Kia EV3 Lands in the U.S. at $29,890 — the Cheapest Long-Range EV From a Major Brand

The Kia EV3 has landed in North America at $29,890. The small electric SUV has been on sale overseas since 2024, won the 2025 World Car of the Year award, and U.S. sales started in mid-August. The base Light FWD uses a 58.3 kWh pack for 221 miles of range; the $34,990 Wind FWD gets the 81.4 kWh pack and 321 miles.

All-wheel drive brings 261 hp and 280 miles of range, and the $45,890 GT makes 288 hp with 0–60 mph in 5.4 seconds. Electrek’s first drive calls the EV3 the best-packaged affordable EV right now — with the caveat that the price climbs fast up the trims.

The pricing matters because the affordable end of the EV market has been thin in the U.S. With federal incentives gone, a sub-$30,000 starting price and a 321-mile mid-trim option put the EV3 in a class of its own among mainstream brands, undercutting the Tesla Model Y and the Hyundai Kona Electric on price while matching them on usable range.

The open question is volume: Kia will need to build and ship enough EV3s to make the headline price real for most buyers, and dealers will need to resist the markups that have greeted other hot affordable EVs. If they do, the EV3 could do for Kia what the Telluride did for its SUV lineup — become the car the brand is known for.