Kia's Cheapest EV Is Finally in Showrooms. Here's What $31,385 Gets You
The entry-level EV3 Light FWD comes with dual 12.3-inch screens, a native NACS port, and 221 miles of range, which is 41 fewer than the cheaper Chevrolet Bolt.
Kia's least expensive electric car has stopped being a promise. The 2027 EV3 is now on sale at U.S. dealers, Kia said on Thursday, and the entry-level Light FWD costs $31,385 once the $1,495 destination charge is added.
That money buys a small electric SUV with an EPA-estimated 221 miles of range, the shortest in the lineup. We flagged that trade-off when the EV3 won Green Car of the Year in September, and the 321-mile figure Kia leads with still belongs to pricier trims.
What the base EV3 includes
The Light pairs a 58.3-kWh battery with front-wheel drive. Kia quotes 29 minutes for a 10-to-80-percent DC fast charge, two minutes quicker than the versions with the larger pack. The charging port is NACS, and Plug and Charge, which starts a session without a card or app tap, comes standard.
Every EV3 gets two 12.3-inch displays with a 5-inch climate screen between them, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and dual-zone automatic climate control. The standard safety kit includes eight airbags, rear side airbags among them, and automatic emergency braking that can also react to oncoming cars during left turns. The Light rolls on 17-inch wheels.
Cargo space measures 26.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 56.5 cubic feet with them folded, plus a 0.9-cubic-foot front trunk. The EPA rates the Light at 115 MPGe combined.
All-wheel drive isn't offered on the Light, because it requires the 81.4-kWh battery. Kia lists the head-up display, 360-degree camera, Highway Driving Assist 2, and heated and ventilated front seats as available, but its announcement doesn't say which trims bundle them. Kia also gives output figures only for the all-wheel-drive models (261 hp) and the GT (288 hp).
Where it lands against the Bolt and Leaf
The next step up is the Wind FWD at $34,990 before destination, $5,100 more than the Light. For that, buyers get 321 miles of range. The lineup tops out with the GT AWD at $45,890 before destination.
Against its nearest rivals, the base EV3 is squeezed. The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt LT costs $28,995 with destination and is rated at 262 miles, as detailed in our ranking of the cheapest new EVs. The 2026 Nissan Leaf S+ lists at $29,990 before destination, just $100 more than the EV3 Light, and carries an EPA estimate of 303 miles, InsideEVs reported. None of the three qualifies for a federal tax credit, which expired on September 30, 2025.
That leaves the EV3 Light last of the three on range by a wide margin. Its case rests on cabin tech, standard safety equipment, and an SUV body rather than on miles per charge.
A slow start for Kia's EVs
The EV3 arrives during a weak stretch for Kia's electric lineup. Kia's third-quarter sales report showed 514 EV3 deliveries in September, up from six in August, while combined sales of its EVs fell 37 percent from a year earlier.
The announcement doesn't mention launch incentives or lease offers. Full trim pricing and specifications are in Kia's press release.
