It’s 2026 and it finally feels like inexpensive EVs are genuinely getting good in North America. The Chevrolet Bolt is back with faster charging, the Nissan Leaf offers 300 miles of range for about $30,000, and the Subaru Uncharted has some serious promise on paper. However, this segment certainly isn’t done yet. While a wave of cancelled incentives and changing emissions strategies has led to several cancellations, Kia is taking a slightly more pragmatic approach of wait-and-see. The Kia EV4 has been delayed, held back until the time is right, but a look north of the border reveals intrigue.
Not only is the Kia EV4 already on sale in Canada, it’s one of the least expensive new EVs you can buy in the Great White North and promises some serious range from its optional big battery pack. So, assuming this indefinite delay for the U.S. market lifts reasonably soon, is the EV4 worth the wait? I spent a week in one to find out.
[Full disclosure: Kia Canada let me borrow this EV4 for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it reasonably clean with more than 70 percent state-of-charge, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Battery Pack: 58.3 kWh lithium-ion standard, 81.4 kWh lithium-ion available.
Drive: Single-motor front-wheel-drive.
Output: 201 horsepower, 209 lb.-ft. of torque.
Range: 391 kilometers (243 miles) for the standard-range model, 488 to 552 kilometers (303 to 342 miles) for long-range models.
Charging: 125 kW DC fast charging, NACS port.
Base Price: $41,145 Canadian including freight.
Price As-Tested: $54,395 Canadian including freight and premium color charge.
Why Does It Exist?
Despite the current dominance of the crossover utility vehicle, there are still drivers from Busan to Berlin who buy sedans for their efficiency, reasonable cost of entry, or even just how they sit on the road. When you’re building an EV lineup, it makes a whole lot of sense to include one sedan and that’s exactly what Kia’s done with the EV4.
How Does It Look?
In a word, weird. From the droop-snoot front to the Bonneville SSEi-reloaded wheels to the bluff rear end, the EV4 simultaneously looks like a Kia and looks like nothing else on the road. Is it a good kind of weird? I’m still not sure yet. The mail-slot trunk opening is a bit of a pain and there’s just so much visually going on, but I reckon the end result is bonkers. We need more bonkers, it makes life more interesting.
What About The Interior?
Slide behind the wheel of the Kia EV4 and it’s laid out a lot like the K4 combustion-powered compact sedan, only a bit nicer. There are plenty of soft-touch materials, a volume scroll wheel, rocker switches for key climate functions, and a big screen setup with top-level secondary climate controls sandwiched between the instrument cluster and infotainment. It’s normal 2026 car stuff, except EV packaging pays some huge dividends.
While some cars have a center console only big enough to store a pair of cups, a phone, and a box of Tic Tacs, the EV4 offers almost an overabundance of multi-tier storage. We’re talking a huge wireless charging pad with a bump so your phone stays flat on the charger, Kia’s signature rotate-out cup holders, a tray behind that large enough for a big takeaway box, and a few storage compartments above that. The lower portion of the console sits properly low too, so you can manspread to the max when you’re stuck in traffic. Really the only downsides over the front seat in a regular car are capacitive touch keys for infotainment shortcuts instead of physical buttons, and a tilt-and-telescoping steering column that could telescope out more.
Come to think of it, the EV4 would also make a pretty sweet Uber ride. Although rear passenger foot space underneath the front seats is tight, legroom is anything but compact. We’re talking roughly two-tenths of an inch more rear legroom than a Toyota Camry, 38.2 inches in total. Every seat in the house is properly comfy too, with the right sort of balance between supporting decrepit backs and granddad’s armchair-plushness.
How Does It Drive?
Contrary to popular belief, not all modern EVs are capable of homogenizing your spleen during a zero-to-60 mph run. The EV4’s single motor pumps out just 201 horsepower and 209 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s less power than a new Toyota Camry Hybrid, and you know what? It’s fine. Abundant, even. Mashing the skinny pedal produces little twinges of torque steer drama, much more torque and you could really light up the fronts. If you’re coming from something like a Tesla Model 3, you might find the pace of the EV4 underwhelming, but the general response is far more immediate than in a combustion-powered normal sedan.
As for ride and handling, lest I remind you that we’re looking at a softly sprung sedan that in its top single-motor trim, carries a maximum curb weight of 1,906 kilograms, or 4,202 pounds. Sure, the low center of mass means it can take a corner competently, but the EV4 is really a cruiser. It soaks up potholes and frost heaves with beautiful damping, the generally uncommunicative steering finds a solid heading on the highway, and this compact sedan makes life on the road feel remarkably easy.
Speaking of being on the road, let’s talk real-world range. This GT-Line Premium model is rated at 488 kilometers or 303 miles of range, but I saw around 539 kilometers or 334 miles of range during a somewhat brisk Spring week. On winter tires. With the climate control set comfortably and the stereo blaring and the sunroof frequently open. Beyond putting the EV4 in Eco mode, I didn’t even try and it still blew the rated figure out of the water. Sure, 125 kW DC fast charging will be a limitation on a road trip, but the sheer range might actually be a fair trade.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Every single EV4 gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the real fun starts once you load it up. I’m talking a big moonroof, heated and ventilated seats, a heated steering wheel, surround view cameras, ghostride-the-whip mode to squeeze into tight parking spots using the key fob, a full driving assistance suite that works remarkably well, dual-zone climate control, the works.
Speaking of toys, this top-spec EV4 came equipped with a Harman/Kardon sound system with genuinely solid quality for the money. The use of laminated windows to shut out road noise certainly helps, but Kia’s paid for some great digital signal processing here to make the system sound enormous. Sure, it scoops the mids at a neutral equalizer setting, but you can easily pull the bass and treble a touch to compensate.
Three Things To Know About The Kia EV4
- It actually has the interior volume of a midsize car.
- The ride quality’s genuinely excellent.
- Tick the box for the 81.4 kWh battery pack and you’re looking at nearly 350 miles of real-world range in decent weather.
Does The Kia EV4 Fulfill Its Purpose?
You bet it does. Sure, it looks outlandish, but it’s living room-comfy, hugely spacious, has largely normal controls, offers serious range, and strikes the cue ball in the middle when it comes to entry-level EV competence. The one thing we still don’t know is exactly where pricing will fall when it arrives in America. Obviously, directly converting Canadian pricing has some asterisks due to tariffs and whatnot, but the cheapest big battery pack-equipped model stickers for $45,145 Canadian including freight, with converts out to $33,207 in greenbacks. That’s bang-on mid-range Camry money for a properly long-range EV that offers roughly the same interior room as Toyota’s familiar midsizer. Mind you, in Canada, the cheapest long-range EV4 is a few grand more expensive than a Camry SE, so we’ll just have to wait for pricing to settle. Still, the delta’s small enough that the fuel savings should close the gap over a few years of ownership.
So how does it compare to other EVs already on the market? Well, it’s made of nicer stuff than a Nissan Leaf and blows that Japanese entry out of the water when it comes to range, but a traditional trunk is a limitation compared to a practical hatch. At the same time, a base Tesla Model 3 is quicker, more dynamically accomplished, and boasts a DC fast charging advantage, but it isn’t nearly as roomy and rides noticeably firmer. For the average sedan shopper, the EV4 is probably the move.
What’s The Punctum Of The Kia EV4?
It’s a great regular car that happens to be electric.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
I think a lot of people’s opinions on the EV4’s appearance will change when they see one irl. I know mine just did.
I’m wondering why they didn’t just make a wagon of it. Would’ve looked better and been more practical.
Seconded.
I’m all for ‘normal’ EVs that don’t melt tires pulling away from stoplights. And I’m also a fan of weird, but the profile of the EV4 reminds me a bit of some of Saab’s less-graceful offerings, and not it a good way. Visually, I’m not crazy about this one… if they had just squared off the back it’d look nicer and be able to carry larger items with ease. I guess $45K is alright for the long-range version, but TBH, unless I absolutely had to have the extra range I’d opt for the base model, especially if it could be ordered with the upgraded HK stereo, which it probably can’t (for many years now, most manufacturers tend to bundle desirable options into expensive packages, instead of offering them stand-alone aka ala carte).
Since when is medium metallic blue an upchargable ‘premium’ color? Only since everything became boringly monochrome. But the EV4 might just be a bit easier on the eyes in black.
Quick caveat: the EV4 has almost exactly the same 10% to 80% DCFC charge time as a Model 3.
I believe you’re comparing peak charging rates, which are not a useful metric. The Model 3 has a much higher peak rate, but a terrible charging curve. The Kia’s curve is flatter for longer, hence why it takes about the same amount of time to charge.
In other words, when it comes to DCFC, the EV4 is very comparable to the Model 3.
I was excited when I saw the headline. That’s about as far as my excitement lasted though.
The range is nice, but there are a number of other EVs I’d probably buy before one of these.
Just picked one of these up for the better half, and in order:
Def weird, but the blue and black options works pretty well to normalize itSounds bad on paper, but it’ll hold that rate until near 80%, so just as quick as my Model 3 IRLCompletely different components with the 400V architecture, so no ICCU issues (agree we need to see how the rest works over time)The claimed range is very conservative, our GT has already busted past its EPA 300 mi with ease, even in cool temps. Couldn’t be happier with it.
Good to hear a real world account. I do know some of the other slower charging EVs have gotten boosts in 10-80 time by improvements to their charge curves. I’ll be interested to see comparisons between this and some of the competition on that front.
$30k-$40k = “inexpensive”?
Oh, dear. I’ve reached an age where I am no longer capable of adjusting the dollar value metric in my head to align with today’s reality. My “inexpensive” seems to have stalled at <$20k some time ago.
but covid, tariff, inflation, war etc.etc.etc
we just getting fleeced as usual