- The 2026 Kia EV4 debuts as the brand’s first electric sedan, and it’ll be sold in the United States.
- The 201-hp front-wheel-drive EV will offer two battery sizes, and we expect the larger 81.4-kWh pack will provide 330 miles of range.
- The EV4 sedan should start at around $35,000 when it reaches U.S. dealerships near the end of this year or in early 2026.
Sedan fans shopping for an affordable EV have very few options: the $38,900 Hyundai Ioniq 6 or the $44,130 Tesla Model 3. Kia is looking to expand that segment with its new EV4 compact sedan and will begin selling it late this year or early next year.
We estimate the EV4 will start at about $35,000 and rise toward the EV6’s $43,995 base price. Like the EV6 and the upcoming EV3, the EV4 is built on the brand’s familiar E-GMP architecture. At 186.2 inches, the EV4 sedan is a couple of inches longer than a Honda Civic sedan, but the Kia’s 111.0-inch wheelbase is on par with the Accord’s 111.4-inch wheelbase. The EV4’s package has a spacious rear seat and a deep and cavernous 17-cubic-foot cargo hold behind the elongated trunk lid. A hatchback version of the EV4 will be available and built in Europe, but there are no plans for it to come stateside.
The interior design is largely shared with the EV4’s platform-mate, the EV3. A 12.3-inch screen faces the driver and butts up next to a 5.3-inch screen that handles HVAC information. Next to that is another 12.3-inch touchscreen that handles infotainment and various vehicle settings. The three screens fill a 30-inch display that dominates the fabric-adorned instrument panel. A GT-Line appearance package with 19-inch wheels and aggressive-looking front and rear fascias will be optional, but the extra-cost option won’t add any performance to the mix.
Presumably to hold costs down, the EV4 has a 400-volt architecture instead of the EV6’s 800-volt system. On a Level 2 connection, the EV4 will suck down electrons at a rate of 11 kW. Kia didn’t provide details on the speed of a DC fast-charge but promises a 10-to-80-percent charge for the 81.4-kWh battery will take 31 minutes. A smaller 58.3-kWh battery is also available and achieves the same charge in 29 minutes. Kia promises the battery can be used to power various electric appliances for both campers and power-loss sufferers. The ability to send power back to the grid is also touted, although it remains to be seen how that will work in customer hands.
No matter the battery, the EV4 has a front motor with 201 horsepower. Kia claims that will help the sedan with the larger battery go from zero to 62 mph in 7.7 seconds. The smaller-battery model should do the deed in 7.4 ticks. The 201-hp setup is shared with the EV3 and is presumably the same motor that motivates the Kia Niro EV to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. Kia hasn’t published a curb weight for the EV4, but we’d expect it to be in the neighborhood of the Niro EV’s 3715 pounds. If that bears out, expect a similar time to 60 mph.
Customers might be more interested in driving range. Based on the very optimistic European WLTP test cycle, the EV4 sedan scores an impressive 390 miles, which we believe will result in a 330-mile EPA range for the larger battery. The smaller battery nets a claimed 267-mile range in the same Euro test, a likely 225-mile result using the EPA’s methodology.
Korean-market versions will begin production in South Korea this March. U.S. examples will be built in the same plant in Korea and should start rolling off the assembly line late this year.
Tony Quiroga is a 20-year-veteran Car and Driver editor, writer, and car reviewer and the 19th editor-in-chief for the magazine since its founding in 1955. He has subscribed to Car and Driver since age six. “Growing up, I read every issue of Car and Driver cover to cover, sometimes three or more times. It’s the place I wanted to work since I could read,” Quiroga says. He moved from Automobile Magazine to an associate editor position at Car and Driver in 2004. Over the years, he has held nearly every editorial position in print and digital, edited several special issues, and also helped produce C/D’s early YouTube efforts. He is also the longest-tenured test driver for Lightning Lap, having lapped Virginia International Raceway’s Grand Course more than 2000 times over 12 years.
Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
