Kia EV3 Caught Going Through Its Paces In The Bitter Cold

The Kia EV3 has once again been caught out in the wild winter testing under some heavy covering. Kia’s smallest electric crossover was unveiled as a concept late last year along with the EV4. Debuting in a lovely shade of green, the model features funky styling, but an overall design similar to the much larger Kia EV9 SUV. The pictures only show it quickly driving by, but let’s see what we can make out under all of this camouflage.

These pictures were taken in Northern Sweden, meaning the company wants to see how the vehicle will fare in the coldest climates in the world, and they appear to have been taken at a sort of proving ground because there’s a suspicious-looking camouflaged sports car in the back of one of the images that looks eerily like the upcoming Corvette ZR1.

Hidden In Plain Sight

The overall shape is reminiscent of the Kia Soul with its boxy design and upright driving position. It’s believed the EV3 will very closely resemble the concept already unveiled, and looking at the front through some of the air holes, you can make out a lower-front fascia that looks extremely similar.

The daytime running lights appear to be more substantial than on the concept, though they appear to be in the same orientation. Down the side, there isn’t much to see besides the handle on the C-pillar, though it is quite hilarious that you get a perfect view of a sign on the side that very clearly says no pictures are allowed. Oops.

The back covering is even more substantial, perhaps to ensure we cannot make out the sloping nature of the roof. You do see the unreadable Kia logo popping through and an array of sensors, but it’s hard to tell if the rear lighting will closely follow the concept given these coverings.

How It Fits Into Kia’s EV Plans

This model is set to sit at the very bottom of the Kia EV totem pole, starting at around $30,000 and rising into the mid-$40,000 range. The company plans for it and the EV4 to both offer “game-changing eco-friendly materials and methodologies used to create them,” going as far as to literally grow the materials it plans to use in its vehicles. Additionally, 100% cotton is a highlighted material, along with certain roots, tree nut shells, and even hemp, which will create many of the surfaces and patterns in the EVs.

It’s meant to be as sustainable an EV inside and out as possible, but given its entry-level status, it isn’t going to offer the exhilarating performance of the EV6 or EV9. Rumors say that even though it sits on the E-GMP platform, it may use a cheaper 400-volt architecture as a cost-saving measure, but nothing is confirmed. A front-mounted motor will be standard, making around 200 hp, while an AWD version should bring about 300 horses.

The model is set to debut in 2026 and will be a vital part of the 15 EVs the company plans to debut worldwide by 2027. The eventual goal is 1.6 million EV sales worldwide by 2030, and it isn’t budging on that, so here’s hoping the EV3 is the hot entry-level seller Kia believes it will be.