Affordable Kia EV2: This Is Our Best Look Yet

• Kia will unveil a new affordable electric vehicle at the 2026 Brussels Motor Show.
• The EV2 will compete with models such as the Renault 4 and Citroen e-C3 in Europe.
• It will ride on a scaled-down version of Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform.

Europe is enjoying an enviable influx of genuinely affordable electric cars, and another model will soon enter that growing segment. Kia is set to reveal the EV2 on Friday as its most affordable electric vehicle so far, aimed squarely at entry-level rivals like the Volkswagen ID.Polo and the Ford Puma Gen-E.

A teaser released Wednesday suggests the EV2 will be a compact crossover, borrowing design cues from Kia’s larger SUVs such as the Seltos and Telluride. Expect a clean, boxy silhouette with smooth bodywork, upright proportions and distinctive LED daytime running lights at both ends, very much in line with Kia’s latest design language.

Kia will position the EV2 below the EV3, which is already on sale in Europe. It’s expected to ride on the same Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) used across the Hyundai Motor Group EV lineup. That said, the EV2 will likely use a scaled-down version of the platform, similar to the EV3, to keep costs in check.

Unlike the 800-volt architecture found in Kia’s larger U.S.-market EVs such as the EV9 and EV6, the EV2 is likely to share its underpinnings with the EV3, including a 400-volt electrical system. The tradeoff here is would be lower costs, but slower charging speeds, topping out at around 150 kilowatts in the EV3.

The EV3 comes with two battery options: a 58.3-kilowatt-hour pack and a larger 81.4 kWh unit. The smaller battery delivers about 270 miles of combined city and highway range on the WLTP cycle, while the larger one stretches that figure to about 375 miles. Kia could mirror this approach with the EV2, though official specifications will be confirmed at the reveal on Friday.

It will be made at Kia’s plant in Slovakia and the EV2 is not expected to make its way to the U.S. This is very much an affordable electric city car designed for Europe. Still, its compact size and an estimated price in the mid-$20,000s would likely strike a chord with plenty of American buyers, too.

Instead, Kia is expected to launch the EV3 in the U.S. sometime this year. However, the automaker has yet to announce an official launch date.

Kia indefinitely delayed the EV4 sedan for the U.S. last year. And even though the EV3 was spared from this delay, just how affordable it will be when it arrives remains an open question. The federal EV tax credit no longer exists and the EV3 is currently only manufactured in Korea, meaning it won’t be protected from tariffs either.

Contact the author: suvrat.kothari@insideevs.com