The unorthodox Kia EV4: Big on space, bigger on range, small on price

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The unorthodox Kia EV4: Big on space, bigger on range, small on price

Published: 24 Apr. 2025, 08:30 Updated: 25 Apr. 2025, 11:16

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Kia's EV4, its first-ever electric sedan [SARAH CHEA]

[TEST DRIVE]

GWANGJU, Gyeonggi — A sedan too tame? An SUV too bulky? Here comes a vehicle that threads the needle: the EV4 saloon from Kia.

The unorthodox car is the automaker's first-ever electric sedan, able to travel up to 630 kilometers (391 miles) on a single charge, the longest range in its EV lineup, even beating its main market competitor, the Tesla Model 3.

Following the recent launch in Korea, the EV4’s next destination will be Europe and the United States successively in the second half of the year. A sleeker, more conventionally styled hatchback guise is also available — but sadly, it’s only for European customers.

The Korea JoongAng Daily on Wednesday got behind the wheel of the EV4 on a 68-kilometer journey in Gyeonggi, including twisty backroads and long stretches of highway.

The EV4, Kia's first electric sedan [SARAH CHEA]

The EV4 has slippery bodywork that resembles an SUV [SARAH CHEA]

Visually, the car doesn’t really look like a traditional sedan — but not in a bad way. Up front, its low nose gives it a classic sports car vibe, while from the back, the elongated rear and slippery bodywork are reminiscent of an SUV.

Kia is cementing its place as a one-stop EV shop, and this reporter came to truly appreciate it right after slipping into the seat. The buttery-soft seats wrapped this reporter in unexpected coziness.

You’ll also be pleasantly surprised by how spacious it feels inside. All the needless embellishments are gone — what remains is a pure, minimalist design.

The EV4 has an armrest that folds open a full 180 degrees so that rear-seat passengers can also use it as a flat table. [SARAH CHEA]

With dimensions surpassing the Model 3, this is longer, wider and taller, measuring 4,730 millimeters (186 inches) in length, 1,860 millimeters in width and 1,480 millimeters in height. Its 2,820-millimeter wheelbase provides slightly less legroom compared to the Model 3's 2,875 millimeters but offers more space than the Volkswagen ID.3's 2,765 millimeters.

A particularly unique aspect was the new armrest, the top of which folds back a full 180 degrees so that rear-seat passengers can use it as a tray.

The car glided effortlessly, providing a refined and smooth driving experience.

However, the ride quality didn’t quite meet expectations. Road imperfections were more noticeable than this reporter had hoped, and the body tended to jostle noticeably over speed bumps.

Due to the slippery silhouette, the rearview mirror had a somewhat narrow field of vision — making it a bit frustrating to use. The trunk capacity stands at 490 liters (17.3 cubic feet), relatively limited compared to other similar-sized sedans in the market.

The interior of the EV4 [SARAH CHEA]

One notable drawback — or even danger if unnoticed — was its so-called semi-self-driving system, or advanced driver-assistance systems, especially the lane-keeping assist function that automatically adjusts the steering wheel to help the vehicle stay near the center of its lane.

On sharp curves, it faltered. Instead of smoothly adjusting, the system disengaged unexpectedly, causing the car to veer out of the lane.

The generative AI assistant based on ChatGPT, “Hey Kia,” seemed updated. This reporter asked it to roll the windows halfway down, and it perfectly carried out the instructions.

But overall, the EV4 may finally resolve consumers’ hesitation about switching to electric: range anxiety. Packed with 81.4 kilowatt-hours of lithium-ion batteries, the EV4 can run up to 391 miles on a single charge based on WLTP standards, making it the longest-range EV.

The EV4 has 2,820-millimeter (111-inch) wheelbase [SARAH CHEA]

When starting the test drive, the dashboard showed that the car could go 478 kilometers, and after running around 68 kilometers, it said 424 kilometers were left. Even with simple math, it clearly exceeds the estimated range shown on the dashboard.

It’s also easy on the wallet. The sticker price of the EV4 starts from 41.92 million won ($29,500) in Korea, and when applying the government’s full subsidies, the off-the-lot price goes down to some 34 million won.

The European price will likely start at 37,000 euros ($42,110), according to Kia CEO Song Ho-sung, while there’s been no word on the U.S. price so far.

Kia aims to sell roughly 160,000 EV4s globally per year.

BY SARAH CHEA [[email protected]]