Kia EV2 Reviews

Is the ‘uncool’ people mover on the verge of a renaissance?New arrivals and rising sales suggest the once daggy family transport could become the new battleground in the Australian market.While large, seven-seat SUVs remain the preferred option for Australian families, people mover sales were up 9.2 per cent in 2025 and have started 2026 with a surge, a whopping 41.1 per cent jump on last year.While the Kia Carnival remains the undisputed champion of people movers, accounting for approximately 80 per cent of its market, there is a new wave of more premium rivals that are catering to a specific audience looking for spacious and luxurious travel.The Chinese brands are, unsurprisingly, leading this charge, as people movers are a much more popular choice in its native market. The likes of the Zeekr 009, LDV Mifa, GAC M8 PHEV and upcoming Denza D9 are all offering space and premium features for both family and business buyers.These add to the likes of the Lexus LM, which is available with an opulent four-seat layout, as well as the Mercedes-Benz Vito and V-Class, giving buyers more choice.Meanwhile in the more family/fleet-orientated segment of the market, the Carnival competes against the Hyundai Staria, new Ford Tourneo and Volkswagen’s new-generation Multivan and Caddy.And, if that’s not enough, there are the all-electric Volkswagen ID.Buzz and Mercedes-Benz EQV to expand the appeal of the people mover even further.So what makes people movers so popular, especially the Carnival?According to Roland Rivero, Kia Australia’s head of product planning, it’s the simple fact they are bigger and more practical than a seven-seat SUV for families that need the space.“I think our dealers do a pretty good job of conveying that while there might be a high desirability of an SUV, because everyone has got one… but for most families a Carnival is a better proposition,” explains Rivero.“For a family, fundamentally a Carnival does a better job.”The combination of more interior space, especially in the third row and a practical boot, as well as the sliding rear doors, are the standout areas where a people mover has the edge over an SUV, says Rivero.“For the most part dealers are able to convey the benefits of the Carnival over an SUV, unless the buyer has a need for four-wheel drive,” he said. “It’s probably the marketing that has driven that SUV popularity.”Rivero added: “Those that discovered the benefits of a people mover, those who have a family, realise quickly how good it can be.”Speaking to CarsGuide in August 2025, Zeekr Australia boss Frank Li admitted he was surprised by the initial slow uptake for the 009 given its popularity in overseas markets but expressed confidence in its long-term prospects.“Before actually, we valued the Australian market very much as well, but you know previously we only had two models and that is quite a niche segment in Australia,” Li explained.“Even though 009 performance is very good – it’s brilliant in south east Asia, like Hong Kong, Malay Thailand, we’re dominating this segment in this market – but the Australian market is obviously not a traditional people mover market. We believe that slowly, slowly our customers will love 009, but that takes time.”The more premium end of the market is a growing space for these more luxurious people movers, and it’s a key reason why Denza (BYD’s luxury sub-brand) is going to launch the D9 in Australia.Paul Ellis, spokesperson for Denza, said the brand’s move into the market is less about attracting fleet buyers and instead a more corporate audience, smaller operators that do luxury transfers and upmarket hotels, as well as families looking for space and comfort.“They’re a niche product, but within that niche there is quite a lot of demand for them,” Ellis told CarsGuide.

With fuel prices surging to around two dollars a litre nationally, and more that three dollars a litre in some regional areas, now is one of the best times to consider switching to a fully electric vehicle.Price was once one of the biggest deterrents for buyers wanting to make the switch, but now that gap has well and truly closed.To highlight this we’ve pulled together the most popular cars from last year in each mainstream car category, and the fully electric alternatives you can now buy for the same money.Seeking a practical small SUV? Top of the charts last year was the Hyundai Kona, and one of its most popular variants is the entry-level Kona Hybrid which starts from $36,950.To be fair here, the Kona Hybrid is a great choice anyway, as one of the most fuel-efficient small SUVs you can buy, but if you’re looking to wean yourself off fuel altogether, a great alternative is the Jaecoo J5.Surprisingly spacious and swish-looking, the J5 starts from just $35,990 before on-roads and offers a 402km (WLTP) range with a 155kW/288Nm electric motor driving the front wheels. It can even charge relatively quickly with its 130kW DC peak speed taking it from 20 - 80 per cent in just over half an hour.Read our Jaecoo J5 review hereYou actually can’t buy the popular GXL hybrid front-wheel-drive version of the Toyota RAV4 anymore, because production ended in the lead up to the launch of the new-gen version. The bad news is, the new one will cost even more than the outgoing car, which started from $45,810 before on-road costs.The RAV4 has earned its place as Australia’s most popular mid-size SUV through its family-friendly design, practical size and interior, and its no-nonsense approach to pretty much everything. The brand’s 2.5-litre 160kW hybrid system remains one of the most user-friendly hybrid systems on the market, too.What can you get as an EV for the same money? Quite a few options these days, as it turns out, and one of the most appealing is the just-updated Geely EX5 Extended Range, which is priced from $45,990 before on-roads.This relatively straightforward EV also provides a spacious interior and practical dimensions, but even combines it with more modern luxuries than the RAV4 offers in equivalent guise. It features synthetic leather interior trim, bigger screens with more connected technology, and its most recent upgrade brought with it a boost in driving range to 450km (WLTP). No wonder this one is storming up the sales charts.Read our Geely EX5 review hereFord’s big Everest off-roader is the most popular option in the large SUV space, and buyers tend to splash a bit more, reaching for the upper mid-grade Sport variant, which wields a 3.0-litre diesel V6 paired to a full-time 4WD system.This car wears a before-on-roads price-tag of $75,990, so what can you get as an EV instead?How about the just-released Tesla Model Y L? Starting from $74,900, sporting six-seats, and expanding in every dimension, this new take on the best-selling electric car in Australia offers more than you might expect.Sure, it’s not a big off-road oriented 4x4, but if it’s a fuel-free family hauler you’re looking for, you could do worse. With 378kW/580Nm it’s rapid, too, and with a huge battery offering up to 681km of range, it’s one of the furthest-travelling EVs on sale in Australia.Plus, it’s much more affordable than truly large electric SUVs, like the Kia EV9, which starts much higher at $97,000 before on-roads.Read more about the Tesla Model Y L hereThe Toyota Corolla continues as a perennial favourite among Australian buyers, and with the popular Ascent Sport hybrid starting from $32,110, why wouldn’t it?The swish little hatch offers Toyota’s perennial 1.8-litre four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain in a front-wheel-drive layout, sporting a modest combined 103kW. There’s no denying that as far as cars with combustion engines go, it’s pretty fuel efficient, officially consuming 4.0L/100km, but what if you could forgo fuel altogether?The obvious answer for some time has been BYD’s Dolphin Premium. Starting from $36,990 before on-roads it carries a slight price premium over the most popular Corolla variant, however, the Dolphin also brings with it a long electric driving range of 490km (WLTP), and a punchier 150kW/310Nm electric motor.It also scores a much more contemporary and screen-laden interior, with bonus luxuries like synthetic leather seats, plus it undercuts the nearest equivalent MG4 by a decent margin.Read our BYD Dolphin review hereKia’s Picanto soldiers on as a hold-out in an embattled city car segment, which, despite ever-rising fuel prices, Australians have turned their back on. It’s still a great option, offering both manual and automatic transmissions, although its 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine feels its age.Starting from $20,790 before on-road costs in automatic form, the Picanto is solid value, and while its wheezy engine produces just 62kW/122Nm it’s hardly the fuel sipping hero you might need, still managing to consume 6.0L/100km.This is where BYD’s Atto 1 comes into play. Now Australia’s most affordable electric car, the sharply-styled city hatch is slightly more expensive than the Picanto, as it starts from $23,990 in base Essential form.This entry-level Atto 1 is about even with the Kia on power, producing just 65kW, but it gets a boost in the torque department, with 175Nm. It also scores a middling 220km of range from its small 30kWh battery, but in a city runabout, do you need more?The smallest BYD also scores spec bonuses over its combustion Kia rival, with synthetic leather interior trim, a more contemporary interior design, and even a vehicle-to-load power distribution system.Read more about the BYD Atto 1 here

Toyota’s undisputed hybrid dominance continued in the past year but with new emissions laws closing in, more brands are vying for a slice of the fuel-sipping hybrid market.The biggest success story so far appears to be Hyundai, which has moved to electrify some of its top-selling nameplates. The Korean juggernaut now ranks second in Australia for total hybrid sales, amassing 28,819 hybrids registered in 2025.While this still trails Toyota’s total of 116,635 hybrid units by a significant margin, it’s a reasonably rapid rise for Hyundai, which has managed to double its hybrid tally year-on-year.This is thanks to the roll-out of key hybrid variants for its most popular nameplates, like the Kona small SUV (now 46 per cent hybrid by sales), Tucson mid-sizer (52 per cent hybrid), the Santa Fe, which launched as a hybrid (hence its whopping 82 per cent hybrid sales mix), and the recently-launched Palisade hybrid, which made up 32 per cent of the large SUV’s sales (this figure combines the previous model as well).Hyundai is perhaps a victim of its own mainstream success in that its total for 2025 was still only 37 per cent hybrid, 60 per cent combustion, and just two per cent electric. The brand therefore still managed to attract a penalty under Australia’s tough New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), despite its hybrid growth.Hyundai’s hybrid strategy has managed to outfox its traditional Japanese rivals Honda and Nissan thanks to the widespread availability and affordability of its hybrid options.The Kona, for example, is available as a hybrid in base form, priced at $36,950 before on-road costs, while the most affordable Nissan Qashqai e-Power ST-L is priced at $45,640 (before on-roads), and the cheapest Honda ZR-V hybrid is priced at $54,900 (drive-away).The same can be said across the range, with the Santa Fe a plugless hybrid success when measured against its Kia Sorento sibling, which was previously only available as a hybrid in top-spec GT-Line form. Kia has now expanded its hybrid offering to include the base S at $59,630 before on-roads. In comparison, the base Santa Fe Hybrid can be had from $57,650.However, there are storm cells on the horizon for Hyundai. Not only does its two per cent EV volume mean the more affordable Chinese-built Elexio mid-size SUV must help out on the sales front in 2026, but the next brand down for hybrid sales, BYD, has rapidly caught up despite fielding only two hybrid (albeit, plug-in hybrid) offerings.The Shark 6 ute is undeniably one of the biggest success stories of 2025, shifting 18,073 units, but the mid-sized Sealion 6 is also a force to be reckoned with, achieving 9055 registrations in the same period.In total, these two plug-ins bring BYD’s tally to 27,128 units, just shy of Hyundai’s total for the year, and by far leading the charts for plug-in hybrids specifically.In addition, the market-leading Toyota will put pressure on Hyundai’s line-up with the introduction of its next-generation RAV4 and its plug-in hybrid variants imminently. Toyota sold 51,869 units of just the RAV4 hybrid in 2025.The Japanese giant has also transitioned most of its passenger car and non 4x4 line-up to hybrid only, with a strong proportion of Corolla Cross, Corolla, and Camry making up its yearly total.Meanwhile Kia, whose hybrid total for 2025 came to 9401 units, is doubling down by not only adding additional hybrid variants of the Sorento, but it will soon launch a more heavily hybridised next-generation Seltos.Kia’s key advantage over its sibling is its relative dominance in the EV space, with its line-up of the EV3, EV5, EV6, EV9 and outgoing Niro accounting for 8131 units in 2025, eclipsing its hybrid total, accounting for 10 per cent of its total sales, and putting it firmly in the positive column for NVES credits which will pay dividends in the coming years.

Japan has lost its crown as the number one source of new cars for Australia - and it could be for good.

Which car brands have the most models on sale in Australia?

The Kia K4 was a massive shakeup for the South Korean carmaker when it launched in Australia last year as it ditched the popular Cerato nameplate.Launching initially in sedan guise only, the K4 hasn’t been the sales hit the Cerato was, at least yet. The K4 Hatch has now arrived and it could help correct the course.Measuring 27cm shorter overall than the sedan, the K4 Hatch has a shorter rear overhang. This makes the K4 look more European and contemporary than the more conventionally styled sedan.Another benefit of the shorter rear hangover is it's easier to park in tight parallel car spots. This can make a world of a difference to small car buyers.While shorter overall, the K4 Hatch’s wheelbase remains unchanged from the sedan. This means the almost tardis-like interior space carries over, especially for second-row passengers.Overall boot space (438L) is down slightly on the sedan (508L) but the boot opening is much larger and the space itself is squarer and usable for big, bulky items. It’s also great to still see a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor.Another big shakeup that coincided with the introduction of the hatchback body style was a slight change to what powers the non-GT-Line K4 trims.It’s still a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine but produces slightly less power and torque (110kW/180Nm vs 112kW/192Nm). It’s also mated to continuously variable transmission (CVT) rather than a torque-converter automatic. The same set-up can be found in the Kia Seltos and Hyundai i30 Sedan, among others.While this engine has never been an outright performance beast, the CVT does make the most of what it has to offer. It’s happy to flare the revs when required to get up to speed, but you get that monotonous engine drone as there's no gear changes.At higher speeds the engine does run out of puff and it frequently needs to dip above 3000rpm in order to maintain highway/freeway speeds.Despite this, fuel consumption has improved dramatically thanks to the CVT. Kia claims it consumes an average of 6.1L/100km, versus 7.4L/100km for the MY25 K4 Sedan. In the real world I saw an average of 6.9L/100km across 350km of urban/highway driving, which is considerably better than what I got in previous testing of the K4 Sedan with the six-speed torque-converter auto.It’s disappointing the K4 still only has a 47L fuel tank which is small for the segment and means you’ll need to be refuelling more frequently.Another redeeming factor for the lack of engine power is how comfortable and dynamic the K4 Hatch is to drive. Like the sedan it has received a local ride and handling tune and that is evident in and around town, as well as on the open road.The car reacts to pimply urban roads with suppleness and even larger bumps at higher speeds don’t unsettle the ride.This is complimented by the steering which is direct and has a nice weight to make the car feel fun to drive on the open road but not too unwieldy in tight, urban streets.The K4 Sport+, which is the penultimate trim level in the line-up and the highest trim with the 2.0-litre non-turbo engine, is priced from $39,090 before on-road costs, regardless of the body style. This is getting up there in terms of price compared to similarly specced rivals like the Toyota Corolla Hybrid and Subaru Impreza.Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 5.0-inch climate control screen, synthetic leather upholstery and heated front seats.However, for almost $40,000 before on-road costs this K4 misses out on a wireless charger and it has a plastic steering wheel instead of a leather- or synthetic leather-wrapped unit.Beyond this, the K4 Sport+ comes with the entire active safety suite including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control with lane centring and lane change assist, plus front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. Strangely a surround-view camera isn't offered across the line-up.There are also seven airbags, an emergency SOS calling function, plus ISOFIX child-seat anchorages on the two outboard rear seats and top-tether points on all rear seats.Like all Kias, the K4 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. This is now becoming standard among mainstream carmakers.Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. The first seven services cost a total of $3883, which averages out to $554 per service. This isn’t cheap and you’ll pay less for servicing an equivalent Hyundai i30 or Toyota Corolla Hybrid.

New reports out of the US say Hyundai and Kia may be forced to significantly reduce their EV footprint as volatile trade winds bite.According to industry source Automotive News, the upcoming and heavily updated Ioniq 6 will be forced to be offered in just one variant, the Ioniq 6 N, as opposed to an expanded line-up.Conversely, Kia has been forced to indefinitely shelve its performance-oriented EV6 GT and EV9 GT, at least for the US market.This is because the Korean-built models will fail to be competitive enough in light of the US administration’s continued tariffs, which would add significant costs to the models once delivered in the USA. Models built locally, like the rest of the EV6 and EV9 range would not be affected.When contacted for potential impacts for Australian production, a Hyundai Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide its plan to launch the Ioniq 6 N would proceed as planned toward the end of April this year, and while the brand was considering further additions to the line-up, it was too early to say whether these plans would be impacted by tariff movements at HQ.Meanwhile, a Kia Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide that as it stands right now supply of the EV6 GT and EV9 GT would continue for the Australian market, and would remain unaffected by tariffs overseas.Locally, the range-topping Kia EV9 GT costs $129,250 before on-road costs, while the EV6 GT starts from $99,660 before on-road costs.Interestingly both brands also said at this stage they would not be affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as vehicles sourced by each brand did not pass through the region for the Australian market.It seems a case of right-hand drive production insulating both automakers from wider impacts to the left-hand drive market, which is largely determined by demand coming out of either the USA or China.However, many other automakers will continue to pull back on EV plans due to the removal of subsidies in the US, and rising demand for hybrids the world over.Volkswagen for example is pivoting to range-extender hybrids in China and the US, where the tech will underpin its just-launched ID.9X large SUV, and its new range of big ladder frame 4x4s from rebooted Scout Motors.Meanwhile a range of Chinese brands, like MG’s IM luxury arm, Leapmotor, Geely, and Deepal are all rolling out range-extended hybrid powertrains across their range.Hyundai Group itself will invest in the tech, with executives frequently hinting the brand will pivot to a range-extender set-up for the highly anticipated Hyundai Ute, as a significant point of difference from its Kia Tasman cousin.While it is yet to be confirmed, it seems to be a logical next step for the brand, as many brands are betting on hybrid technology for the future of larger models in big left-hand drive markets like the US and China.Despite headwinds, Hyundai is also one of the few automakers standing by its hydrogen plans. Many are shying away from the potential diesel-replacing technology due to its massive upfront technology costs in a challenging financial environment.Stay tuned on more of both Hyundai and Kia’s plans in 2026 as they defend their hard-fought sales position in Australia from the meteoric growth of Chinese rivals like BYD, Chery, and GWM.

$19,990 drive-away is back! The sub-$20,000 barrier has been breached by a popular new model in Australia, bucking a long-term trend of continuous price hikes.More importantly, and in a first since the Suzuki Swift jumped well beyond $21,000 at the beginning of this decade, the car in question is not based on an older or outmoded design nearing the end of its lifecycle, but something released relatively recently as an all-new proposition.That model, inevitably, is the latest iteration of the second-generation MG3, which has already seen a couple of price cuts since the entry-level Vibe CVT automatic grade arrived in Australia during the second half of last year.Initially set at $21,990 drive-away, it dropped by $1000 last month, but is now retailing at $19,990 drive-away until the end of March.However, this latest price is conditional, since it comes with the proviso that is highly unusual at a national retail level - that a member of the buyer’s family must be, or have been, an owner of an MG vehicle.Snappily branded as the “MG Family $1,000 Off” campaign, an MG dealer told CarsGuide that it “includes existing and previous owners and their immediate families, taking in spouses, children (including step/adopted ones) and parents.”Whether previous family ownership extends to the pre-Chinese ownership era of MG Rover models from before 2005, like the ZT, ZS and ZR, as well as the TF and MGF roadsters of the ‘90s, could not be confirmed.In some cases, proof may also be required before the $19,990 drive-away price can be applied at the point of sale – otherwise the Vibe CVT grade returns to the standard $20,990 drive-away.Furthermore, the sub-$20K pricing applies only to new (so not demonstrator) MY25.5 MG3s (so already built and presumably landed in Australia), and in white or black and with a black interior, and while stocks last. They must be sold and delivered to the customer by March 31, 2026, and excludes fleet, government and rental buyers.The real significance of this is the fact that, unlike the previous first-generation MG3 that first entered production all the way back in 2011, the newer (ZP22) version only dates back to 2024.This means it has significantly more safety features, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and some advanced driver-assist system (ADAS) technologies.As we said earlier, this hasn’t been the case since the contemporary Swift jumped in price during 2021.And while the MG3 currently has a four-star crash-test rating with ANCAP, its nearest competitor on price, the one-segment-size-down Kia Picanto, remains untested.Note, too, that, even at $20,990 drive-away, the MG3 Vibe CVT is by some margin currently the cheapest new vehicle in Australia, undercutting the base Picanto Sport manual at $22,140 drive-away by over $1100, and $2250 for the auto version that is the more-appropriate point of comparison.Well specified, the Vibe CVT is powered by an 81kW/142Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, driving the front wheels via a CVT continuously variable transmission.Standard features include 15-inch steel wheels, cloth upholstery, a reversing camera, a 10.25-inch touchscreen display, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, adaptive cruise control, AEB, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning/assist, rear cross-traffic alert, speed sign recognition and a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty (like Kia’s), but increased to a 10-year/250,000km conditional guarantee of serviced at an MG dealer.

China is now the biggest country of origin for new-car sales in Australia, leapfrogging Japan in what is a seismic shift in the Australian automotive industry.

The numbers don’t lie. Australians love Chinese-built cars.Chinese-made vehicles accounted for more than 221,000 sales in Australia in 2025. That was nearly 20 per cent of all cars sold locally, making it the third-largest country to send cars here behind only Japan and Thailand. That figure represents a 25 per cent increase on 2024, and a massive 190 per cent jump from five years ago.Which explains why the newest model from Hyundai, a brand synonymous with sourcing its cars from South Korea, has turned to China for help. The all-new Elexio is the sister-model to the Kia EV5, both are built on Hyundai’s globally-developed E-GMP electric vehicle platform, but both are manufactured in China in a bid to cut production costs.In theory this is working well, with the Elexio priced from $59,990 drive-away as its introductory price, which is much cheaper than the similarly-size, but South Korean-built Ioniq 5, which starts at $76,200 plus on-road costs.Kia’s EV5 range is priced from $56,770 for the entry-level Air Standard Range variant, but it does stretch up to $71,770 for the GT-Line Long Range. Speaking at the launch of the Elexio, Hyundai management made no secret that it has become more open minded to where its cars come from, rather than sticking to its traditional South Korean base.“We've been pretty open to ,” said Tim Rodgers, Product Development Manager for Hyundai.“We're currently sourcing from Turkey and Czech Republic already, and we've got factories everywhere. We’re constantly studying and assessing the viability. So anything that pops up onto the radar that becomes viable is just a huge benefit to us, especially as a right-hand-drive model.” But there is still a clear gap between these Hyundai-Kia Chinese models and those from Chinese brands, such as Geely, Leapmotor and Deepal, which are more than $15,000 cheaper in some cases.Hyundai Australia Chief Operating Officer Gavin Donaldson believes some Chinese companies are "pulling other levers" to achieve those prices, which is a polite way to suggest these brand’s Australian prices are subsidised by head office.Rodgers, though, says Hyundai Australia’s isn’t looking to source more cars from China simply because production costs are lower. “I mean it's not just that. We've got a whole R&D facility in China as well, right,” he explained. “So we are leveraging that, the proximity to us to be able to assess our market, visit us, support our market. It's a level of support that's great to have from not just Korea but China as well. So a huge benefit.”While the EV5 is the only Kia built in China, Hyundai’s joint-venture operation in the country, Beijing Hyundai, makes several models including the Elantra (i30 Sedan), Sonata, Tucson and Santa Fe - although not all are available in right-hand drive.Beijing Hyundai has actually suffered a steep sales decline in recent years, as the domestic Chinese brands emerged as serious players both home and abroad. The creation of the research and development centre mentioned by Rodgers came in 2024, as the company looked to improve its fortunes and fights back against the likes of BYD, GWM and Chery in both China and Australia.What this ultimately means for Australian customers remains to be seen, with Hyundai management not revealing any new models for our showrooms anytime soon, but there is clearly an openness to cars built not only in China but other low-cost manufacturing bases in order to better compete in the changing market.