Kia EV3 and EV4 EVs might both be US-bound, PV5 van a maybe

• Kia hasn’t yet confirmed EV3 or EV4 for the U.S.—but we might get both
• Unclear if EV3 arrives, whether Niro EV would continue
• Kia PV5 WKNDR electric camper van is a test for U.S. interest

The future of compact EVs for Kia in the U.S. could be as simple as this: It doesn’t have to be an either/or.

And that might mean that U.S. EV shoppers could get the more interesting compact EV market that America has been largely missing out on—thanks to the possibility of Kia’s EV3 and EV4. 

In October 2023, at its Kia EV Day event, the brand revealed the upright EV3 compact electric crossover, which is close to the same size as the Volvo EX30, and the somewhat longer, lower EV4 compact electric hatchback. At the same event, it also showed a production version of the EV5 electric crossover, which is sized closely with the Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4. 

While Kia was quick at that time to say that the EV5 was not U.S.-bound, it left the door open for the EV3 and EV4. 

The production EV4 is expected to bow globally within the next few months. But Kia has already, since last year’s event, shown the production-bound EV3, with deliveries of it starting earlier this month in Europe. Amid that, there hasn’t yet been a U.S.-market confirmation for either the EV3 or the EV4. 

Last week, at the Los Angeles auto show, Green Car Reports asked Kia America chief operating officer and executive vice president Steven Center which of these two EVs we might see.

“We may see both,” replied Center. “And I think that’s just a matter of segment management.”

Center elaborated that these are two quite different EVs, referring to the EV4 as an electric equivalent to the K5 sedan, and the EV3 as “sort of a Soul EV.”

Whether that means borrowed time for the Kia Niro EV, which Kia opted to bring to the U.S. instead of the current Soul EV, Center wouldn’t say for sure—but he hinted that Niro EV is built on an internal combustion platform, and it’s the second-generation of a vehicle that was conceived when the company’s E-GMP EV platform didn’t exist. 

Center also noted that at some point soon, Kia will have two lines of vehicles—an internal combustion line, including hybrids and plug-in hybrids, and one that’s pure EV. 

Meanwhile, the number of U.S. Kia EV models will continue to grow over the next year, confirmed Center. Whether that means EV3, EV4, PV5, or something else completely—or a reference to the higher-power Kia EV9 GT also revealed at the show—rest assured it’s not sidelining its EV push in 2025. 

For a tease of what that something else might be, Kia showed what we interpreted as a wild card at the LA show. Its upcoming PV5 electric van may primarily be focused toward commercial use and future robotaxis, the company has said up until now. But the recent debut of the PV5 WKNDR electric camper van concept at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas earlier this month, together with its prominent display at the LA auto show, beg another question. 

Is the brand getting ready to pitch the electric vans in the U.S. as compact, activity-focused alternatives to the Volkswagen ID.Buzz—or, perhaps, even more in line with the original ethos of the cult-favorite Honda Element?

Kia America vice president for marketing Russell Wager replied to GCR, also at the LA auto show, that PV5 remains confirmed only for Korea and Europe, and the purpose behind the SEMA concept was to test American customers’ reactions to “more of an overlander concept.”

“So we’re still evaluating what that means, potentially, for the U.S. market,” said Wager.