THE brilliant Kia EV3 was crowned World Car of the Year last night – repeating EV9’s triumph 12 months ago.
Deja two.
The £33k electric crossover, with its 375-mile range and Tardis-like interior, landed the big prize ahead of the BMW X3 and Hyundai Inster.
Kia UK boss Paul Philpott said “This is fantastic recognition for our latest EV and for Kia, especially as we entered the 2025 World Car Awards as reigning champions from 2024.
“The EV3 has already proven to be very popular with customers and has received the highest praise from media and the UK’s Car of the Year jury.”
He’s not wrong there.
EV3 is Kia’s fast-selling EV of all time, finding more homes in five months than Soul EV did across its lifetime.
It is also Britain’s No1 seller in the retail market – that’s people like you and me putting our own cash on the table.
I’ve seen deals from £147 a month if trading a four-year-old XCeed.
Kia will start selling electric vans next.
Other World Car awards dished out at the New York Auto Show included the Volkswagen ID Buzz for best design and Volvo EX90 for best luxury.
BYD’s Dolphin Surf was named best urban car and Porsche’s 911 Carrera GTS took home the World Performance trophy.
No surprise there.
No surprise that Kia doubled up either.
WHY I’M NAGGING KIA
AMERICA likes fat SUVs.
We like small cars that go round corners.
So I’m not sure why Kia launched this tasty little hatchback at the New York Auto Show.
It’s called K4.
It’s petrol.
I keep nagging Kia to bring it here to replace the aging Ceed.
Then we’d have K4 and the battery-powered EV4 that’s coming soon.
Sorted.
I’ll let you know how I get on.