Kia debuted its 2026 EV4 sedan on the New York Worldwide Auto Present on Wednesday, its first international electrical sedan and one designed for purchasers searching for an reasonably priced EV.
Whether or not U.S. clients will gravitate towards a sedan is an open query — and one Kia isn’t essentially betting on. The corporate launched gross sales of the EV4 in South Korea and plans to deliver it to Europe by the tip of the 12 months. Gross sales in the USA are anticipated to start within the final quarter of 2025 or first quarter of 2026, a Kia spokesperson advised TechCrunch.
Kia’s major pitch with the EV4 is affordability, and with a good vary, inside options, and tech touches, it may lastly give customers an alternative choice. Whereas Kia hasn’t but shared U.S. pricing, some have estimated that it might begin at round $35,000, including one other competitor to the Tesla Mannequin 3. Eric Watson, VP of gross sales at Kia America, confirmed the ballpark worth vary to TechCrunch.
Tom Kearns, Kia’s chief designer, stated Wednesday that what “many EVs have in common is the pricing that leans more towards the higher end. But our ultimate goal is to make electrified attainable driving for everyone.”
That’s why the EV4 is “distinctive with a tech-forward design” and is reasonably priced even with its “many advanced features,” a lot of which will be present in Kia’s larger finish EV6 crossover utility automobile and EV9 SUV.
For U.S. consumers, nevertheless, that enticing worth level may very well be in danger. President Donald Trump’s proposed automotive tariffs threaten so as to add 25% to the price of any imported automobile — together with the EV4, which Kia plans to construct in South Korea and launch stateside within the first quarter of 2026. With the tariff panorama shifting by the day, it’s unimaginable to say what consumers can be dealing with a 12 months from now.
Watson famous that Kia was open to exploring the concept of bringing manufacturing of the EV4 to the U.S. The automaker already has a facility in West Level, Georgia, the place it builds its EV6 crossover utility automobile and EV9 SUV for the U.S. market, with SK On as its battery manufacturing accomplice.
Regardless of Kia having American manufacturing and domestically produced batteries, Orth Hedrick, Kia America’s VP of product planning, stated, “There are still a lot of components that are subject to tariffs. It’s not good for business. We’re hoping there will be some developments maybe over the summer.”
The Kia EV4 does have a number of issues going for it that might make a purchaser danger the tariffs, most notably its first rate vary. The usual 58.3 kWh battery, which comes with the “Light” trim, has a spread of 235 miles, and the long-range 81.4 kWh battery, which comes with the “Wind” or “GT-Line” trims, can go as much as 330 miles.
Kia stated it centered on aerodynamics for the EV4, which possible helped enhance these vary numbers. The automobile has a coefficient drag of .23 — the identical because the Tesla Mannequin 3.
Each battery configurations present energy to the front-mounted 150 kW motors. And with V2L4 performance, drivers can use the automobile’s battery to cost gadgets like laptops and smaller electronics.
The EV4 additionally prices with a DC quick charger at a good half-hour, and its NACS charging port is positioned on the entrance passenger aspect for simple accessibility.
Kia additionally performed up its i-Pedal 3.0 system within the Ev4, which captures power and shops it within the battery, however offers drivers extra management over the pace of deceleration utilizing solely the accelerator pedal.
Now, on to the seems to be.
Kearns stated Kia needed a possibility to do issues otherwise with the 2026 EV4, to interrupt the norm of many EV makers that prioritizes effectivity typically on the expense of creating a cool design assertion.
And taking a look at it up shut, Kia’s EV4 does have an fascinating aesthetic, form of a enterprise within the entrance, celebration within the again vibe. Head on, you’ll be able to see the low nostril, long-tail silhouette, and fastback roofline of a basic sports activities automobile, and from the rear, vertical taillights, a two-piece roof spoiler, and smooth bumper design give it a extra aerodynamic, tech-forward presence.
Talking of tech, the automobile boasts your customary futuristic, minimalistic, high-tech inside. Standouts embody the two-spoke steering wheel, 64-color dynamic ambient lighting, a free-floating consumer interface composed of twin 12.3-inch screens and a five-inch local weather show. That’s the place yow will discover all of your navigation and leisure options, together with wi-fi Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Like Kia’s different EVs, the EV4 additionally gives the possibility to boost connectivity and leisure options by means of over-the-air updates, together with including personalised show themes throughout the cockpit like your “favorite NBA team” for all of the environment-loving superfans on the market.
When it comes to different tech-forward options, the drivers can entry their EV4 through Kia’s digital key by means of their cell telephones, and Kia’s AI Assistant makes use of voice recognition and pure language processing to assist drivers management automobile features, plan journeys, and extra.
The EV4 additionally comes customary with a collection of driver help options, together with Kia’s Freeway Driving Help, which mechanically adjusts the automobile’s set pace to match the posted pace restrict and maintains distance from the automobile forward. Kia’s ADAS additionally contains help with ahead collision avoidance, lane following, distant good parking, driver consideration warning, and hands-on steering wheel detection.
This text has been up to date with extra info from Kia representatives about design and tariffs.
