ASK me anything you like about this car and I’ll tell you the answer.How do I know?
Because I built it myself. Honestly I did.
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This is EV2, Kia’s smallest and cheapest electric car at £24k, yet fitted with a 280-mile battery Credit: Supplied
Rob Gill was able to help build the EV and see the passion and pride put into making every motor Credit:
Employee 3,201 for the day. Health and safety briefing, factory-issue clothing, then a full shift getting stuck in where I could.
I’ll start by saying the precision and detail baked into every Kia is truly impressive.
They’re not making Bentleys here, but the passion and pride in what they do is just the same.
The second most impressive thing? The ONE EURO canteen lunch. Bangin’. Right, let’s talk about my car.
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This is EV2, Kia’s smallest and cheapest electric car at £24k, yet fitted with a 280-mile battery.
To save you the research, you won’t find another EV with that kind of range for that kind of money. Not even something Chinese. Finance from £195 a month.
Now ask yourself, how far do you actually go in a week?
About 100-200 miles? Exactly. Recharge it once a week, if that, and you’re golden.
It’s super easy to drive, super easy to park at just four metres long, and is powered by a nippy 135hp e-motor Credit:
Design chief Karim Habib told me: “EV2 is not something you buy because you can’t afford a bigger one. It’s all the car you need.” Credit: Supplied
To these eyes, EV2 is an EV9 that’s been on a hot wash. Boxy yet cool with upright lights and black body armour in all the right places.
It’s super easy to drive, super easy to park at just four metres long, and is powered by a nippy 135hp e-motor.
Just enough. Front-wheel drive. So nothing surprises you. Quiet and super comfy.
The cabin is typical Kia which means twin display screens with all the latest tech including arcade games and Netflix and so on. Wireless Apple CarPlay.
Heated seats. Heated steering wheel. Big cup holders for slurpies. Sockets and pockets for all. Sorted.
There’s a flat floor in the back. So it’s easy for the kiddlywinks to exit left or right.
The boot will take the Friday big shop. It’s just a shame that the rear seats don’t slide backwards and forwards to maximise knee/boot space.
This car has grey cloth seats with green accents and a cream headliner. Looks fresh. “Have a nice day” is imprinted in the door handles and “Hello :-)” on top of the driver’s door.
You can use EV2 as a giant mobile power bank to boil a kettle or inflate an air bed. So it’s handy for camping.
Design chief Karim Habib told me: “EV2 is not something you buy because you can’t afford a bigger one. It’s all the car you need.”
To sum up, then.
EV2 is efficient, fun and really, really, really well built.
I can vouch for that.
KIA EV2 AIR
Key facts
Price: £24,245
Battery: 61kWh
Power: 135hp
0-62mph: 9.5 secs
Top speed: 100mph
Range: 281 miles
CO2: 0g/km
Out: July
