Doubts surround 2026 Kia EV2 heading Down Under

A near production-ready 2026 Kia EV2 electric city car has made its debut at the 2025 Kia EV Day ahead of the small SUV’s global debut next year.

Officially called the Kia Concept EV2, the new battery-powered baby SUV has been created to sit below both the EV3 and EV5 in the car-maker’s growing all-electric SUV line-up.

However, despite Australia’s love of SUVs, it has already been ruled out for our market.

“Kia Australia is keen to expand our product portfolio with as many EVs as possible, if they are appropriate for our local market,” said a statement from the Korean car-maker. “We would like to offer EV2 but production out of Slovakia does present some hurdles when it comes to logistics and cost, so it is highly unlikely.”

The Euro factory is a problem for Kia Australia as it means that the little EV2 will be levied with a painful five per cent import tariff. That’s a big penalty in the highly price-sensitive entry-EV category, which only offers slim margins for car-makers.

Created as an all-electric alternative to the combustion-powered Kia Stonic, the Kia show car has rear-hinged doors and lacks a B-pillar and door handles, while it also has exposed headlamps.

Expect the production version to drop the fancy doors, grow a B-pillar and feature conventional door handles and lamps.

Within, there are dual 12.3-inch screens, an orange fabric-wrapped dash with wood trim, and light blue seats and door cards, with the latter featuring a thin LED light strip across the upper half of the door.

Interior innovation includes rear seats with seat bases that fold up, allowing the front pews to slide backwards so front occupants can stretch out or even sit on the floor.

A pop-up boot divider and straps are also present, while a novel text display feature can be displayed on top of the dash, broadcasting information to the owner or passersby through the front driver and passenger windows.

Removeable speakers, meanwhile, should appeal to those who fancy an impromptu car park party.

Other handy tech not normally expected on the most affordable EVs include a vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature that enables owners to charge or power up external devices like laptops, TVs, or small appliances, or even to charge another vehicle.

Based on the Hyundai and Kia E-GMP platform, the EV2 is expected to share its 400V electrical architecture with the EV3 and EV5.

More details on the production 2026 Kia EV2 will be released in the coming months, in the build-up to its unveiling.

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