New baby Kia EV2 affordable electric car caught in early tests

Kia is building up to the launch of its Renault 5 and Citroen e-C3 rival, with the new Kia EV2 baby electric car that our spy photographers have caught testing ahead of a 2026 arrival. The  £23,000 high-riding hatchback is getting ready to slot into the manufacturer’s line-up below the Kia EV3.

Although the styling is well hidden on this early prototype, the car is expected to feature distinctive styling and take-on the looks of the much larger Kia EV9, design themes which also find their way onto the big-selling Kia Sportage as part of its new facelift. 

That faux-SUV look would be at odds with the approach taken by two of the EV2’s big rivals, as the Renault 5 and MINI Cooper both rely on a more retro style. The EV2 is, however, bigger than the new Inster EV, from Kia’s sister brand Hyundai - despite costing around the same. 

The car’s design is likely to be previewed by a close-to-production concept car early next year, with the production model arriving on UK roads around 12 months later. The EV2 will probably come in single-motor form, and will use the same dedicated E-GMP electric car platform as its EV3 bigger brother - a car that launches in the UK before the end of this year. 

Following in the tyre tracks of the Kia EV3, the EV2 won’t have 800V technology for super-fast charging, but should conform to Kia’s established electric car tactic of offering a slightly larger battery than its rivals. Expect the EV2 to trump the Renault 5’s best official range figure of 249 miles.

Kia has previously trademarked the model designations EV1 through to EV9 and EV2 will be the fifth gap in the Kia EV range to be filled by a production car, following on from EV6, EV9, the new EV3 and the forthcoming EV4. An EV5 SUV is also in the pipeline, as is the PV5 people carrier that sits alongside Kia’s new electric van due next year.