Kia is continuing to expand its electric car lineup. The EV6 and EV9 have both been out for some time now, and the company is in the middle of rolling out the EV3 in Europe, with a North American release expected next year. After that, it’s likely the company will turn to the EV5. But what about after that? Well, that could be where the Kia EV4 comes in.
Kia announced a concept version of the EV4 at its EV Day in 2023, showing off a futuristic-looking hatchback that’s seemingly a little smaller than the EV6, but keeps many design elements. Since then, Kia has confirmed very few details about it, though we have seen it shown off at other automotive events. Here’s everything we know about the Kia EV4 so far.
Kia EV4 design
The Kia EV4, or at least the concept version of it, is smaller than the EV6, and much smaller than the EV9. It’s actually closer in size to a sedan than anything else, though with its open trunk, it could be considered a hatchback. Regardless, it certainly blurs the line between the two. So much so, that in recent months we’ve actually seen a full hatchback version of the EV4 being tested — and it’s possible that Kia is pivoting the design of the EV4 entirely to be a hatch, or will be releasing both hatchback and sedan versions.
The concept version of the vehicle has angular lines throughout, including at the back of the car, culminating in what looks like a spoiler, but is really just the extended body of the car. Along those rear lines, you’ll also get the angular taillights. There’s a sloped roofline that extends down the trunk in the concept version, though the version that we’ve seen being tested angles down in a more traditional hatchback shape. The concept model comes in a matte gold — however, if the car makes it to the production stage, it’ll be available in a range of colors.
The interior of the car is just as interesting. The concept model has an oval-shaped steering wheel, with a bright beige, minimalistic interior sporting a large screen at the front for infotainment and instrument monitoring. Kia, however, has a history of completely changing the interior of its concept cars when they reach production — and if we had to bet, we’d wager that the interior of the EV4 will look a little more conventional if a production model is released. Models of the vehicle that have undergone testing, for example, seem to have a traditional steering wheel, though this is likely just a prototype and will likely change more before release.
Kia EV4 tech features
Here’s another area we can only speculate about, as Kia hasn’t announced any details about the tech features of the EV4. However, we’re expecting the car to offer basic features like lane centering and adaptive cruise control, as well as more advanced features like Kia’s automatic parking tech. It’s likely the car will offer the same software as Kia’s other cars, and if we had to guess, we would assume that the vehicle will support tech like CarPlay and Android Auto.
Kia EV4 models
Kia hasn’t revealed anything about the powertrain that it plans to use in the EV4. It will likely offer a few different models, and it’s possible there will be single- and dual motor-variants, as well as standard and long-range variants. It may also launch a GT-Line model with unique styling, and a GT model with enhanced performance. I Kia is targeting a lower price point, we expect a single-motor version of the vehicle to be released before anything else.
Kia EV4 charging speed and range
Kia also hasn’t revealed much about the charging speed and range of the EV4. Details we’ve learned about the EV5 so far only make it harder to speculate. The EV6 and EV9 both offer an 800-volt architecture, allowing the car to reach superfast 350-kilowatt charging speeds. But the EV5 and EV3 will be built on a 400-volt architecture, so won’t reach the same speeds. If Kia is indeed reserving those fast charging speeds for its more expensive models, then the EV4 will likely only have a 400-volt architecture, which will limit the charging speed.
It’s even harder to speculate on range. It’s likely the EV4 will have a smaller battery than some of Kia’s larger cars, and it will also be lighter. We’re hoping that the car reaches a range of 300 miles at least, which isn’t out of the realm of possibility given the fact that the EV3 will at least have options for a range well past 300 miles.
Kia EV4 price and tax credit status
When it comes to Kia, it seems as though the lower the model number, the lower the price, and if we had to estimate, we’d say that the EV4 will likely land somewhere between $30,000 and $40,000. Kia hasn’t made any announcements about the price yet, however.
It also hasn’t announced whether or not the car will be built in the U.S., or if it’ll even be available in the U.S. Considering the fact that smaller cars aren’t as popular in the U.S., it’s possible that we’ll never see the EV4 here. Kia has been testing the hatchback EV4 in the U.S., however, so we’re hoping that means a U.S. launch at some point.
Kia EV4 release date
Kia has yet to reveal any information about when the EV4 might be released to the public, but we can speculate. The company is likely to get the EV3 launch out of the way before releasing the EV4 to the public, though it may reveal more information about the EV4, including production model images, some point soon. Testing for the EV4 has clearly ramped up, suggesting that the company is nearing a wider launch. If we had to guess, we’d assume that Kia will announce the EV at some point in 2025, with production at the end of that year and a full release as a 2026 model year vehicle.
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