Kia’s home country of South Korea is a high-tech metropolis vibrant with pop culture, skin-care billboards, and sky-piercing towers, but down on the street, you will find a sea of Kias and Hyundais, some masquerading as ride-hailing cabs, while others serve as personal vehicles. A recent trip to Seoul last year highlighted the growing popularity of the new Kia EV4. This hatchback electric vehicle features eye-catching polygonal designs and boasts an impressive electric range. Our curiosity was piqued, especially since it had not yet arrived in Canada.

Its hunched rear end and distinctive appearance made it easy to spot, and as the Uber app signalled the EV4’s approach, the door handles popped out like a Tesla Model 3, and we promptly squeezed into the back seats before performing an awkward mix of nodding and bowing to acknowledge that I was the correct rider. First impressions in the back seat of the EV4? Not great, to be honest. There’s an abundance of legroom for my six-foot figure, but the sloped roofline meant headroom was sorely lacking. Still, heated seats! 

The ride was smooth, and the glassy roads of southern Gangnam made the EV4’s job easy and effortless as it swept back to our hotel. But what a smartly arranged interior. Well-appointed with convincing synthetic leather, the center storage options were also arranged to maximize the limited space. Searching the Canadian website for a starting price revealed another surprise. The Kia EV4 starts at $38,995, making it one of the cheapest fully electric vehicles in Canada. “Can’t wait to test drive one of these,” I thought to myself.

Fast forward a year, and my wishes came true. Our EV4 GT-Line Limited with Canadian plates and Yacht Blue paint would look woefully out of place on the colourless streets of Seoul, but here in our snowy climate, it appears right at home. Once more, we came away impressed with the interior. It screams functionality more than it does ‘budget-price’. It’s like hopping onto the new WestJet planes and finding them better upholstered than some of the aging, more expensive Air Canada examples. 

Kia refrained from relegating all functionality to the sizable touchscreen and opted to keep dedicated buttons and dials for highly used functions, such as the door panel with its own heated, ventilated seat and heated steering wheel buttons. There’s a proper volume dial and toggles for the cabin temperature and fan strength. The steering wheel controls are devoid of haptic touchpad sensors that plague Mercedes models, using large buttons and dials instead that let you adjust parameters without taking your eyes off the road. Until we get to fully autonomous vehicles, this should be the gold standard. After spending time in the BMW X3, which relegated all these functions to the touchscreen, it’s a breath of fresh air to return to a vehicle designed with quick, intuitive functionality in mind. 

Like its partnering Hyundai models, the gear shifter has been relocated to the steering column and protrudes out at the 4 o’clock position, above your right knee. Thanks to the EV4’s low seat fixtures, and unlike the Santa Fe, it’s not easy to bang your kneecap on ingress and cue a Peter Griffin knee-pain scene, but it’s otherwise nicely hidden and easy to reach. This also frees up precious center console space, with multiple compartments for the cupholders, wireless charging pad, and a floating center box with extra cubby space inside. Overall, the space is well-utilized, and makes the Lexus RZ and its bare empty panels feel like a waste. 

Even more impressive is the EV4’s electric range. Though it’s only available with a single electric motor powering the front wheels for a FWD setup, the 81.4 kWh lithium-ion battery delivers a claimed 488 km of range on our GT-Line Limited model, with our own driving yielding a still-impressive 452 km. Granted, this was in a sub-zero winter climate with the heaters on full blast for most of our drives. But anything over 400 usable kilometres at this price point is attractive, and the EV4 is even compatible with the NACS charger, allowing you to plug into the Tesla Supercharger network and expand your charging options.

The powertrain delivers 201 hp and 209 lb-ft of torque, but the EV4’s acceleration feels quicker than expected given the claimed figures. Even at highway speeds, throttling up to triple digits is made effortless, and it doesn’t run out of breath at the top-end as easily as other single-motor EVs. While you will have to pony up for the EV6 if you want a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup, our EV4 wore Pirelli Ice Friction tires that carved through deep, rutted snow and gave us a lot of confidence navigating inclement weather. The only time we noticed significant traction loss was on icy ground, not snow, where an AWD variant might not falter. Otherwise, it’s a proper winter warrior. 

While it took us a good year to finally pilot the EV4 ourselves, we came away impressed with its strong electric range, ergonomically sound interior, and compliant ride quality. With vehicles getting more expensive by the day, it’s infrequent that we use the words value and bargain, but the EV4 is one that deserves the claim. It was worth the wait.

Specifications:

Model: 2026 Kia EV4 GT-Line Limited
Paint Type: Yacht Blue
Base Price: $51,995
Price as Tested: $51,995
Wheelbase(mm): 2,820
Length/Width/Height (mm): 4,730 / 1,860 / 1,480
Curb Weight (kg): 1,887
Powertrain: 81.4 kWh lithium-ion battery, single electric motor
Horsepower: 201 hp
Torque: 209 lb-ft
Drive configuration: Single electric motor, FWD
Claimed Range: 488 km
Observed Range: 452 km
Tires: 215/50R19; Pirelli Ice Friction