Kia EV3 is DrivingElectric’s Car of the Year

The affiliated website of Auto Express, DrivingElectric, has named Kia’s EV3 its CoTY. 

They described it as a “superb package with vanishingly few weak spots.” It is due to go on sale here shortly in four different versions, all FWD and with up to 600km of range.

EV3 was also named Best Family Electric Car on sale. The judges said: “Kia has a reputation for shaking up the EV market and the EV3 does it again, for an even wider audience.”

The EV3 is a compacted version of the EV5. It is also closely related to the seven-seat Kia EV9, which was Driving Electric’s Car of the Year 12 months ago. Both cars sit on the same bespoke electric-car platform. They also feature the same sorted in-car tech and bold design language. 

The EV3 is a lot more affordable, however. Entry-level models have a 58.3kWh battery and 427km range. Upper versions come with an 81.4kWh battery that increases range to 600km.

Citroen’s e-C3, also came in for praise, snagging the Best Value Electric Car award. The judges said: “It’s a refreshingly simple and well-equipped electric car that won’t cost you a fortune.”

The Best Premium EV was BMW’s i5, according to the judging panel.

Tesla’s Supercharger network retained its title as the Best Universal Charging Network. Nearly 100 Supercharger locations across the UK are now open to EVs of any brand. 

Hypervolt took out the award for Best Home Charger, bagging five of the seven categories surveyed in the Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. These included installation process, reliability, customer service, smartphone app and style. Hypervolt chargers are available in New Zealand. https://hypervolt.co.nz/