I’m not a huge fan of using numbers to identify cars and would always prefer a name instead of a number. In the past, Renault, Mazda, Mercedes and BMW used numbers to explain their car size. Now Kia has also decided to use numbers for their electric cars.
The EV9 was Kia’s first electric car when introduced into Ireland in November 2024 and since then then the South Korean company are counting down with their EV6, EV4, EV3 and last week I drove their new EV2. Kia also have a van-type PV5, where there is an option of five or seven seats and next year you can expect to see an EV1 and it will be a supermini hatchback.
At first glance, the EV2 could be described as having a ‘boxy’ look. But you forget all that once you sit into the car and appreciate the classy look inside. The dash is well laid out, and I think you will like the bright colours of the seats, which coupled with a white roofline makes for a really bright interior.
The lights at the front are very attractive and likewise at the back where the lights are placed very low down.
I found the controls on dash easy to use and loved the hands-free area to charge my mobile phone. Truth be told, it took me a minute to find the ignition switch. There are three stalks on the steering wheel and that ignition switch is located underneath one of the stalks to the right of the steering wheel.
On the dash you get three screens, a 12.3-inch driver cluster, a 12.3-inch central touchscreen and a 5.3-inch climate control display. Those screens all blend into one, and the dash resembles a recording studio! In the back seats, there is room for three adults at a squeeze. Like most small cars, it would probably be more comfortable in the back seat with just two adults.
Kia also makes a four-person version of the EV2, but that’s not coming to Ireland. You might think of the EV2 as the second car in the family, but Kia rightly point out that it’s large enough to be the main family car.
The boot is decent sized, officially 362 litres of space and there is a neat Frunk with 15 litres of space. That’s enough to hold the charge cables and leaves you with plenty of space in the boot.
I thought the colour was Burgundy, but officially it was Magma Red. Not Maga red! There are five other colours to choose from, and Frost Blue seems to be popular also.
Officially, the range with a full charge for the small battery is 317km and 453km for the long-range version and to be fair, that’s fairly accurate. Kia’s home charging partner is Energia, and they have a 14-day cooling off period for the charger.
There are four trim levels: Air, Earth, GT-Line and GT-Line Plus. Prices start at €28,660 for the EV2 Air model and €31,940 for the long-range battery version. The Earth version is priced at €30,530 or €33,810 for the 61kWh version that I drove. Road tax is €120.
The GT-Line models, which come standard with the long range 61kWh battery, start at €34,810. Kia has designed the EV2 specifically for the European market, and it’s built in Zilina, Slovakia, alongside their EV4.
I really liked it. It’s a very comfortable car to drive and travel in and so easy to park.
