Kia EV2 Priced Under £25,000: The Cheapest Kia EV Yet

The pricing quirk that changes everything

Start with the number that matters: £24,245.

That is the entry price for the Kia EV2 'Air' — and the Air comes exclusively with the larger 61 kWh battery, good for up to 281 miles WLTP.

Read that again. In the EV2 line-up, the longest-range version is the cheapest version. That is not how car pricing normally works, and it is the single most important fact about this launch.

The full UK range:

| Trim | Battery | Range | Price (after saving) | |---|---|---|---| | Air | 61.0 kWh | 281 miles | £24,245 | | First Edition | 42.2 kWh | 197 miles | £26,995 | | GT-Line | 61.0 kWh | 281 miles | £28,995 | | GT-Line S | 61.0 kWh | 281 miles | £32,595 |

The list price of the Air is £27,995. Kia expects the long-range EV2 to qualify for the full £3,750 Electric Car Grant, and while approval was pending it applied an equivalent "Reservation Saving" of £3,750 itself. The First Edition qualifies for Band 2 (£1,500).

Either way, the customer pays £24,245. Kia has simply guaranteed the outcome.

Why 281 miles for £24,245 is a genuinely significant number

Kia's own claim — one of the longest ranges of any EV under £25,000 — appears to be accurate, and the comparison set proves it:

• Skoda Epiq — 267 miles
• Renault 4 — 249 miles
• Renault 5 — 250 miles
• Citroën ë-C3 — under 200 miles
• MG4 long range — over 300 miles, but you pay north of £30,000

Only the long-range MG4 breaks 300 miles, and it costs £6,000 more. On the specific metric of miles per pound, the EV2 Air currently has no equal in Britain.

The car

Size and platform. Roughly 4,060 mm long — a B-segment crossover, about the size of a Nissan Juke or VW T-Cross. Built on Kia's E-GMP platform in Žilina, Slovakia — designed, engineered and manufactured in Europe, for Europe. It shares much with the larger EV3.

Powertrain. Front-mounted motor, front-wheel drive, torsion-beam rear axle (rather than the multi-link setup on larger Kia EVs).

• Standard Range (42.2 kWh LFP): 145bhp, 184lb ft, 0–62mph in 8.7 sec, 197 miles
• Long Range (61 kWh NMC): around 134–144bhp — lower output, deliberately, to maximise efficiency — 0–62mph in ~9.5 sec, 281 miles

Charging. A 400V architecture, so 10–80% takes 29–30 minutes on DC. In some markets the EV2 is the first Kia to support both 11kW and 22kW AC charging; UK cars are 11kW only for now. Vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-load are supported. Drag coefficient: 0.29 Cd, helped by active air flaps, flush handles and underbody covers.

Practicality. A 2,565 mm wheelbase and flat floor deliver strong interior space. UK cars are five-seat only (some markets get a four-seat sliding-bench version), with a 362-litre boot expanding to 1,201 litres. Air trim misses out on the 15-litre frunk.

Interior. Kia's ccNC system: twin 12.3-inch displays flanking a 5.3-inch dedicated climate touchscreen — a genuinely sensible layout that keeps climate controls always-visible without going full-touchscreen. Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, OTA updates, Plug & Charge, Kia CarPay, and a new AI personal assistant.

Materials: plenty of hard plastics, but they are smooth hard plastics, with softer materials on the touchpoints and fabric across the dashboard. Perceived quality genuinely matches the price.

Standard kit on the base Air — and this is where Kia has been aggressive: 16-inch alloys, LED headlights, heated front seats and heated steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, auto-dimming mirror, adaptive cruise control with lane-centring, and the full triple-screen setup. The only option is paint (£620 for a premium colour).

How it drives

Soft-tuned suspension, like the EV3. It deals well with expansion joints and potholes and settles nicely at motorway speeds with the maturity of a larger SUV. It struggles a little more with consistent, sharp undulations, where the soft damping can let vertical body movement build.

Regenerative braking is smooth and adjustable via paddles, with good pedal feel even with regen off.

Performance is adequate rather than exciting. The Standard Range's 145bhp is brisk enough for overtaking and gaps in traffic. Nobody will describe an EV2 as thrilling.

The honest weakness

The 42.2 kWh Standard Range is a hard car to recommend. 197 miles is a disappointing figure in 2026, and because of Kia's pricing structure it is available only on the First Edition at £26,995 — £2,750 more than the longer-range Air.

Unless you specifically want the First Edition's 18-inch alloys, adaptive LED headlights and electric driver's seat, the maths is unambiguous: buy the Air.

The verdict

Rivals like the Renault 5 and Fiat Grande Panda have more charm and more character. Nobody is going to fall in love with an EV2 across a car park.

But the EV2 is comfortable, refined, spacious, extremely well equipped, backed by a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, and it goes further on a charge than anything else at the price. Kia has taken the small-EV formula and simply executed it better than anyone else.

If you want an affordable small electric car that can genuinely do everything, the EV2 is now the car to beat. It is not the most exciting answer. It is the right one.

• EV2 'Air' from £24,245 with the larger 61 kWh battery and 281 miles WLTP
• The long-range version is the cheapest in the range — a deliberate and unusual pricing choice
• 42.2 kWh Standard Range (197 miles) is only on the £26,995 First Edition
• 10–80% DC charging in 29–30 minutes; V2G and V2L supported
• Base Air comes with heated seats, heated wheel and adaptive cruise as standard

Key takeaways

• EV2 'Air' from £24,245 with the larger 61 kWh battery and 281 miles WLTP
• The long-range version is the cheapest in the range — a deliberate and unusual pricing choice
• 42.2 kWh Standard Range (197 miles) is only on the £26,995 First Edition
• 10–80% DC charging in 29–30 minutes; V2G and V2L supported
• Base Air comes with heated seats, heated wheel and adaptive cruise as standard