A seven-seat flagship, a five-seat crossover built in China and a compact now made in Mexico: what separates Kia's three newest electric SUVs.
The Kia EV9 is a three-row mid-size electric SUV, the EV5 a five-seat mid-size crossover and the EV3 a compact crossover with a 460 L boot. They are the second, third and fourth models in Kia's EV range, launched in Australia in November 2023, October 2024 and March 2025.
The Kia EV5 is the first electric Kia exported from China, and Kia has confirmed it will not be sold in the United States or Mexico. That one fact shows how differently the brand has planned its three newest electric crossovers: a seven-seater built partly in Georgia, a five-seater built in China and Korea, and a compact now being made in Mexico.
Between them they run from a boot of 460 litres to one of 2,992 litres, and from a compact crossover to a three-row SUV, which is the clearest way to tell the Kia EV9, EV5 and EV3 apart.
How does the Kia electric range fit together?
The numbers do not follow launch order. The EV6 came first. The EV9 was the second Kia built on the Electric Global Modular Platform, known as E-GMP, and the second model in the "EV" range. The EV5 followed as the third, and the EV3 as the fourth. The EV5 is Kia's first dedicated electric vehicle with a 400-volt architecture, and the EV3 is the second, with Kia marketing the EV3 as E-GMP 400V even though its chassis derives from the front-wheel-drive Hyundai-Kia K3 platform, restructured for batteries.
The EV5 is the first electric Kia exported from China.
Kia EV9 vs EV5 vs EV3 compared
| Feature | EV9 | EV5 | EV3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Segment | Mid-size three-row SUV | D-segment mid-size crossover | C-segment compact crossover |
| Seats | 6 or 7 | 5 | 5 |
| Production reveal | 14 March 2023 | August 2023, Chengdu | 23 May 2024 |
| Battery sizes quoted | 76 and 100 kWh | 64.2, 81.4 and 88.1 kWh by market | 54, 58.3 and 81.4 kWh by market |
| Voltage | Charges on 400V and 800V infrastructure, up to 210 kW | 400-volt architecture | 400-volt architecture |
| Assembly highlight | Georgia, United States, from May 2024 | China, Gwangju and Singapore | Monterrey, Mexico, from August 2026 |
| Australian launch | 3 November 2023 | 14 October 2024 | 20 March 2025 |
Kia EV9: the big one
The EV9 is the largest electric SUV in Kia's line-up and acts as a battery-electric alternative to the Telluride. It began as a concept at the 2021 Los Angeles Auto Show, with three rows of seats and an interior that could turn into a meeting room. Kia teased the production silhouette on 3 March 2023 and presented the car on 14 March.
Its styling follows the brand's "Opposites United" philosophy, with a "Digital Tiger Face" front end and vertical lights, and Kia says the shape was formed from a polygonal design language with triangular fender structures. The concept's suicide-style rear doors gave way to conventional ones on the production car. Inside, six- and seven-seat layouts are offered, and the optional second-row captain seats can turn through 180 degrees to face the third row, or 90 degrees outward towards the rear doors. Luggage space reaches 2,992 L with the second and third rows folded, and a front boot adds 90 L.
The EV9 was the first Kia with the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit and its Triple Panorama Display, which houses a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 5-inch climate touchscreen and a 12-inch infotainment screen. Options include camera-based digital side mirrors, a massage function for the seats, a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 and a relaxation mode for the first two rows. Charging goes up to 210 kW and works on both 400V and 800V infrastructure.
Two batteries were announced, 76 kWh and 100 kWh, with real-world range estimated at around 400 km (250 mi) and 500 km (310 mi) respectively. The high-performance EV9 GT was released on 22 November 2024.
Where the EV9 is sold
Europe received the EV9 in June 2023 after its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, with Belgium first to publish specifications, and only the Long Range powertrain is offered there. North America followed in October 2023 with Standard Range rear-drive and Long Range all-wheel-drive versions and, in the US, Light, Wind, Land and GT Line trims. Local assembly began at the Georgia plant in May 2024, making it the first Kia battery-electric vehicle built in the United States.
In Australia the EV9 launched on 3 November 2023 in Air, Earth and GT Line trims, with Standard Range rear-wheel drive or Long Range all-wheel drive. New Zealand received it in August 2023. Other launches include Indonesia on 10 August 2023, Taiwan on 19 June 2024, India on 3 October 2024 and Brazil on 18 February 2025.
Other launches filled in through 2024 and 2025. Thailand began sales on 1 March 2024 with deliveries in April, Malaysia followed on 11 June 2024 in a GT Line Long Range trim offered in six- and seven-seat form, and the Philippines launched on 24 October 2024 with a Baseline RWD and a GT Line AWD. Singapore started on 11 January 2024 and Pakistan announced the car on 3 February 2025. Indonesia, chosen as the first Southeast Asian country because of its fast-growing electrified-vehicle market, added an Earth Long Range variant in July 2024. In Canada the Land trim can be optioned with Premium and GT Line packages.
The car has collected awards: Top Gear named it Family Car of the Year in November 2023, DrivingElectric chose it as its 2024 Electric Car and it was also German Luxury Car of the Year 2024. In North America it won the 2024 Utility Vehicle of the Year, What Car? called it the Best Electric 7-Seater, and it won 2024 World Car of the Year. The 2024 model earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick after Kia adjusted the Land and GT Line headlights in January 2024 to reduce glare.
Kia EV5: the mid-size sibling
The EV5 is a D-segment mid-size crossover, and the younger sibling of the EV9 in styling. As the name suggests, it has two rows and five seats. Kia showed the concept in China on 20 March 2023 at its EV Day event, with a cabin using seaweed extract and recycled plastic bottles on the seat trim, headliner and door and dashboard linings. The production car arrived at the Chengdu Motor Show in August 2023 with a new version of the Digital Tiger Face and a new lighting signature.
Where it is built shapes what it carries. The Chinese car is built by the joint venture Jiangsu Yueda Kia Motors and uses a lithium iron phosphate battery from FinDreams with a 160 kW (218 PS) motor and 310 Nm. Cars built in South Korea and export versions use nickel-manganese-cobalt cells from CATL, up to 82 kWh. The Korean-market car has an 81.4 kWh pack and is assembled at the Gwangju plant, while the Philippines and Singapore quote 64.2 kWh and 88.1 kWh options and New Zealand an 88 kWh pack in every variant. The EV5 GT, a high-performance version, was released on 9 January 2026.
Where the EV5 is sold
Thailand was the first export market from China, with sales opening on 26 March 2024. There the front-drive car makes 160 kW, and the top Earth Exclusive trim has dual-motor all-wheel drive with 230 kW (313 PS). Australia launched on 14 October 2024 with four variants, two of them two-wheel-drive Air models in standard or long range, then an Earth and a GT Line, both all-wheel drive with the long-range pack. New Zealand deliveries began in September 2024, with five variants.
Europe saw the unveiling on 8 July 2025, with sales from the last quarter. European cars use the NMC batteries for more range and better cold-weather performance, a centre console with two front seats instead of a bench, and Gwangju supply. Trims are Air, GT Line and GT Line S, all with the 81.4 kWh pack, a 150 kW peak charge rate and a 10 to 80 per cent charge in about 30 minutes on a compatible 400-volt charger of at least 150 kW.
Elsewhere the EV5 reached Morocco on 5 September 2024 and Brazil, its Latin American debut, on 2 September 2024 in a single 88.1 kWh version. Pakistan followed on 25 October 2024 with an Air (2WD) and an Earth (AWD). The Philippines received a China-built car on 9 April 2026, in GL (64.2 kWh) and GLS (88.1 kWh) forms.
Singapore adds a twist: the EV5 was confirmed as the first Kia assembled at the Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center there, and the Air and Earth trims, with outputs below 110 kW (150 PS), qualify for the cheaper Category A certificate of entitlement. Canada received the EV5 in spring 2026 as a 2027 model with an NACS charging port, while Kia has said the United States and Mexico will not get it.
Kia EV3: the compact
The EV3 is a C-segment compact crossover, Kia's smallest of the three. Its concept was presented on 12 October 2023 at the Kia EV Day event and shown at the Los Angeles show in November. The production version followed on 23 May 2024, and sales began in July of that year in South Korea. It carries over the Digital Tiger Face and adds a "Star Map" vertical lighting signature, borrowing a few cues from the EV9.
The cabin has three displays, one each for the driver, the climate controls and infotainment, plus a 12-inch head-up display, a sliding table, and a front-seat "fold-back relaxation mode". Recycled PET materials appear throughout. The boot is 460 L with a two-tier floor offering over 140mm of flexibility, and the front compartment holds 25 L. It was the first Kia to debut the i-Pedal 3.0 regenerative braking feature, and it also has Electric Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control, Digital Key 2.0 to use a phone instead of a fob, and Remote Smart Parking Assist. The EV3 GT arrived on 9 January 2026.
Where the EV3 is sold
The EV3 reached Europe in November 2024, in standard and GT Line forms, and Kia aims to sell around 60,000 a year there. In Australia it launched on 20 March 2025 with four variants, Air in standard and long range, then Earth and GT Line in long range, and New Zealand began sales the same day with Light (58 or 81 kWh), Earth and GT Line trims. North America saw it at the New York show in April 2026 as a 2027 model, with 58.3 kWh front-drive and 81.4 kWh all-wheel-drive options. Mexico opened sales on 17 July 2026 with EX (54 kWh) and SXL (81 kWh) variants, and production began at the Monterrey plant on 4 August 2026, with exports planned for North and Latin American markets. The Philippines followed on 21 September 2026 with a single 58.3 kWh GL.
The EV3 won the 2025 Korea Car of the Year and World Car of the Year at the 2025 World Car Awards.
Which Kia electric SUV suits which buyer?
The figures settle some of it. Only the EV9 has a third row, up to seven seats and a luggage space measured in thousands of litres. The EV5 is the five-seat middle step, offered in Australia in standard and long-range forms. The EV3 has the smallest boot at 460 L and, in Australia, is the newest arrival of the three. In Australia the EV9 is sold in Air, Earth and GT Line trims, and all three are sold there with standard-range and long-range battery choices. Anyone shopping in the United States should note the EV5 is not offered there.
What is still to come for the three Kias
The next news concerns production and reach. EV3 output has started in Monterrey for North and Latin American export, and the North American car is for the 2027 model year. Kia aims to sell about 60,000 EV3s a year in Europe. The EV9 and EV5 have gone to more markets in 2025 and 2026, and the GT versions of all three, released between November 2024 and January 2026, which means each of the three now has a performance flagship as well.
