- The EV4 debuted during the automaker’s EV Day presentation
- The EV4 features 30 inches of screens
- Kia said the EV4 will enter production for the U.S. later this year
On Thursday, Kia detailed the EV4 sedan and hatchback that it previously revealed earlier in February. The latest curtain drop of specifications took place Feb. 27 as part of the automaker’s EV Day presentation in Tarragona, Spain.
First previewed in 2023 by a concept car, the production Kia EV4 sedan retains the concept’s sleek profile and bold, multi-faceted surfacing. The hatchback replaces the sedan’s tapered tail with a squared-off shape that also looks fairly distinctive.
New Kia EV4 sedan
The EV4 brings the concept car’s punched-out design into production. The jagged LED daytime running lights, floating roof, and sporty-looking heels almost make it look like a next-gen K4 that happens to be battery powered.
At 185 inches long, the EV4 sedan is the same size as the gas-powered K4 compact sedan. The EV4 hatchback is 11 inches shorter.
New Kia EV4
Kia called the EV4’s interior minimalist, high-tech, and noted the free-floating interface and asymmetric steering wheel. The EV4’s dashboard will incorporate a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, a 5.3-inch and a 12.3-inch touchscreen all under one 30-inch widescreen glass-covered display. A volume knob and climate-control toggles remain with almost no other hard buttons.
The EV4 is one of three smaller electric models Kia unveiled at its October 2023 Kia EV Day event, all of which are expected to reach production for at least some markets. The other two models were crossovers, including the EV3, which is close to the same size as the Volvo EX30, and the EV5, which is sized like the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4. On Thursday Kia also unveiled the EV2 in concept form, which will be a small crossover set to arrive in 2026.
As with the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 hatchback and sedan that have already launched, the EV4 rides on parent company Hyundai’s E-GMP skateboard chassis. Kia said globally it will be available with a 58.3- or 81.4-kwh battery pack. It’s unclear which of those, or if both, will be coming to the U.S. market. Power output from a single motor is rated at 201 hp. A 0-60 mph estimate of 7.4 and 7.7 seconds, battery pack dependent, was provided by Kia.
Kia said it’s targeting 267 miles of range with the small battery pack and 391 miles of range with the larger pack, but those are based on the more lenient European WLTP standard. U.S.-based EPA figures would be lower.
DC fast-charging from 10-80% will take 29 minutes with the smaller packs and 31 minutes with the larger pack, according to Kia. A Level 2 charger increases those times to just over five hours and seven hours respectively.
Every EV4 will feature automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, active lane control, automatic high beams, a rear occupant alert, and a driver-attention monitor. A 12.0-inch head-up display will be available. Kia also mentioned the EV4 aims to be rated a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS.
New Kia EV4 hatchback
Kia was quick to say that the EV5 was not U.S.-bound, but it left the door open for the EV4 and EV3. A production-ready version of the EV3 was shown in May in of last year, and at the 2024 Los Angeles auto show last November, Kia America chief operating officer and executive vice president Steven Center told Green Car Reports that “we may see both” the EV4 and EV3 in the U.S.
On Thursday, during the EV Day presentation, Kia said the EV4 will launch in March in Korea with European market launch set for the second half of 2025. EV4 production for North America and other regions is planned for later in the year, according to Kia.
A few months prior to that, a report said Kia was “developing a distinct North American model” of the EV3 targeting a $30,000 base price, to be built at the automaker’s factory in Monterey, Mexico, starting this year. The report didn’t mention the EV4, and Mexican production of any new EVs could be jeopardized by the Trump administration, which has threatened to levy tariffs against imports from that country.