Kia EV2 2026 review | Likeable electric small SUV thinks big

What is the Kia EV2?

The Kia EV2 is a timely addition to the UK’s small electric SUV sector. This is a type of car that’s set to quickly grow rapidly in popularity, with the addition of big-hitters such as the Volkswagen ID.Cross, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq. What’s more, Ford already offers an electric version of the UK’s best-selling car, the Puma Gen-E, and we shouldn’t forget the charming retro-infused Renault 4 and solidly sensible Vauxhall Frontera either.

The timing of the Kia EV2 is therefore perfect. It aims to further build on the success of the firm’s burgeoning EV line-up, which already includes the award-winning Kia EV3, trend-setting Kia EV6 and Range Rover-rivalling Kia EV9. As its name suggests, the Kia EV2 is its smallest electric car yet.

Measuring just over four metres long, the Kia EV2 is more compact in the metal than you might think. It’s actually shorter than its petrol-powered small SUV sibling, the Kia Stonic. Despite this, Kia packs in a generous 61kWh Long Range battery with a range of up to 275 miles.

Prices are competitive too – as it’s eligible for the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant, the range starts from just £24,245. That’s a full £2,000 less than the Ford Puma Gen-E, a car that also gets the full Electric Car Grant. Saying that, there is a fair £4,750 jump up to the next model in the range, and the top-spec Kia EV2 costs almost £34,000.

In line with other Kias, the EV2 is offered in a range that includes Air (which runs on EV range-boosting 16-inch wheels – painted in black so they don’t obviously look ‘smaller’ than the wheels on other models), GT-Line and GT-Line S grades (both of which have sportier 19-inch wheels). Confusingly, there will also be a First Edition model at launch, which uses a smaller 42.2kWh battery for a range of just 195 miles. Despite being packed with equipment, it’s not expected to be popular, and attention will soon shift to the core Long Range models.

How practical is it?

The Kia EV2 feels more than a little Tardis-like when you first get into the front. The cabin feels tall and airy, with the tall bonnet, flat doors and forward-placed windscreen making it feel like a much larger car. It feels commanding to sit in, helped by tall and supportive seats and a thick, upmarket steering wheel – two spokes in Air, with a sportier three-spoke in GT-Line. Visibility is good too, particularly at roundabouts, thanks to its upright windscreen and side windows that give a great view to the front and side.

The Kia EV2 Air has a nice-looking mottled-effect black and grey upholstery. The plastics are a little grey too, so if you want a brighter interior, choose GT-Line which has a two-tone artificial leather upholstery and other trim highlights to add a bit of colour. The leather-style upholstery is soft, if a little slippery. GT-Line models feature electric seat adjustment including electric lumbar support, which is a nice touch; all versions get heated seats and steering wheel.

It’s worth noting that all models get cute yellow interior door handle inserts, embossed with the wording ‘Have a nice day’. Every Kia EV2 has flush-fit exterior door handles too, although they only pop out electronically on GT-Line grades – working them manually is a bit fiddly on Air. Also, GT-Line models upgrade the Air’s cloth headrests for wonderful hammock-style mesh headrests. They’re lovely and soft to sink your head into.

All Kia EV2 feature a wide touchscreen layout, which gives a modern feel inside. Pleasingly, Kia has retained physical toggles for the climate control, which work well. This is doubly handy as the climate control touchscreen is awkwardly placed between the two colour screens, and therefore usually hidden by your hand on the steering wheel. Turning on the Kia EV2 might be a challenge at first too; the starter button is integrated into the gearshift column, which is again hidden down to the right of the steering wheel.

The Kia EV2’s door pockets are slim and short on space. Fortunately, there’s plenty more stowage space in the centre, with a useful stowage area in the centre armrest and plenty of space below. This extends far forward into the dashboard, and there’s an anti-slip pad that’s ideal for mobiles too – although you only get a wireless charger on GT-Line and above.

In the rear, it’s important to bear in mind the Kia EV2 has a supermini-sized length of just over four metres. This makes it around 125mm shorter than a Ford Puma Gen-E. Given this, rear seats space is reasonable. Adults can get in relatively easily, aided by a completely flat floor, and will discover decent foot and headroom, although they might wish for a bit more knee and legroom. It’s also a shame the backs of the Kia EV2’s front seats are covered in such hard, cheap-feeling plastic – perfect for cracking your shins on. At least there are well-located USB-C sockets built into the side of each front seat.

The Kia EV2 has a 362-litre boot with the seats up. The space is well-shaped and easy to access, if a bit short and shallow. It certainly can’t compete with the vast load area of the Ford Puma Gen-E, even if it does expand to a Volkswagen Golf-like 1201 litres with the rear seats folded. GT-Line and GT-Line S models have a 15-litre front boot, or ‘frunk’, but the space is shallow and only really useful for charging cables.

Incidentally, the charge socket is in the front driver’s side wing, so you’ll probably be nosing in (and therefore backing out of) public charging bays, rather than the other way around. The rear parking camera does include cross-traffic assist.

What's it like to drive?

The Kia EV2 is a refined, easy-to-drive car that majors on smoothness rather than an overtly sporty drive. It’s very smooth and refined in town, with minimal road or motor noise. You’ll start to notice more road noise as you leave the confines of urban speed limits – and the tyres can be a little surface-sensitive – but it still shows a good level of refinement for a small car.

Ride quality in Air models, running on 16-inch wheels, is very good. It is luxurious and well-damped, taking the edge off city potholes and speed bumps. The suspension is quiet and composed when running over broken roads, meaning you’ll be less inclined to steer around them.

The ride is firmer on GT-Line models with 19-inch wheels, and there’s more suspension noise too. You’ll notice the stiffer, more energised feel to the ride, and it’s more susceptible to jiggling and rattling over rough roads. Even so, given the size of the wheels, it’s still not bad.

And there’s a clear benefit to the larger wheels – crisper, sharper steering response. It’s rather vague in Air models, lacking sharpness and needing a little too much guesswork on winding roads. The response just off-centre is much better on GT-Line models, and the extra grip makes it feel more enthusiastic behind the wheel. Because of the differences in character, it’s definitely worth test-driving both Air and GT-Line versions before deciding which to go for.

All Long Range models have the same 133bhp electric motor, driving the front wheels. This gives 0-62mph acceleration in 9.5 seconds for Air and 9.7 seconds for GT-Line version. The top speed is 100mph. Interestingly, Kia EV2 Air with the smaller 42.2kWh battery have a higher 144bhp output, and a slightly faster 8.7-second 0-62mph time.

Performance is OK, if not exactly neck-snapping. The Kia EV2 is better than some Chinese EV rivals at finding grip out of junctions – the traction control works more quickly – and the adjustable brake regeneration paddles on the steering wheel help make day-to-day driving smoother.

It is Kia EV2 Long Range models in Air trim, with the 16-inch wheels, that serve up the longest 275-mile range. This dips to 261 miles in GT-Line guise, and 257 miles in GT-Line S. In the Kia EV2 Air, we also noticed the range shown on the dash display varied according to drive mode – from an admirable 295 miles in Eco mode, to 286 miles in Normal and 278 miles in Sport.

Kia EV2 Long Range models have a reasonable DC rapid charge speed of up to 118kW, which will take the battery from 10-80% in around 30 minutes.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The Kia EV2 has a high-tech look inside thanks to the extra-widescreen display mounted on top of the dash. This freestanding display features two 12.3-inch screens – the centre one being a touchscreen – with a rather superfluous (because you can’t see it when you’re driving) climate control screen in between.

The screens run Kia’s familiar infotainment system, which requires a few too many sideways swipes, and can sometimes see you pausing before deciding where to press, but the system is comprehensive enough. Standard sat nav includes an EV range assistant, although the range remaining at your destination isn’t permanently shown, irritatingly.

The driver’s display is reasonably configurable – Kia’s pleasingly retained proper steering wheel buttons – and it’s another car brand that offers a ‘Hey Kia’ voice assistant (whose intelligence, it suggests, is augmented by Generative AI).

There’s a Kia Connect app store that offers a range of upgrades including Netflix, Disney+, YouTube and other entertainment services. However, many of these require monthly or yearly subscription costs.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard in the Kia EV2 though, and the widescreen display is impressive-looking – even if it will require a bit of a stretch from the driver to reach the far left corners of the display.

A novel piece of tech is ‘Kia CarPay’. This is a collaboration with Parkopedia, the app that helps you find car parks on the move. The Kia setup allows you to both locate car parks and play for parking through the central touchscreen.

The Kia EV2 also offers Plug & Charge functionality. This sees charging authorisation done automatically simply by connecting the charging cable, rather than having to go through an app. It’s a similar setup to that long offered by Tesla, although not all charging companies (or locations) currently offer it.

Equipment levels for the Kia EV2 are pretty generous across the board. All versions get heated seats and steering wheel, automatic air con, alloy wheels and the widescreen infotainment system. Front and rear parking sensors augment a reversing camera, and the ADAS safety assist tech includes blind spot collision avoidance assist. Two distinctive colours, Vanilla Blossom and Frost Blue, are only available on Air models. Incidentally, the 'free' colour is Fusion White and other colours are £650 extra.

GT-Line models add 19-inch alloy wheels and GT-Line exterior styling, rear privacy glass, two-tone artificial leather upholstery, electric driver’s seat and a wireless mobile phone charger. The flush-fit doorhandles also gain automatic functionality.

Range-topping Kia EV2 GT-Line S include tilt-slide sunroof, ventilated front seats, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system, a ‘digital key’ (so you can unlock your Kia EV2 with your mobile phone) plus customisable interior ambient lighting. V2L capability is another useful addition, as is an in-car 3-pin plug socket.

Kia EV2 running costs

The Kia EV2 is likely to prove an economical car to run, thanks to its electric drivetrain. Having a range of up to 275 miles means you won’t have to be too reliant on the public charge network, either. The Kia EV2 Air has the best efficiency, averaging around four miles per kWh of energy; it’s around 3.8 miles for the GT-Line versions.

The Kia EV2 Air will be cheapest to maintain in terms of tyres too, thanks to its 16-inch rubber. Tyres risk being appreciably more expensive on GT-Line models, as they grow a full three inches to 19-inch rubber.

Insurance groups for the core Kia EV2 range are still to be confirmed. The First Edition has a group 21 insurance rating; the Air is likely to be similar, with the GT-Line perhaps a bit higher due to its sportier styling and bigger wheels.

Kia EV2 reliability

Kia’s ever-expanding range of electric cars includes both well-established models and a comprehensive line-up of other models that even now includes electric vans. This has given the firm a huge amount of experience with electric mobility, which bodes very well in terms of reliability.

Kia’s well-loved seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty also helps provide long-term reassurance, suggesting the firm has plenty of faith in the dependability of its vehicles. Electric cars are generally more reliable than petrol and diesel models anyway, and we certainly don’t expect the Kia EV2 to be much different in this regard.