Kia EV2 Review 2026

The rapid growth of Kia's electric car range continues to show no signs of slowing down, with the introduction of its smallest member yet. But is it any good? We're yet to drive it, but for now, find out everything we know so far in our Kia EV2 preview. 

As its name suggests, the EV2 is Kia's smallest electric SUV, sitting below the Kia EV3. First shown off in concept form in February 2025, the production version was revealed at the Brussels Motor Show in January 2026.

It's recognisably a Kia electric vehicle, with many of the same design cues as its larger stablemates - witness the "Tiger Nose" face and "Star Map" lighting signature with its vertical LED head and tail-lights. As per usual with Kias, there'll be a GT-Line model with a sportier look, as well as the standard car.

Inside, Kia says the design was inspired by a picnic box, although it hasn't expanded on how, exactly. It's focused on extensive use of fabric, eco-friendly materials and intuitive features, with a triple-screen infotainment system to create a very modern but, hopefully, comfortable and relaxing interior. There are sliding and reclining rear seats for extra practicality and a boot that, with the seats slid forward, measures up to 403 litres, as well as a frunk space under the bonnet.

Rivals when the EV2 goes on sale later in 2026 will include hatchbacks like the Renault 5 and the NIssan Micra, as well as the forthcoming Volkswagen ID.Polo. There'll be small electric SUV alternatives too, such as the Ford Puma Gen-E.

Pricing has yet to be released, and we don't yet have confirmation of UK specs and trims. Production is due to start in Slovakia in February 2026 for the Standard Range model, while the Long Range and GT versions will go into production from June. 

Kia EV2: Range and charging times

The EV2 is capable of reasonably quick recharges when using DC fast chargers. Kia says the 42.2kWh Standard Range model should refill from 10% to 80% capacity in 29 minutes, while the 61kWh Long Range model will take 30 minutes. 

AC charging is supported at both 11kW and 22kW if you have access to a suitable charger, although most home wallboxes are limited to 7.2kW. Such chargers will fully charge the Standard Range car from empty in just under six hours, and it'll be about 8.5 hours for the Long Range. 

Bidirectional charging through Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) is supported, although it's not yet been confirmed for UK cars.

Both Standard Range and Long Range EV2s will use a single electric motor driving the front wheels. Exact power outputs haven't been revealed by Kia yet, but we'd expect somewhere around the 130-150PS mark, with 0-62 times between 8 and 10 seconds. The Long Range model will likely be slower than the Standard Range car, due to the extra battery weight.

Independent safety organisation Euro NCAP has yet to test the Kia EV2, but we do have a list of the safety features on the car. They include various active safety and collision prevention technologies, including automatic emergency braking and lane-keep assist features. Adaptive cruise control will be standard, as well as blind-spot collision warning tech, front, side and rear parking sensors, and a driver attention warning feature.

The EV2's boxy shape should mean headroom and rear legroom are generous for a car of this size.

Some markets get a choice of four or five-seat layouts, although the UK spec has yet to be confirmed. In four-seat models, you'll get a new independently sliding and reclining rear-seat setup to maximise either rear legroom or boot space. With the seats slid forward, you'll get up to 403 litres of cargo storage, which is impressive for this type of car. If you plump for the five-seat set-up, then boot space drops to 362 litres.

There's also a 15-litre frunk under the EV2's bonnet, for extra storage space.

Kia has equipped the EV2 with a triple-screen infotainment setup, consisting of a 12.3-inch digital driver display, a central touchscreen of the same size, and a 5.3-inch climate control panel between them. We've seen this in larger Kias, and it should give the EV2 an upmarket feel.

Expect wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on all versions, upgraded sound systems on higher-end models, and other niceties like ambient lighting, fast USB charging ports, and an AI assistant.

UK prices haven't been confirmed yet, but we'd expect the Standard Range model to stay in the mid-to-high £20k range. That being the case, it'll end up being slightly above the Renault 5, which starts from a thoroughly reasonable £21,495 once the government's electric car grant (ECG). It'll be a while before we know if the EV2 also qualifies for a discount, but if it does, we would expect it to be the for the lower £1500 grant. 

Electric cars are no longer exempt from VED car tax, so you'll need to pay the same £195 as drivers of petrol, diesel and hybrid cars. The car will be well under the £40,000 threshold for the expensive car supplement, though, even in its top trim grade. 

A full charge of the Standard Range car will cost around £11 on a typical tariff, and it'll be £16 for the Long Range version. Ideally, though, you'll get yourself on a variable tariff and time your charging sessions to coincide with cheaper off-peak periods, which will slash both of those figures significantly. 

Kia tends to perform well in the HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index Survey, most recently placing eighth out of 33 brands for reliability. You're unlikely to experience an issue, but if you do, there's Kia's excellent seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty as back-up. There's also the mandatory 100,000 miles and eight years of coverage for the EV2's battery. 

Kia has not confirmed UK trim levels for the EV2 year, but we do know that there'll be a high-spec GT-Line model, which will have a sportier body kit on the outside and likely other luxury features, including an upgraded sound system.

It may well be that Kia mirrors the trim hierarchy found on its other EV cars, which would mean Air, GT-Line and possibly GT-Line S versions. We'll update this article once more information has been released.