Kia Pregio Reviews

Kia has officially unveiled its EV2 all-electric compact SUV at the Brussels Motor Show. The Oz-bound EV2 will launch in the second quarter of 2026, and could be Kia’s cheapest EV Down Under.It will take on the likes of the BYD Dolphin, starting from $29,900 (before on-road costs) and the GWM Ora, which starts from $35,990 (before on-roads).There has been no official indication on price just yet, but the EV2 should come in cheaper than the EV3 that starts from $47,600 (before on-roads).The brand provided several details at the recent launch to give us an idea of how the EV2 will shape up.The EV2 keeps many of the design elements on the bigger EV3, featuring a petite exterior. Measuring at 4060mm long, it is shorter than the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora.It will come with two battery options: standard-range and long-range. The base model standard-range has a 42kWh battery with a driving range of 317km, according to testing done under WLTP cycle conditions. It can DC fast charge from 10-80 per cent in under half-an-hour.The long-range variant has a 61kWh battery, which extends the range 448km (WLTP) and it can fast charge from 10-80 per cent in 30 minutes. This means the EV2 will have a similar driving range to its rivals in the compact SUV market. The car will have a panoramic multimedia display consisting of a 12.3-inch digital driver display, 12.3-inch central touchscreen and a 5.0-inch climate panel.The car can be fitted with sliding and reclining second row seats, which boosts storage capacity to 403L when fully forward, but reduces seating capacity from five to four.Following the standard range launch, Kia said we can expect the long-range and a fully loaded GT line variant to launch throughout the year.An official release date for Australia will be announced closer to the start of sales.

It’s 2026, and this year will mark a decade since Ford ended manufacturing in Australia, with Holden and Toyota also ending local production a year later. So, who’s making the cars we love now? And by who, we mean which countries?Here are the top five countries that made our favourite cars in 2025.Australia’s love of European cars is ongoing but that appears to be coming off the boil slightly with 2025 sales of cars built in Germany dropping to 54,905, down by 2639 units on the year before.Doing the heavy lifting are models such as the Volkswagen Tiguan and Golf, along with the Mercedes-Benz GLC and GLA SUVs which are made in Germany for Australia.It’s unlikely Aussies will stop treating themselves to cars from Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen anytime soon, if ever. But as you will see the gap between prestige-niche (prest-niche?) and mainstream models could grow increasingly larger as Chinese offerings head further upmarket while keeping prices low.Hyundai and Kia are the big two Korean carmakers, with KGM (formerly SsangYong) struggling but still hanging on. Between the three they made 149,966 of the cars bought by Aussies in 2025. That’s down from 157,760 in 2024.Australians love models such as the Hyundai Kona and Santa Fe and Kia Sportage which are all made in Korea for our market. The drop in the number of Korean-made cars we bought could be attributed to the biggest mover in the top five manufacturers. Enter China.Number three today, number two tomorrow? Possibly sooner. The popularity of Chinese-made cars accelerated dramatically from 2024 to 2025, the overall number going from 176,159 to 221,699. Yes, an increase of 45,540 cars (+26 per cent), almost the total amount of German-made cars sold in 2025. Impressive.Chinese-made models such as the BYD Shark 6 ute, GWM Haval Jolion and MG ZS SUV have been snapped up by Aussies in their tens of thousands.As with any race, the battle between third and second place is often more riveting than what’s going on in first and China is breathing down the neck of Thailand right now.It might surprise you (or not at all) to know that Thailand came in second place for 2025. But only just, with 249,958 cars made for Aussies, which is down from 272,139 in 2024.What cars does Thailand make? Pretty much every ute on sale in Australia and utes are hugely popular here.Yep, from the Ford Ranger, Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 to the Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Toyota HiLux. Thailand is a ute powerhouse.Japan is our winner for 2025 as the country which makes more cars that we buy than any other nation. Japan made 358,981 of the cars Aussies bought and that’s up from 241,296 in 2024. Carrying the heavy end of this big number is Toyota with firm Aussie favourites such as the RAV4, Corolla, Camry, Corolla Cross, Land Cruiser and Prado.By now you know the Toyota HiLux is made in Thailand, but did you know the Kluger is built in the United States for Australia? You do now.

Australia's ever tightening emissions regulations have taken another scalp.

The Australian new car market is going through one of its biggest changes to date.A wave of budget-focused Chinese brands has washed over the market in the past two years, eating away into the sales of many established carmakers.The emergence of new technologies such as hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles will change the cars we drive forever.Despite that, some things have stayed the same. Diesel-powered utes and 4WDs are the dominant force in Aussie motoring, but new models are snapping at their heels.Here are the best selling 100 vehicles in Australia during the past year.

A new electric compact SUV is getting closer.

The only constant is change – a smart person once said that.

Some of Australia's favourite models will see their safety ratings lapse in 2026.

Why EVs are a smarter option than they get credit for

If there is one topic that dominated the conversations around both Hyundai and Kia in 2025 it was utes.

The flagship of the three-model Kia Stonic family, the GT-Line is also obviously the most expensive, at $35,740. That’s about $3.5K more than the mid-tier Sport and a significant $7.5K more than the entry-level S.