At this week’s Brussels Motor Show, Kia pulled the covers off something very significant. On the surface, the new Kia EV2 is another compact electric SUV designed for European cities, small on the outside but big on the inside, and priced to be Kia’s most accessible electric car yet.
But speak to the people who designed it, and you quickly realise the EV2 is about much more than just slotting into a new market segment.
It’s Kia’s attempt to answer one of the biggest questions in the modern car industry: How do you keep people emotionally connected to their cars in a world dominated by screens, software and updates?
Kia EV2: Small SUV, big ambitions
The EV2 sits in Europe’s B-SUV class, facing rivals like the Renault 4 and Volkswagen ID Polo as well as petrol-powered options such as the Ford Puma or Nissan Juke. At just over four metres long, it’s compact enough for city streets, but clever packaging means it offers space that rivals much larger cars.
Buyers can choose either a five-seat layout or a four-seat version with sliding and reclining rear seats, giving up to 403 litres of boot space when needed — more than you’ll get in a Honda Civic or Hyundai Bayon — although the standard fixed-seat version is limited to a still-impressive 362 litres.
Two battery options will be available: a 42.2kWh pack for up to 197 miles of range, or a larger 61.0kWh battery for up to 278 miles of driving. Fast charging, 11kW and 22kW AC charging, Vehicle-to-Load power, and full connectivity through Kia’s digital ecosystem are all part of the package.
This might be a small car, but it isn’t a stripped-out one.
When we spoke to Jochen Paesen, Kia’s Head of Next Design, he described the EV2 as a car that had to strike a precise balance. “We wanted it to be super simple, but very expressive,” he told me. “From any photo, you should immediately recognise it as a Kia.”
That’s why the EV2 wears Kia’s new Star Map lighting, upright SUV proportions and bold shoulder lines. We’ve seen the basics before, in the enormous EV9 and the family-friendly EV5, but it’s surprisingly well resolved when shrunk down to EV2 size. It looks modern and confident.
“It’s a small car with a big footprint — not just in how it looks, but in what it offers. But at the same time, it’s very reduced, very restrained. That’s actually very hard to do.”
Kia still believes in buttons
Step inside, and you’ll find three screens sweeping across the dashboard, but you’ll also find something many car brands are quietly bringing back: physical controls.
Kia has resisted the trend of turning everything into a touchscreen.
“If you have to go three steps into a menu to do something simple, that’s bad for everybody,” Paesen said. “Some functions you need straight away. You don’t want to mess about, so those stay physical.”
The EV2 uses Kia’s new ccNC (or Connected Car Navigation Cockpit) infotainment system, with full over-the-air updates and digital services, and, thanks to a deal with Disney, entirely optional Marvel-themed graphics. Despite that, it’s built around the idea that technology should reduce effort, not increase it.
The Chinese brands are quickly changing the rules around in-car technology.
“They’ve done things where you think, ‘fuck, I didn’t know I needed that,’” he laughed. “You might not actually need it — but they did it. And you’ve got to respect that.”
What he meant was simple: while many established brands have been cautious about introducing new tech, Chinese manufacturers have been far more willing to experiment, even if not every idea is perfect.
“We as Europeans are sometimes like, ‘Why should we do that?’ And then we don’t even try. But you can’t learn from what you haven’t done.”
For Kia, that willingness to experiment, while still keeping cars usable and human, is where the next phase of design will be won or lost.
“The novelty phase has been exciting,” Paesen said, “but the real value will come when we take these ideas and make them genuinely better — more meaningful, more useful, more Kia.”
As cars become more digital, Kia is deliberately trying to make them feel more human.
“Warmth is lighting, textures, fabrics, colours — and how everything has its place,” he said. “We’re using more fabric, brighter materials, softer finishes. When you get in and think, ‘oh, they’ve thought about this’, that creates warmth.”
That philosophy is clearly visible inside the EV2. Kia describes the interior as inspired by a ‘Picnic Box’ — open, calm, and designed to feel more like a living space than a cockpit.
More than just another EV?
On paper, the EV2 ticks all the boxes. It’s compact, practical, well-connected, safe, and packed with features you’d typically find on much more expensive cars, from Highway Driving Assist to remote parking and a Harman Kardon sound system.
But what makes it interesting is what it represents. As Chinese brands flood the market with screen-heavy, gadget-filled cars, Kia is betting that people still want something more than just technology.
Kia EV2 pricing and availability
The Kia EV2 should arrive in the UK in the summer, with prices expected to start from around £25,000. If that holds, it’ll be a couple of thousand pounds more than a Hyundai Inster, but will undercut the Renault 4 by a similar amount.
He is the founder of Huff Media, publisher of Professional Pickup, Professional Van, Average Janes, Average Joes, and CALIBRE. His work focuses primarily on light commercial vehicles, pickups, and real-world vehicle use, with much of his time spent on manufacturer launches, industry events, and long-term vehicle testing.