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The smallest and most affordable Kia EV for European showrooms is still being considered for Australia, but it’s no certainty.
Electric Cars
The door to Australian deliveries of the 2026 Kia EV2 electric car remains open, provided it can be imported and sold at a compelling price.
A pint-sized SUV-styled vehicle between a BYD Atto 1 and Atto 2 in size, the EV2 has proven tricky to launch locally as it is made in Slovakia, rather than South Korea and China.
It means a much longer journey to Australian ports – both on a boat, and on a train, as Slovakia is landlocked – at the mercy of an often unfavourable European currency exchange rate.
Earlier suggestions by Kia executives have pointed to an RRP for the EV2 that could be only slightly lower than the EV3, a much larger vehicle with a similar or longer driving range, manufactured in South Korea.
“There’s been further discussions, but we're still haven’t come to a decision whether or not we get that car in Australia,” Kia Australia CEO Damien Meredith told Drive in recent days.
“Probably you’d be aware that we’ve pulled cars from Europe before, the Sportage two iterations ago, and pro_ceed [GT hot hatch]; they come out of the same factory.
“So it's still up for discussion, but the pricing is making it – and the logistics are making it – very difficult to get an affirmative answer.”
The EV2 would need to be competitive on price with a new wave of budget-priced, small Chinese electric cars and SUVs, which span about $30,000 to $40,000 drive-away, depending on the size, driving range and equipment level.
The EV3 is currently listed at $46,990 drive-away on special offer, about $10,000 dearer than an entry-level BYD Atto 2, but broadly on par with the roomier Atto 3.
In Europe, where the EV2 is priced from €28,500 ($AU49,500) – and the EV3 starts from €35,990 ($AU62,600) – a BYD Atto 2’s price is the same figure in Euros (€31,990) as it is in Australian dollars locally ($31,990 plus on-road costs).
Smaller than a Toyota Yaris Cross, the EV2 is available with a 42.2kWh battery pack and 100kW electric motor rated for 317km of WLTP driving range, or a larger 61kWh pack and 108kW motor for 448km WLTP.
Meredith said Kia Australia is not ready to give up on the EV2 for local showrooms.
“When I first started at Kia, I was really keen on getting the Picanto into the line-up, and they said that it's not possible because of lots of reasons. But we kept at it and kept at it and kept at it,” he said.
“And I'd like to think that the Picanto has been one of the great product line-ups that we've had to start the start the journey with Kia that we wouldn't have had.
“So, you know, we won't say no [to EV2] until every aspect of it has been looked at, and if it works out, great, if it doesn't because of limitations in regards to price and profitability, well, then we have to accept that. But at this point in time, the final decision hasn't been made.”
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
