By Gerry Murphy

Kia introduced their newest electric car, the EV3, at their headquarters in Dublin on Monday last. It is strand two of their latest design and follows on from the EV9 that has already proved very popular with Irish customers.

There are three variants: Earth 2, Earth 3, and GT-line. All three cars feature an 81.4kWh battery with a promised range of up 605km. Alternatively the base Earth 2 models can be bought with a smaller 58.3kWh battery choice with range of 436km.

The Earth 2 trim is priced from €36,790 with the 58.3kwh battery, or €40,350 with 81.4 kWh battery. For that you get 17” alloy wheels, dual 12.3” display screens, LED headlights, heated front seats and steering wheel. Wireless phone charging and android auto/apple car play are also standard.

Earth 3 is likely to be the most popular version and it comes with the 81.4kwh battery only with a starting price of €42,840. Extra feature for this grade include 19” alloy wheels, vegan leather seats, power adjustable front seats and blind-spot collision avoidance.

At the top of the range comes the GT-line which is priced at €47,190 and comes with unique GT-line styling, power adjustable sunroof and a smart power tailgate.

Following an initial drive in the EV3 demonstrates you get a feeling of space that will take five adults with ease. Headroom, legroom and elbow room is fairly impressive with a boot size to match the best in the class. It has the same wheelbase as the Kia Sportage and that lends itself to the interior space.

Another winning feature is the amount of recycled materials both inside and outside the car. Kia chiefs tell us that they are continuing to push this aspect in all their vehicles and while some of the surfaces look a little false, they show what can be done it terms of sustainability and will be really hard-wearing.

On the road you get what you would expect from an electric SUV/Crossover. It is steady and surefooted. Its behaviour on roundabouts is impressive which makes it really competent and easy to live with.

Kia expects to shift between 750 and 850 new cars in 2025. These figures are reflective of a stable market as seen in the year just finishing. Any overall increase in the sales figures might just stretch these figures a little higher.

Pictured: The new Kia EV3.