Kia EV3 2026 review: GT-Line long-term | Part 2

Two months into my three-month media loan of the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line Long Range and the little electric SUV has become part of the family.

It fits perfectly in my cramped carport, and looks good there to boot. And, importantly, my partner is a fan.

Read More About Kia Ev3

• Kia EV3 2026 review: GT-Line long-term | Part 1
• Kia EV3 2026 review: GT-Line long-term | Part 3
• Official! "Major redesign" coming for Kia Tasman with ugly duckling to turn tough-as swan to better fight Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and BYD Shark 6

Kia’s best exterior design?

Kia’s current design language made its debut with the large and in-charge EV9 a few years back. That filtered down to all the other EVs and even to internal combustion models like the K4 and facelifted models like the Sportage.

But I think the EV3 is the most successful example of that design philosophy to date. I mean, it looks like a Transformer! What more could you want?

It’s a blocky SUV but with some curves, specifically on the EV3’s nose. But that duality works and never contradicts itself.

Beyond the beautifully boxy silhouette, other winning design elements include the sharply shaped, blacked-out wheel arches and other chunky black elements like the roof rails, mirror caps, lower front and rear bumpers, pillars and the extended C-pillar. The black 19-inch GT-Line alloy wheels add to the vibe.

The Volvo-esque tail-lights help frame the tailgate beautifully and the side view of the rear third of the EV3 is my favourite angle. That’s where the Transformer vibe is at its most pronounced.

The headlights are in keeping with many current Kia models and look great. If you look closely you should count 12 tiny square LED elements on each side. And those lights are exceptional at night. But more on that in next month’s instalment.

The EV3’s dimensions are 4310mm long, 1850mm wide and 1570mm tall (GT-Line is 10mm longer and taller than other grades) with a 2680mm wheelbase.

It looks short in terms of length and tall in terms of height, but a quick look at rivals shows it’s exactly as long as a BYD Atto 2, but 20mm wider and 105mm shorter.

That wheelbase isn’t as long as a Zeekr X (2750mm), but it’s got more space between the wheel arches than the Atto 2.

It’s what’s inside that counts

While the exterior is something to behold, interior design is well executed without moving the game forward.

Kia’s twin integrated screens dominate the dash which includes a mix of textured hard plastic, fabric, brushed aluminium panels and an ambient light bar.

Two-tone interior and seat trim (light grey and mid-dark grey) brightens up the cabin and the two-tone steering wheel looks super cool.

But how does it all function?

Practicality pros and cons

Living with the EV3 every day for more than two months now, it’s clear this little car has some big ticks in the practicality column, but there are also some quirks and, frankly, some poor choices.

Let’s start up front. Getting into the EV3 is the first quirk. The proximity key is temperamental. It constantly locks and unlocks the car if you hover near the vehicle. Just when you think it’s open, nope! Locked. It seems only French carmakers Renault and Peugeot know how to successfully operate this tech.

Also, it has pop-out exterior front door handles, presumably for better aerodynamics. They’re the sort of handles where the rear arm pops out. Regardless of whether you’re left or right-handed, it feels awkward grabbing the handle, but more so if you have something in your dominant hand and you need to use the other one. A regular flush door handle you can put your hand under would suffice.

Once in the driver’s seat it’s not hard to find your perfect driving position. The 10-way power-adjustable front seats help here. The seats are another quirk because they are not uncomfortable by any means, quite the opposite. But the back rest has a rounded shape, rather than traditional side bolsters and it makes for an odd sensation. But the base is comfy and supportive. I prefer nice cloth or synthetic suede to real or fake leather seats, but the Kia has the latter and it does the job.

The height of the EV3 ensures ample headroom up front and there’s decent space across, although you might bump elbows with your passenger because of the central armrest.

There’s more than enough legroom up front, but my knee regularly bumps the steering wheel-mounted gear selector stalk when I get in the car and occasionally when driving. If it were a little higher up it wouldn’t be an issue. I appreciate carmakers moving gear shifters from the console to make room for other things so I’m not mad at the stalk location.

The only buttons are auto parking and auto hold on the centre armrest/table. There’s also a volume wheel on the centre stack, thankfully.

While the air con is controlled via an always-on screen between the multimedia and driver display, you can change the mode, temperature and fan speed via toggles underneath. They feel nice to touch.

Under the 12.3-inch multimedia screen you’ll find haptic buttons for nav, home and search. You can also do this via the touchscreen but it’s nice to have the option of a button.

Kia’s head-up display is bright and clear and while the main driver display has a lot of information, it’s also clear and doesn’t overwhelm.

Kia’s multimedia set-up is pretty solid. It consists of large tiles and sub menus and you can touch and swipe to your heart’s content. The EV3 includes connected services via 'Kia Connect' (in-car and app), so you can check the weather, your calendar, voice memos and EV data all through the screen. It’s a clever, high-tech car but, again, the tech never overwhelms.

There’s a pair of USB-C ports under the dash and a wireless charging pad that is excellent for two reasons. It has a rubberised mat so your phone stays in place even when cornering, and the charger actually charges your phone. So many in-car chargers just heat up your phone and barely add charge, but this one does what it says on the tin. Thank God!

Storage is a mixed bag in the EV3. The door bins will fit smaller, narrower bottles only. The base is actually huge but the door armrests impede it. The EV3 has a medium-sized glove box.

I’d like to tell you about the EV3’s central storage bin between the drive and passenger, but there isn’t one. Well, not in the GT-Line anyway. Air and Earth grades get a conventional storage bin under the front central arm rest, but Kia’s product planners opted for a small pull-out table instead.

It’s a pointless inclusion. I have only once used this function when I was running late for my mother’s birthday and had to write in a card on the run. Aside from that, it’s pretty useless. I’d much rather a covered storage compartment because currently the only secure storage space is the glove box. Under the armrest/console/table is a large open space with plenty of room for small bags. That space includes two cupholders that open up if you require even more space. But the cupholders are quite low and far from the driver and passenger’s reach. These would've been better placed higher on the central console.

One thing I can’t fault is the overall feeling of quality to the cabin materials. It feels like a well built, robust cabin.

Moving to the rear seats, you’ll find ample headroom, but toe room under the front seats is limited. Knee room behind my 184cm driving position is just okay. The front seat backs are made from quite hard plastic so you wouldn’t want the seat to be too far back.

Amenities back there include map pockets, a USB-C port on the back of both front seats, knee-level air vents, a small nook on the back of the console and a fold-down arm rest with shallow cupholders.

There’s no chunky transmission tunnel because it’s an EV.

Rear seats are flat but reasonably comfortable and the chunky head rests are adjustable.

Earth and GT-Line grades get a standard power tailgate, which is always welcome and the boot comes with a light and side nooks.

Kia says the EV3 can swallow 460 litres of cargo with all seats in place and it’s a sizeable space, especially given the compact dimensions of the car.

I love the two-level boot floor. You can place the removable floor at the same level as the tailgate lip, making for ample secure under-floor storage, or place it lower for larger items. Very clever.

A front trunk can stow 25 litres which is enough for a charge cable. The bonnet has gas struts, too, which I always appreciate.

Sadly the EV3 only comes with a tyre repair kit and not even a temporary spare wheel. Not uncommon for EVs, but Australians deserve better.

How efficient is the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line?

I clocked up just under 1000km of driving in the past month and the trip computer says it was a more efficient few weeks than my first instalment. It showed 16kWh/100km, which is a tick under Kia’s claim of 16.2kWh. Not a bad result.

Factoring in usable battery capacity and my efficiency figures, the real-world range this month was about 488km.

That’s it for my second instalment of the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line long-term review. Keep an eye out for my final instalment in a few weeks and an accompanying video wrapping up my time with the car and outlining everything I like and don’t like about this appealing little EV.

Acquired: February 2026

Distance travelled this month: 968km

Odometer: 6931km

Average energy consumption this month: 16kWh/100km