2026 Kia EV4 review

Kia’s first electric sedan is here, but many will likely overlook it…

The Kia EV4 is the South Korean brand’s first proper passenger electric vehicle that isn’t a SUV, following the closely related small EV3, sporty EV6, and large EV9.

However, it has launched with some controversy due to its distinct exterior design, particularly on the sedan – much like the Kia Tasman.

With the lack of affordable all-electric sedans in Australia – including the Mazda 6e, BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3 slotting underneath the $60K drive-away barrier – is the Kia EV4 a good option?

NOTE: Two press vehicles were provided by Kia Australia for a 14-day independent evaluation in total. Toll costs were covered, but we have no commercial arrangements with the company and it had no editorial control.

Vehicle tested:

Model	2026 Kia EV4
Variant	Air Standard Range	GT-Line Long Range
Starting price	$49,990 before on-road costs	$64,690 before on-road costs
Exterior colour	Clear White (standard)	Ivory Silver (+$600)
Interior colour	Onyx Black	Onyx Black with Two-Tone GT-Line Styling in White
Country made	South Korea

Design and quality.

The Kia EV4 sedan is distinctly odd, but it’s undoubtedly ultra futuristic, retro and unique.

A long and low side profile, an integrated tailgate spoiler, and large sloping front bonnet make the EV4 look sporty – with the latter being most reminiscent of the halo Kia EV6.

On the other hand, while the thin vertical headlights and tail-lights are bright, the lack of a connecting piece at the back makes the boot lid look particularly bulbous and empty with a lot of metalwork.

Yes, following the Tasman ute, it’s another controversially-designed Kia. But I got used to the odd and unconventional design as being unique isn’t necessarily a bad thing against minimalist Teslas and generic Chinese cars. It’s all subjective.

There aren’t many exciting paint options either, but the $600 Ivory Silver (as pictured) is surprisingly unique with an iridescent glow.

The base Air model actually looks most befitting of the ultra futuristic design.

Its asymmetrical UFO disc-like 17-inch alloy wheels and an interior with touches of bright green highlights, a marble-look plastic piece on each door, and a two-tone grey theme.

The EV4 sedan’s interior is almost identical to the related EV3 SUV, except for the retro ribbed seat design, and the shape and material of the dashboard and door cards. Both contain thick and bright front-row ambient lighting strips on the GT-Line akin to the Tesla Model 3.

It’s a modern and familiar Kia interior otherwise that doesn’t overstep to be too minimalist with an appropriately-sized three-screen panel, clicky climate control switches, and an open centre console design.

However, all variants have a rather cheap upper centre console which is made up of a rough scratchy plastic and a non-rubberised storage surface, unlike the tray underneath.

While it’s acceptable for the base EV4 Air, the fact that it’s still the same  coarse material in the almost $70K drive-away GT-Line leaves a bit to be desired since it’s a prominent touch point.

Material quality is otherwise decent with all EV4s having soft door armrests and padded centre door cards, but the GT-Line steps it up with padding extended to the middle portion in return for the extra money.

Practicality.

2026 Kia EV4 dimensions:

Length x width x height	4730 x 1860 x 1480mm
Wheelbase	2820mm
Ground clearance	140mm
Boot space (min)	490L
Frunk space	N/A
Rear seat split fold	60:40
Child seat anchors	2x ISOFIX and 3x top tethers
Air-conditioning system	Two-zone climate control with rear air vents

The EV4 is decently practical for a medium sedan, featuring a uniquely wide tailgate opening.

Kia provides a 490 litre boot that is very deep with an unusually wide opening for a sedan, even though there’s a notable loading lip and hinge intrusion upon closing. It’s illuminated by a bright LED light in the centre.

Underfloor space is limited, but the styrofoam structure can just fit the included trickle charging cable and tyre repair kit.

Impressively, the inside of the top portion of the boot is completely carpeted when sedans usually cheapen out with exposed metal and wiring as per the Toyota Camry and Tesla Model 3.

On the other hand, the Air’s manual tailgate has partly exposed hinges with wiring, whereas the GT-Line’s powered boot lid has a completely covered hinge.

The tailgate is light with an easy internal handle to close it, but the GT-Line exclusively boasts a powered boot with a hands-free opening function – albeit as long as the car is off and not unlocked, which is difficult since it automatically unlocks as you walk past the doors.

Disappointingly, the Kia EV4 does not feature a frunk with a covered plastic piece in place under the bonnet – despite the related EV3 and rivals such a the Mazda 6e and BYD Seal offering some storage.

Stepping inside the second row, the Kia electric sedan provides plenty of legroom and a flat floor – albeit with limited headroom that may challenge taller passengers and almost no footroom under the front seats.

Due to the EV battery pack, the floor is higher which results in less comfortable perched up knees.

The rear row has two directional air vents, a small storage slot behind the centre console, two USB-C charging ports cleverly hidden beside the front seats, and a fold-down armrest with two cup holders.

At the front row, the EV4 offers an open rubberised tray with two pop-out cup holders close to the floor – which feels a touch too low.

There are two USB-C charging ports ahead, but if you place the device on the tray, the cable needs to be stretched over whatever is in the cup holders.

Attached to the centre armrest and private storage cubby is an additional small storage area (with a divot to stand a phone). It’s more practical than the EV3 GT-Line’s sliding table design and seems like the perfect place for putting the key fob.

Yet disappointingly, the surface isn’t rubberised and items annoyingly slide and rattle around while driving.

The front row seats are also mounted higher for a sedan to effectively negate the higher floor for a more comfortable seating position, as opposed to the Tesla Model 3.

All door pockets are also too narrow like most other Kia and Hyundai cars, but the glovebox is decently sized with an LED light.

It’s disappointing that all models only offer auto up/down windows for the front; you’ll need to hold the switch for the rear windows.

Outside, the EV4 incorporates a hinged flush door handle design across the line-up. It’s slightly fiddly to use since you need to press in the front, then pull the back portion to open the doors.

Thankfully, they automatically pop out on the top-spec GT-Line when unlocked to be more accessible – but it still feels flimsy to pull since it opens on one side and it’s a shame that it’s not a standard feature.

New for Kia is a relax mode app which turns off the ambient lighting, closes the sunroof, and reclines the front seats for a set time period. Again, it’s a GT-Line exclusive.

Technology.

2026 Kia EV4 tech features:

12.3-inch touchscreen running ccNC	12.3-inch driver instrument display
Wireless/wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto	5.0-inch monochrome climate control touchscreen
Built-in maps	4x USB-C and 1x 12-volt charging ports
Kia Connect services and mobile app	Qi wireless charging pad (GT-Line)
OTA software update capability	Proximity key with auto-folding mirrors
Six speakers (Air/Earth) / Eight-speaker Harman Kardon (GT-Line)	Auto pop-out flush door handles with front handle illumination (GT-Line)

The Kia EV4 doesn’t go ultra minimalist like its rivals with an appropriately-sized touchscreen, dedicated climate control screen, and switches for important functions.

While the South Korean brand is starting to transition to the trendy all-screen approach from the PV5 Cargo electric van, the EV4 thankfully persists with a more familiar and non-overwhelming tech approach.

The 12.3-inch widescreen is just a good size, resolution and brightness – with the responsive Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC) software being simple to learn and use.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connect quickly, albeit the Qi wireless charging pad is only on the GT-Line – unlike the EV3 where it’s standard – and it’s slow and non-ventilated.

A row of touch-sensitive shortcut buttons underneath provide quick access to key apps with haptic feedback, although the light white panel on the GT-Line makes the white-illuminated text slightly unclear to see.

There’s also a dedicated physical volume dial in the centre.

Additionally, a 5.0-inch touchscreen effectively fills the gap between the two displays which is dedicated to always showing the dual-zone climate control. While it can be partially obscured by the steering wheel rim, it’s still far better than burying it within the main screen.

Physical rocker switches make adjusting the temperature, fan speed and area while driving easy. It pops up a banner at the bottom of the main screen to show what you’ve adjusted, too.

The physical steering wheel buttons and dials are easy to use with a clear layout.

Meanwhile, the 12.3-inch instrument display is legible and simple, and lacks customisability other than a few different pages in the middle.

The flagship GT-Line exclusively features a bright head-up display – which actually looks bigger on the EV4 than other Kia models due to the sloping windscreen.

Kia Connect services are included for free for the first seven years from the date of activation.

The mobile app is good that can pre-start the climate control, monitor the battery status and, on the GT-Line, take a photo from the 360-degree cameras remotely – although it takes some time to send commands, unlike the almost instantaneous Tesla app.

Safety.

2026 Kia EV4 safety features:

Front AEB with vehicle/pedestrian/cyclist/junction turning detection	Reversing camera (Air/Earth) / 360-degree camera system (GT-Line)
Rear AEB (GT-Line)	Front and rear parking sensors
Blind-spot assist	Driver attention monitoring camera
Blind-spot view cameras (GT-Line)	Road sign detection with overspeed warning
Rear cross-traffic assist	Auto-dimming rear-view mirror (Earth/GT-Line)
Lane-keep assist	Kia Connect emergency services calling and remote vehicle tracking
Adaptive cruise control with lane-centring and auto lane change assist (HDA 2)	Remote Smart Parking Assist (forwards/backwards on GT-Line)
Lead vehicle departure alert	Full LED headlights (reflector type on Air and Earth / projection type on GT-Line)
Rear occupant alert	Full LED tail-lights
Door open warning (Air/Earth) / door open intervention (GT-Line)

The Kia electric sedan generally has well-calibrated safety assists, except for two which are too sensitive.

The EV4 has a clear reversing camera, dependable adaptive cruise control and lane-centring assist, and a road sign detection system that’s more accurate than other brands.

The flagship GT-Line also includes a 360-degree surround-view camera system with a blind-spot view when indicating, plus using the key fob to remotely move it forwards and backwards – key features that were missing on the EV3 GT-Line.

But I’d still like to see it available lower down in the range, especially when Chinese EVs such as the Geely EX5 offer it as standard at a cheaper price.

Unfortunately, the EV4 follows other new Kias with the overspeed warning defaulting to on every time you start the car. Drivers can hold the mute dial on the steering wheel to turn it off.

The chimes are fairly quiet and the new speed sign chirp sound can be disabled permanently.

I also found the driver attention monitoring triggering too sensitively (with no shortcut to disable it) – including when looking at oncoming traffic when approaching a roundabout – and the lane-keep assist going off too early before the wheels have touched the marked lines.

The standard reflector-type LED headlights are sub-par with a very centred beam, while the projector-type bulbs on the GT-Line are better with an effective adaptive matrix high beam function.

Unlike the closely related EV3 SUV, all front and rear lights are full LED across the line-up including the turn signals and reversing lamps at the back.

The 2026 Kia EV4 received the full five-star safety rating by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) under 2025 testing criteria.

Range and charging.

2026 Kia EV4 battery and charging specs:

	Air	Earth	GT-Line
Claimed driving range (WLTP combined cycle)	456km	612km
Claimed energy efficiency (WLTP combined cycle)	14.3kWh/100km	14.9kWh/100km
Battery size and type	~55kWh (58.3kWh) NMC lithium-ion	~78kWh (81.4kWh) NMC lithium-ion
Battery voltage	400-volt class
Max AC / DC charging speed	10.5 / 100kW	10.5 / 127kW
Bidirectional charging	Interior V2L	Interior & exterior V2L
Connector type	Type 2 / CCS2
Everyday charging limit recommendation	80% (generally)

The Kia EV4 has the advantage of better energy efficiency than the EV3 thanks to its sleeker sedan design, but charging speeds are just adequate.

After a week of combined urban and highway driving, the EV4 Air returned a 13.9 to 14.3kWh/100km average energy efficiency good for around 390km of real-world range on the Air or about 560km on the GT-Line.

The Air houses a Standard Range 55kWh usable (estimated) lithium-ion battery, while the Earth and GT-Line offer a Long Range 78kWh usable (estimated) battery.

Both batteries adopt a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode, which means capping everyday charging to 80% is generally recommended for long-term health – though Kia annoyingly doesn’t officially provide guidance.

Therefore, expect around 310km on the Air and 450km on the Earth and GT-Line of actual day-to-day range.

According to my real-world charging tests on a 150kW DC charging station with the Kia EV3 – which uses the same two batteries – the Air’s Standard Range pack fast-charged from 11 to 80% in around 29 minutes – peaking at 99kW with an average 83kW session speed.

Meanwhile, the EV3 Earth and GT-Line’s Long Range battery topped-up from 10 to 80% in around 33 minutes – peaking at 127kW with an average 104kW speed.

Both charging curves are fairly flat until the circa-70 per cent mark where it starts to throttle down the speeds.

Australian EV4s don’t offer automatic charging stop planning that’s offered overseas, but it does have automatic and manually-triggered battery pre-conditioning.

While no EV4 offers an outstanding charging time, most owners should slow charge at home everyday, with three-phase capability up to 10.5kW AC being standard on all models.

The charge port is awkwardly positioned at the front-right quarter side of the wheel – which can be tricky to stretch and wrangle often heavy DC charging cables, unlike the rear quarter placement on the Tesla Model 3 and Kia EV9.

Fortunately, there is good charge port LED illumination with two solid hinged caps, which is a much better design than long dangling caps on other electric cars such as the Mazda 6e and Kia EV5.

Interior vehicle-to-load (V2L) comes with all Kia EV4s in Australia, with the Earth and GT-Line including an exterior V2L adapter – although you can’t use both at once.

Driving.

2026 Kia EV4 powertrain specs:

	Air	Earth	GT-Line
Electric drive unit	Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Power / torque	150kW @5200-9600rpm / 283Nm @5000rpm
Transmission	Single speed
Drive type	FWD
Kerb weight	1805kg	1912kg
Payload	465kg	443kg
Towing (unbraked / braked)	500 / 500kg (max 100kg towball download)	750 / 1000kg (max 100kg towball download)
Turning circle	10.9m

Despite the sleek sedan design, the Kia EV4 isn’t sporty to drive with sub-par regenerative braking calibration.

All variants incorporate the same single electric motor making up to 150kW of power and 283Nm of torque, and is front-wheel drive only.

Acceleration only feels modest, even when compared to other non-performance EVs including the single-motor Tesla Model 3, Mazda 6e and Geely EX5, but it isn’t slow.

While the EV4 includes the brand’s latest i-Pedal 3.0 one-pedal driving system – which stays on by default and works in reverse – the front-driven regen braking is not calibrated well.

It feels weak even in the strongest Level 3 i-Pedal setting as it creeps forward a little too much when coming to a stop, much like the EV3 and EV5.

The very top of the blended accelerator pedal also releases the regen completely so there was often a jerky sensation of it coming in and out when slowing down.

Meanwhile, the EV4’s steering is adequate but not as engaging, with an artificially weighted feel and numbness in the centre.

The halo rear-driven Kia EV6 is still much more thrilling to drive and handle.

While torque steer is generally controlled, the base Air’s Kuhmo tyres have less grip and more susceptible with slipping when accelerating hard from a stop.

Noise insulation and ride compliance is otherwise good in the EV4 Sedan with a focus on comfort rather than sporty driving. The base Air’s fatter rubber helps with a softer ride over bumps.

Also, the electric sedan doesn’t provide a noticeably low and sporty driving position compared to the Model 3, likely to negate the higher floor due to the battery pack. The Air’s manually-adjustable seats help provide a slightly lower seat position.

As with most Kias, I found that steering wheel rim blocked the top portion of the instrument display where the exterior light icons are and a part of the blind-spot view camera on the GT-Line, so I had to adjust my driving position to suit.

Visibility through the rear-view mirror (auto-dimming on all models bar the Air) is naturally limited due to the sloping roofline with a clear view of the top brake lamp, but the side mirrors are reasonably big for a sedan.

Warranty and servicing.

The 2026 Kia EV4 is backed by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty and an eight-year/160,000km battery warranty.

The latter now matches the industry standard thanks to a recent change from Kia Australia for all new EV4s, and other model-year 2027 Kia electric car models.

The South Korean brand continues to guarantee battery health retention of at least 70 per cent during the warranty period.

Servicing is required every one year/15,000km (whichever occurs first) – which is short for an electric vehicle.

However, Kia Australia peculiarly doesn’t have pay-as-you-go (PAYG) fixed capped-price servicing for its electric cars, as opposed to its conventional petrol, diesel and hybrid models.

Instead, Kia encourages owners to buy its prepaid EV service plans, which promises to lock in maintenance prices and is transferrable to new owners.

For the 2026 Kia EV4, prepaid service plans are priced at the time of publication:

• Three years/45,000km: $688
• Five years/75,000km: $1308
• Seven years/105,000km: $1929

Roadside assistance is included for up to eight years, provided you service it with a Kia dealer every time.

Up to seven years of Kia Connect services are also included from the date of activation.

Like most EVs, the EV4 does not include a spare tyre with a temporary catch-up good kit included instead.

Price and rivals.

2026 Kia EV4 model range pricing (accurate as at the time of publication):

Air	Earth	GT-Line
From $49,990 before on-road costs	From $59,240 before on-road costs	From $64,690 before on-road costs

The 2026 Kia EV4 is priced from $49,990 before on-road costs in Australia.

Three variants are offered with the Air coming with a smaller Standard Range battery and the Earth and GT-Line sharing a Long Range battery.

All models have the same electric motor and are front-wheel drive.

Every paint colour except Clear White costs $600 extra.

The Kia EV4 directly rivals the following electric sedans:

• Mazda 6e
• BYD Seal
• Tesla Model 3 (full review)

Other alternatives to the EV4 include:

• Kia EV3 (full review)
• Kia EV5 (full review)
• Kia K4 (full review)
• Hyundai Kona Electric (full review)
• Hyundai i30 Sedan (full review)
• Leapmotor B05
• Geely EX5 (full review)
• MG 4 (full review)
• Polestar 2
• Polestar 4 (full review)
• Toyota Camry (full review)

Would I pick the 2026 Kia EV4?

The Kia EV4 is a cool and unique retro-futuristic electric sedan, but lacks value for money.

It’s more efficient than the related EV3 small SUV, Kia’s balanced tech and button setup is still one of the best for usability, and the sedan boot opening is surprisingly wide.

The flagship GT-Line also has features missing on the Australian-spec EV3 GT-Line, including 360-degree cameras with a blind-spot view, remote parking, pop-out door handles, and soft mesh front headrests.

However, the EV4 isn’t great value across the line-up with a basic equipment list on the entry Air – including the lack of a Qi wireless charging pad unless you spend up to the GT-Line.

The centre console feels cheap regardless of the model, it isn’t sporty to drive like the EV6, one-pedal driving is weak and not calibrated well, and some safety assists are naggy.

I’d pick the base Air. While a little basic, it offers the most interesting exterior and interior, and the best price tag.

Compared to its rivals, the Mazda 6e and BYD Seal offer more standard features and driving range, while the Tesla Model 3 has much better tech and interior materials.

Unfortunately, many will likely overlook Kia’s first electric sedan as buyers favour more competitive electric sedans or resort to SUVs such as the EV3.

Photographs by Henry Man

READ MORE: 2026 Kia EV3 review

READ MORE: 2026 Tesla Model 3 review

READ MORE: 2026 Ford Mustang Mach-E review

Pros:

• Good energy efficiency
• Non-overwhelming tech
• Wide boot opening
• Ultra futuristic-retro design
• More features than EV3 GT-Line

Cons:

• Lacks value
• Cheap centre console
• Not thrilling to drive, can’t sit as low
• Weak and touchy one-pedal driving
• Naggy driver attention monitor