Light up has lifted the covers of its smallest electric SUV to date, the EV2on Brussels Motor Show 2026.
Stylistically, the EV2 borrows largely from the SUV design template of the EV3 and EV9, scaling it down to suit the emerging urban EV segment in Europe.
As announced with last year’s Concept EV2, the production model forgoes the serpentine taillight graphics and instead features a Hyundai Kona-like capsule just above the rear bumper.
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The EV2 is 4060mm long, 1800mm wide, 1575mm high and has a wheelbase of 2565mm. That means it’s 80mm shorter than the retro-styled Renault 4 E-Tech, which it will compete with in what is currently the hottest part of the European electric vehicle market.
Although the price has not yet been officially confirmed, the Slovakian-made EV2, like the Renault 4, is expected to have a starting price of just under 30,000 euros (A$52,000).
Based on the E-GMP EV-specific platform, the EV2 features a 400V electrical architecture and is available with two battery packs.
The 42.2 kWh standard range The unit is expected to have one 317km WLTP area. It has one 107kW The electric motor drives the front wheels and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.6 seconds.
Now it is 61.0 kWh long range The option should have a WLTP range rating of about 448km. Interestingly, this variant is less powerful 100kW Motor drives the front wheels, which, together with the heavier battery, shortens acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h to 9.5 seconds.
The EV2’s torsion beam rear suspension reportedly prohibits the installation of an electric motor on the rear axle for a dual-motor all-wheel drive system.
Both battery variants reach a top speed of 160 km/h and support charging with 11 kW and 22 kW AC. There’s also a DC fast-charging feature, but Kia hasn’t revealed any details yet, other than saying the standard model can charge in about 29 minutes and the long-range version in about 30 minutes.
The EV2 has a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function, which allows it to power small devices, and a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) function, which means it can feed electricity back into the grid.
Buyers can choose between four- and five-seat versions. Five-seat variants feature a rear seat with a split-folding backrest, while four-seat models have two individual rear seats, each of which can be moved forward by up to 73mm to increase boot capacity to 403L.
When equipped with five seats or with both rear seats pushed all the way back in four-seat models, the trunk volume is 332 l. All variants feature a small 15-litre storage space under the bonnet, commonly referred to as a frunk.
To make the interior look a little more premium, Kia has added fabric upholstery and ambient lighting elements to the dashboard and doors. The dashboard is dominated by a rectangular display panel that houses a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen.
The EV2 uses the new ccNC Lite operating system, which retains the “core functions” as well as the look and feel of the ccNC system of larger models. It can be kept up to date via over-the-air (OTA) software updates.
There is also a 5.3-inch touchscreen for climate control in the middle of the two larger displays. Luckily, there are also physical climate controls beneath the central vents. Between the central vents is a physical volume scroll wheel and an audio system power button, while beneath the main touchscreen is a strip of capacitive hotkeys.
Available features include an eight-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system, remote connectivity via a smartphone app and a digital key stored on the driver’s smartphone. Depending on the equipment variant, the EV2 has 16, 18 or 19-inch alloy wheels.
As for safety, the list includes autonomous emergency braking, 360-degree camera system, remote parking assist, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and rear cross-traffic alert.
Production of the standard EV2 range begins in February in Žilina, Slovakia, while the endurance and sportier GT-Line models roll off the production line from June.
“We would like to offer EV2, however production from Slovakia presents some hurdles in terms of logistics and costs so this is highly unlikely,” a Kia Australia spokesperson said Daily Sparkz Early 2025.
MORE: Explore the Kia showroom
