Back in April, when Kia announced it was bringing the EV3 to the US market, the target price floated was $35,000. Four months later, the actual number: $29,450 to start, plus a $1,495 destination fee, landing at $30,945 out the door. That's over $4,000 cheaper than what was originally promised—a rare case in today's EV market, where incentives are drying up, of the final price actually beating the hype instead of the other way around.
The EV3 is essentially a shrunken-down version of the EV9 SUV, with dimensions close to Kia's existing Niro crossover but carrying over the EV9's design language. It comes in both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations, with a max range of 321 miles. Charging uses the NACS connector, meaning it can plug straight into Tesla's Supercharger network—official figures put a 10% to 80% DC fast charge at around 31 minutes using a 350kW charger.
This pricing makes the EV3 the cheapest EV in Kia's entire lineup. The timing is also worth noting: after the Trump administration scrapped Biden-era EV tax credits in July 2025, a number of automakers began discontinuing EV models or scrapping electrification plans altogether outright. New EVs still priced under $30k in the US are becoming rare—the Slate Truck is one, and now the EV3 is another.
That short list is about to get one more addition: Ford's electric pickup "Fathom," announced in August, priced at $28,350 with deliveries expected to start in early 2027. Meanwhile, California also rolled out a new EV rebate program in July—first-time EV buyers get an instant $3,500 discount on new vehicles, or $1,500 off a used EV.
