How much space is there?

• Generous rear-seat space for adults
• Larger boot than most rivals
• Same interior dimensions as a Kia Sportage

The EV3 is Kia’s smallest bespoke electric car yet, but don’t think that equates to a small interior. It’s quite the opposite, as despite its fairly compact dimensions, it has the same wheelbase as Kia’s petrol and hybrid Sportage, despite that car being 20cm longer in length.

Thanks to the use of a specific electric car platform, it gives the car a flat floor in the front and rear without any transmission tunnel to contend with. The EV3 is fairly wide too, which aids that feeling of space, especially for occupants in the front.

But rear-seat space is good too, with a six-foot-tall adult able to sit behind someone similarly sized, with plenty of headroom and legroom. A Renault Scenic E-Tech has miles more rear room, but it’s arguably in a larger class of car. Large windows in the rear also add to the feeling of space. USB-C sockets are also usefully positioned in the front seatbacks, which are ideal for rear passengers wanting to keep their devices topped up on the move.

Boot space and storage

The EV3’s boot is also a good size, if not quite offering the same level of usefulness as the rear seats. It measures 460 litres, which is still larger than its hatchback competitors, but lacks some of the flexibility of the Skoda Elroq, which gets in-built storage nets and cubbies in the boot to store odds and ends.

You do, however, get a height adjustable boot floor in the EV3 as standard (it’s an option in rivals such as a Volkswagen ID.3). There is a small storage area under the bonnet, though it’s so small that it’s practically useless and we reckon most owners won’t bother using it.

There’s an impressive amount of storage throughout the interior – another feature aided by using an EV platform, there’s a huge amount of storage between the front seats, though there’s no usual centre console to hide things away, meaning all items will be on show.

You also get an interesting sliding centre console, with a piece of recycled material extending out from under the armrest. It’s an interesting feature, which Kia says can work as a laptop perch for when you’re charging, but it just seems to us like a feature that looks good in a brochure, but one you’ll rarely use in the real-world.

Is it easy to park?

It’s a mixed bag on the parking front, as while the EV3 comes as standard with a useful reversing camera, visibility out of the rear isn’t great. The rear window is narrow, meaning your view out the back is limited, while with no glass in the rear three-quarter section, it can create a significant blind spot. Usefully, however, blind spot monitoring is included as standard, with top-spec GT-Line S models featuring a 360-degree camera system.

Safety

At the time of writing, the EV3 had not yet faced Euro NCAP, though we’d be surprised if it was awarded anything less than a five-star rating. That’s because all of Kia’s models in recent years have come away with particularly high scores from the safety organisation.

Standard safety kit on the EV3 is also very comprehensive, with features such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot collision avoidance assist and rear cross-traffic alert and braking all included across the range.

Kia also appears to have dialled down the intrusiveness of its safety assists, which have previously proved rather annoying on everything but motorways. Lane keep assist can be quickly turned off with a press of a button the steering wheel, while disabling the speed limit warning sound can be done by holding the volume mute switch.