In only a handful of years, Kia has gone from a brand struggling to find its design identity and having no EVs in its lineup, to one with some of the most distinctive-looking models around and a four-strong EV range with more on the way. Latest to land is the Golf-sized EV4, and Kia’s latest photo drop shows exactly why VW, Tesla, and every other major automaker should be worried.

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Kia gave us a cursory look at the Euro-market EV4 in February of this year, and then added a more comprehensive breakdown of the US-built, US-market sedan in April. But that doesn’t arrive in America until early in 2026, so the focus now swings back to the European EV4, which goes on sale this autumn in both Slovakian-built hatchback and Korean-built Fastback sedan forms.

One Motor For Now

Both versions are limited to just one powertrain option. Dual-motor versions are on the way, but for now, buyers are restricted to a single 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW) motor that powers the front wheels and gets the EV4 to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 7.4 seconds. That time is for a car with the entry-level 58.3 kWh battery – upgrade to the heavier 81.4 kWh pack that’s the only one available on UK Fastbacks and the sprint requires 7.7 seconds.

The big battery payoff is, of course, a longer range. The hatch with the small battery is good for just 255 miles (410 km), and the sedan 267 miles (430 km), while the 81.4 kWh versions of the hatch and sedan are rated at 380 miles (612 km) and 391 miles (630 km). Strangely, the sedan’s more slippery shape makes it more efficient than the hatch with the small battery, but it’s worse with the larger one; that’s what Kia’s figures say.

EV4 hatch

Charging Trade-Off

Like the closely related EV3 SUV, neither EV4 gets the high-tech 800-volt electrics fitted to the EV6 and EV9. They make do with 400-volt hardware instead, and so charge much more slowly as a result. A 10-80 percent fill of the bigger battery takes around 31 minutes, getting on for double the time an EV6 driver might expect to spend waiting to charge up.

Both models ride on the same 2,820 mm (111 inches) wheelbase, but the 300 mm (11.8 inches) longer sedan serves up a more useful 490 litres (17.3 cu-ft) of luggage space, whereas the hatch can only swallow 435 liters (15.4 cu-ft). Unfortunately, the sedan, like its Tesla Model 3 rival, has an old-fashioned and less practical trunk lid, rather than a liftback.

Kia EV4 GT-Line hatch

Subtle Differences Inside And Out

As far as passengers are concerned, the two EV4s will feel almost identical. Inside each is the same combined digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen. GT Line models are marked out by sports seats and three- rather than two-spoke steering wheels, but from the outside, there’s surprisingly little to set them apart, the base hatch in Blue in these pictures, looking barely less dynamic to our eyes than the gray GT Line, despite its smaller wheels and supposedly less aggressive bumpers.

The EV4 Fastback’s unusual design might prevent some buyers from defecting from their Tesla Model 3s, but Europe is a continent of hatchback lovers, and Tesla has no answer for the EV4 hatch that’s sure to cause even VW and its ID.3 a headache. We’ll find out exactly how much of a headache when prices are revealed in the coming weeks and when we get a chance to get behind the wheel.

Kia EV4 GT-Line Fastback

Kia