Kia has unveiled the North American-market EV3, which is the third of the company’s low-cost electric vehicles launching in Canada this year.

The 2027 Kia EV3 is expected to become available in Canada in the third quarter of 2026.

The other two include the EV4, which already launched in Canada as the country’s lowest priced EV in 2026, and the EV5, which launched here as a 2027 model year vehicle.

“The EV3 is the third and final model of price accessible EVs coming to Canada in 2026 from Kia,” said David Sherrard, director, strategic planning at Kia Canada, in a news release.

“This vehicle further addresses the affordability expectation of customers when looking to transition into an EV and will offer a content-rich and intelligently packaged solution to allow Canadians to more seamlessly adopt the electric vehicle lifestyle.”

Canadian pricing has yet to be announced, but we can expect it to be either the cheapest or one of the cheapest new EVs available in Canada in 2027.

The EV3 is a subcompact SUV, slotting under the EV5, which is a generously proportioned compact SUV. The EV4 is a sedan, offering drivers something other than an SUV.

EV3 electric goods

The EV3 rides on the company’s 400-volt Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which underpins many of Kia’s electric vehicles.

It will have six trims to choose from, those being: Light, Wind, Land, GT-Line, GT-Line Limited and GT.

The Light trim gets a standard 58.3-kWh battery pack while the others get an 81.4-kWh battery.

Kia estimates the EV3 Light will get up to 354 kilometres of electric range.

As for the versions with the larger battery, models featuring front-wheel drive are expected to get as much as 482 kilometres of range.

Despite the use of a 400-volt architecture, DC fast-charging rates promise to be respectable.

EV3 models with the smaller battery should recharge from 10 to 80 per cent in 29 minutes using DC fast chargers, while the larger battery units should do the same in 31 minutes, Kia said.

In North America, the EV3 comes standard with a North American Charging Standard (NACS) charge port.

The EV3 also has Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, allowing it to power external electronic devices.

Design

The EV3 shares much of the design with its larger siblings.

The small SUV has short overhangs and a sloping roofline and what Kia calls a Tiger Face front end.

It rides on standard 17-inch wheels and has available 19-inch alloy wheels.

Interior tech

Dual 12.3-inch displays and a 5.3-inch climate display provide a panoramic monitor on the inside.

A 12-inch head-up display is available, as are an eight-speaker Harman Kardon autio system, wireless charging, Surround View Monitor and other features.

The layout is meant to be clean and open on the inside.

Dual-zone fully automatic temperature control and heated front seats are standard. Ventilated front seats are optional.

The EV3 also has multi-colour mood lighting.

The rear seat backs can recline up to 40 degrees and there are air vents to the back as well.

The rear seats fold 60/40, and when folded, the EV3 has a cargo area with a capacity of 740 litres, as well as a 25-litre frunk.

A smart power liftgate is optional. It’s opening height and speed can also be adjusted via the infotainment display.

Potential buyers can watch for Canadian market launch details or sign up for updates on the Kia Canada website.

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