Kia EV3 Launches in U.S.: Starting at $29,890 — Nearly $10,000 Cheaper Than Niro EV

The all-new Kia compact battery-electric SUV — the 2027 EV3 — has officially launched in the U.S. market. As the successor to the discontinued Niro EV, the EV3 is no mere badge-engineered update: it's an all-new model built from the ground up on Hyundai Automotive Group's E-GMP dedicated electric vehicle platform. With a starting price of $29,890 (excluding $1,495 destination fee), it becomes Kia's most affordable electric vehicle in the U.S. — and ranks among the most competitively priced production EVs currently available.

Notably, the 2027 Niro lineup — also unveiled the same day — has fully shifted to hybrid powertrains, with an identical starting price of $29,890. Kia has confirmed that the 2027 Niro will no longer offer pure-electric or plug-in hybrid variants — only conventional hybrid (HEV) powertrains remain. During a March media briefing, Kia Vice Quattroporte Jung Won-jun stated that the Niro was once "Kia's first step toward an electrified future," but with purpose-built EVs like the EV3 now entering production, the battery-electric version developed on the legacy internal-combustion platform has been retired from the lineup.

The 2027 EV3 is offered in five trims: Light, Wind, Land, GT-Line, and GT. All feature a front-wheel-drive single-motor layout. The Light trim uses a 58.3 kWh battery pack delivering 221 miles of EPA-estimated range; the other four trims use an 81.4 kWh battery, achieving up to 321 miles (FWD). Dual-motor all-wheel drive is optional on all trims except Light for an additional $3,200 — reducing AWD range to 280 miles. The top-tier GT trim delivers 288 hp, outpacing the 261 hp of Wind/Land/GT-Line.

For charging, the EV3 features standard North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports — enabling direct access to Tesla's Supercharger network. Using 350 kW DC fast charging, the 58.3 kWh battery charges from 10% to 80% in approximately 29 minutes; the 81.4 kWh pack takes about 31 minutes. Inside, the EV3 integrates Kia's latest ccNC (connected car Navigation Cockpit) intelligent cockpit system, featuring two 12.3-inch curved displays (digital instrument cluster + center touchscreen) plus a dedicated 5-inch climate control touchscreen — totaling nearly 30 inches of screen real estate.

In terms of dimensions, the EV3 measures 169.3 inches long, 72.8 inches wide, and 62 inches tall, with a 105.5-inch wheelbase. Compared to the discontinued Niro EV, it's 4.7 inches shorter and 1 inch wider — but thanks to E-GMP platform optimization, interior space remains unchanged, offering a total SAE-certified volume of 99.7 cubic feet.

According to Electrek, the EV3 ranked 10th in European EV sales during its first year — and third in the UK. Its compelling blend of accessible pricing, practical range, native EV architecture, and mainstream intelligent features positions it as a potential new benchmark for entry-level battery-electric SUVs in the U.S.