Kia teased its tiny EV2 in Seoul years ago, back when the company was keen to announce that it was soon to sell an entire line-up of cutting-edge electric vehicles.
Depending on where you live in the world, a production version of the sporty crossover EV6 came first, swiftly followed by the gargantuan EV9 and its smaller sibling in the EV5, with the compact and decidedly Transformer-esque EV3 quickly scampering after them.
We’ve had to wait the longest for the smallest (well, until an EV1 potentially arrives), but it has been worth it, as the diminutive urban runaround also happens to be the most affordable entry into this ever-expanding world of electrically-powered vehicles.
Measuring just over 4 meters long (that’s around 13ft 3in for our North American readers), it measures up against cars like the excellent Renault 5, the VW ID Polo, the Cupra Raval and the upcoming Skoda Epiq in Europe.
As you can see, it’s a hotly-contested market, compounded by fact that the EV2 range starts at £26,995 in the UK for the First Edition with the smaller 42.2kWh battery.
This is around $36,000/AUS$51,000 and makes it marginally more expensive than the rival Renault 5 in the UK and Europe.
However, Kia UK believes that most buyers will opt for the marginally more expensive entry-level Air model with the 61kWh battery. It does without some of the technological bells and whistles, but sees the WLTP range tickle the 280-mile mark, which isn’t bad for a car in this category.
Let’s talk tech
First things first, it is worth noting the amount of technology that comes crammed into the Kia EV2. Forget B-segment compact cars, this thing offers the sort of infotainment and driving assistance systems found in much larger, more expensive machines.
The latest triple-screen connected car Navigation Cockpit (or ccNC if you like abbreviations) sees a 12.3-inch driver cluster joined by a 12.3-inch central touchscreen and 5.3-inch climate control screen.
To keep costs down, Kia will also offer a ccNC Lite version of its infotainment array
It’s all very slick and shiny, and it’s super responsive to touch, if a little slow to start up. It also isn’t quite as intuitive as Android Automotive-based platforms, purely because on those, Google Maps takes the heavy lifting out of navigation and delivers live EV charging information that’s becoming more reliable by the day.
To keep costs down, Kia will also offer a ccNC Lite version of its infotainment array, which does away with built-in navigation and some of the flashier apps in favor of saving some cash. You can always just plug in a smartphone and use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay instead, of course.
On top of this, there are a bunch of genuinely useful advanced driver assistance systems that are typically found in the segment above.
These include Kia’s Highway Driver Assist 2, which includes things like lane keep assist, as well as Front Collision Avoidance Assist 2, Smart Cruise Control 2, Remote Smart Parking Assist Entry, Blind-spot View Monitor and Surround View Monitor for a 360-degree view when parking.
Of course, there's lots of binging and bonging safety tech, but you can easily map a shortcut key on the steering wheel to jump to a simple screen to turn these all off.
In general, the EV2's interior ambience looks, feels and entertains a lot like the larger Kia EV5 inside, as well as the palatial EV9… if you squint a little.
It just gets on with it
There’s very little in the way of dynamism here. Even with 144bhp available in the ‘First Edition’ model I drove, it still took almost nine seconds to get to 62mph from rest. It’s slightly longer if you opt for the larger battery pack.
That said, the EV2 is still perfectly good at squirting from a standstill to 20 or 30mph quickly enough, which is really all you need when navigating busy urban environments.
Kia throws in a Sport mode that, aside from making the accelerator pedal a little more sensitive, doesn’t really do very much else.
There’s also not much in the way of steering feedback and the handling is perfectly fine... but not exactly playful like the current Renault 5 or the more expensive Cupra Raval, not to mention the way many small, petrol-powered B-segment cars of yore used to be.
Kia throws in a Sport mode that, aside from making the accelerator pedal a little more sensitive, doesn’t really do very much else. Perhaps the Korean marque is readying a hot GT version with simulated gear changes and a focus on driving dynamics. Here's to hoping.
Despite a lack of sportiness, the ride is rather excellent, wafting over bumps and soaking up potholes with aplomb, It’s all just, well, nice and easy to live with.
Both the ride and cabin ambience are fantastic at highway speeds, which is difficult to say of many compact cars, and the Long Range version will happily go the distance between charges, meaning this suddenly becomes a compact car proposition that can break away from the urban environment.
There’s a 400V electrical architecture, which rules out the fastest charging outlets, but it’s still good for a 10-80% charge in just under 30 minutes when plugged into a 150kW charger.
This puts it on a par with not just cars in its same diminutive category but even larger SUVs and saloons.
Big car energy
Admittedly, the styling is divisive and Kia's current design launguage feels very sharp and angular in an attempt to feel fresh and modern.
The concept EV2 felt cuter and also packed a number of very cool interior features that haven't made it over to the production model, including a removable Bluetooth speaker and a more lounge-like rear bench, complete with luxurious fabrics.
In their place are a couple of emojis stamped into the door sills and a greeting of "Have a Nice Day" embossed behind the door levers.
But where the boxy Kia EV2 excels is in its ability to offer bags of interior roominess and an impressive amount of stowage space in such a small car.
Unfortunately, the rear bench doesn't slide back and forth like that in the tiny Renault Twingo or Hyundai's diminutive Inster, but it does fold to increase versatility, should you want to post longer items through the trunk.
There's an 8-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system in the flashiest EV2s and enough onboard apps to keep occupants entertained for hours.
In addition to this very sensible practicality, it feels like a properly grown up proposition when longer journeys are required. There's an 8-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system in the flashiest EV2s and enough onboard apps to keep occupants entertained for hours.
As previously mentioned, the compact B-segment is becoming increasingly competitive when it comes to excellent EVs, but Kia’s smallest car to date proves itself to be a true frontrunner.
It’s marginally more expensive than similarly-sized electric cars from Renault, Volkswagen and even sister company Hyundai (check out the Inster), but it offers a little more premium practicality than all of those models.
As a result, its makes a very strong case for compactness. Almost to the point that the Kia EV3 feels unnecessarily large by comparison.
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