 millimeters).
Go with the sedan, and you have access to a cargo capacity of 17.3 cubic feet (490 liters), whereas the hatchback can only swallow 15.3 cubic feet (435 liters) because of its shorter rear. Since the EV4 rides on the E-GMP platform developed purely for electric vehicles, the packaging is excellent, so there’s plenty of room for passengers and cargo.
While we’re used to seeing rear-wheel-drive cars on this architecture, the EV4 adopts a front-wheel-drive layout. The single motor produces 201 horsepower (150 kilowatts), and there’s no word about a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration. Kia plans to sell the sedan and hatchback with 58.3 kWh and 81.4 kWh batteries.
Photo by: Kia
If you stick to the smaller one, the EV4 will cover 267 miles (430 kilometers) on a single charge in the WLTP cycle for the sedan and 255 miles (410 kilometers) for the hatchback. The long-range models with the bigger pack will deliver 391 miles (630 kilometers) and 367 miles (590 kilometers), respectively. The slippery bodies, with a drag coefficient of just 0.23, contribute to the decent range.
Once you run out of juice, DC fast charging will take 29 minutes to replenish the smaller battery from 10% to 80%. The bigger pack will need an extra two minutes. With AC charging, the base battery will need 5 hours and 20 minutes to go from 0% to 100%, whereas the optional battery will take 7 hours and 15 minutes.
The quickest way to drain the battery is by doing hard launches. Kia says the EV4 needs 7.4 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h) with the smaller pack and 7.7 seconds with the bigger battery. Regardless of the one you go for, the top speed is electronically capped at 106 mph (170 km/h).
Kia will make the EV4 sedan in Korea, whereas the European-only hatchback will be assembled in Slovakia. The sedan will go on sale in its domestic market next month before the hatchback hits Europe in the second half of 2025. The EV4 sedan for the United States will follow, and it should cost a bit more than the $35,000 EV3.
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Alex Goy / InsideEVs
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