Kia’s little EV3 to exceed 500-km range on most trims

Natural Resources Canada posted the official estimated range of the 2027 Kia EV3 ahead of the electric vehicle’s arrival.

2027 Kia EV3 exterior — *The Kia EV3 promises to be one of the cheapest EVs in Canada when it launches for the 2027 model year. – CNW Group/Kia Canada Inc.*

Kia is promising big things from the smallest electric vehicle it will sell in Canada, starting with its range.

The Kia EV3 will launch in Canada for the 2027 model year and is expected to be available this fall.

Even before we can place our orders and before we know the prices of the small EV, we get to see the small EV’s range.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), which maintains Canada’s official fuel consumption guide (it includes EV range and energy consumption data too), published the official Canadian range data for the 2027 Kia EV3.

Two batteries to choose from

The EV3 rides on the automaker’s 400-volt Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and it will be available with two battery options.

The base model, called Light, gets a 58.3-kWh battery pack.

All other versions get an 81.4-kWh battery pack. And, by the way, 81 kWh is huge on a small electric car, and that translates to killer range for the EV3 with the bigger battery.

2027 Kia EV3 rear — *The Kia EV3 will be able to go far on a single charge. – Kia photo*

Estimated EV3 range

NRCan uses the same range testing methodology as the U.S.’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), putting vehicles through five testing cycles.

According to NRCan, the EV3 Light base model with the smaller battery gets an estimated range of 356 kilometres on a full charge.

Versions of the EV3 with the larger battery, including the Wind, Land, GT-Line and GT-Line Limited trims, get an estimated range of 517 kilometres.

Not yet included in the NRCan data is the estimated range of the eventual range-topping GT model, which will likely arrive later.

2027 Kia EV3 cabin front — *The Kia EV3 features a simple interior layout with a pair of large screens. – Kia photo*

Canadian price unknown

Kia Canada hasn’t yet announced pricing of the 2027 EV3.

The EV3 is one of three affordable EVs the automaker promised to bring to Canada – the other two are the EV4 and EV5.

The EV4, a compact sedan, launched in Canada for the 2026 model year with a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $38,995. That is the lowest MSRP of any EV in Canada in 2026. The EV4 is also available with two battery capacities, and moving up to the larger battery adds $4,000 to the starting MSRP.

The EV5, a compact SUV, launched for the 2027 model year with a starting MSRP of $43,495. That’s also for a base model with a smaller battery while the next-up model, which has a larger battery, also costs an extra $4,000 to start.

When the EV3 does launch here, expect it to be one of the cheapest EVs available in Canada. One would assume its pricing strategy will be consistent with that of the EV4 and EV5, where the version with the smaller battery pack offers a bargain price and moving up to the version with the larger battery adds a few grand to the sticker price.

For updates on the EV3, visit Kia Canada’s website.