BONUS: The Spec Sheet - Kia EV2 Is The Little Box With Big Ambition

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Welcome back to the podcast.

Welcome to a special bonus edition about the Keer EV2,

the little box aiming to make electric feel normal.

In the sprawling Las Vegas campus of CES last week,

electric cars were shown off as spaceships

and rolling tech showcases.

Meanwhile, in the rather more temperate climate

of Northern Europe at the Brussels Motor Show,

the star of the show came back down to earth.

No spaceships here, just a little box from Keer.

Launched at the 2026 Brussels Motor Show,

the EV2 is a small, upright, SUV-shaped design

squarely for Europe.

It's built in Slovakia, sized for tight streets

and priced to slip under the EV3

as Keer's new cheapest dedicated EV.

Welcome back to another bonus edition of the show

and our mini series that I call the spec sheet,

which runs the numbers on any new car launch,

at least big car launches,

and we spend a good 10, 15 minutes,

who am I kidding, it's normally longer,

on looking at one specific car.

Patreon supporters get the episodes up front,

if you're happy to wait and you don't wanna spend the money

on supporting my work, that's absolutely fine,

everyone's a bit skint these days,

and so just wait a week and it'll appear in the free feed

with the ads, sorry about that, but gotta pay the bills,

or you're welcome to check out my patreon.com

slash EVNewsDaily to support the move to electric vehicles.

Let's talk about the Keer EV2 today,

launched this week at the Brussels Motor Show.

It is built not for spectacle,

small electric crossovers have become

the new decisive battleground in Europe.

Positioned as Europe's entry point

into Keer's dedicated EV lineup,

the EV2 is 4.1 meters long and 1.8 meters wide,

the footprint of a Keer Soul,

but with the stance of a taller city crossover.

The design is deliberately square,

a flat roof, upright tail, vertical sides,

every millimeter is reclaimed for passengers and luggage,

rather than sacrificed for a slick silhouette,

but it hasn't got the looks that only a mother could love

that the Keer Soul had, a kind of love it or hate it thing.

This thing seems to have gone down very well

with most people.

The EV2's real rivals are the Renault 4

and the Renault 5, E-TEC,

Volkswagen's upcoming ID Polo,

Skoda's Epic and Citroën's EC3,

these are not enthusiast cars,

these are family transport.

For people who want lower running costs

without compromise, Keer aims the EV2,

they say, at three biotypes,

first time EV shoppers who want a normal small car,

urban families who want rear space and a usable boot,

and cost-conscious households that refuse to trade

practicality for price.

What about pricing?

Well, it'll start at mid-20,000,

so we think it'll start about 25,000 pounds before offers,

that's about low $30,000 equivalent,

not that this will come to the United States, of course.

In the European region, it'll start around 30,000 euros.

The EV2 is pitched at an attainable audience,

but not trying to undercut every Chinese newcomer brand.

The cabin delivers the core insight of the EV2.

How do you get C-segment space from a B-segment vehicle?

The wheels get pushed to the four corners

and the absence of any real engine bay frees up the length,

so rear leg room reaches a total,

when the seats are pushed back, I'll get onto that,

at 958 millimeters,

that is territory usually reserved for larger saloons.

The boot holds 362 liters in five-seat form,

it's 403 liters, even bigger,

when the rear chairs are slid forwards

in the four-seat configuration.

A 15-liter frunk, all right, it's small,

but it's big enough for charging cables.

It's the time when you want to pull into a charging space

in a car park and the cables are buried under the kid's

push chair, all the things that inevitably end up in boots,

like the blankets and the beach stuff and the umbrellas.

Trust me, I've been there and charging cables in a boot

is just a pain in the rear,

so don't put them in the rear.

A small frunk, maybe a stinky takeaway,

but not much more goes up there.

The seating layout is where the flexibility appears.

Buyers of the four-seat version get two individual rear chairs

that slide and recline independently,

and it may seem like you think I don't want the compromise

of not having a five-seater car.

Well, you make that decision how often you have

five people in the back, because when you have

three people in the back of a B-segment vehicle,

it's a squash anyway in terms of shoulder room,

plus those two seats that always get used

for kid's seats or something are then a compromise

because you have that middle bit.

Well, actually, this is a true four-seater.

Some of the reviews, I was watching the AutoGifu review

with Thomas, he's a big chap,

and he was sitting in the rear seats of the four-seater version.

He said, this is already comfortable.

This is like sitting in the back of a chauffeur-driven car.

I've got loads of room, the seats are very supportive.

They're a proper seat.

So that degree of flexibility is very rare in this class.

So look, you've got the option to buy whichever one you want,

but if you get the four-seater,

those rear seats do recline as well

and slide forwards and backwards.

The driving position sits high and SUV-like.

Now, all the reviews call this an SUV.

This is a small, boxy city car.

This is the opposite of what my brain has always been told,

a sport utility vehicle is.

But still, everyone calls it an SUV,

so I'll call it SUV-like in terms of the styling.

If you, you know, made it a bit bigger.

It eases the entry for parents wrestling with child seats.

That's the current hell that I'm living in,

at least with my three-year-old.

She'll be out of that soon.

But still, I know you're bending over with the kid

and it's raining and they're heavy

and you're wrestling them in,

and this car is designed for those kind of buyers.

The dashboard is simple and horizontal,

a 12.3-inch digital cluster

and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen.

Side by side and a separate five-inch climate display,

which some people have said,

oh, it's hidden a bit behind the steering wheel,

but it's that constant screen all the way across.

Physical knobs and buttons are back-handling core tasks,

like temperature and volume.

For drivers migrating from older petrol cars,

that matters more than some fancy gesture control system.

Materials lean on recycled and biobased content.

The result avoids any hard, shiny plastics

that blights and budget EVs

and feels more like a small living room

that'll be your second home on wheels.

What about software?

That's how you interact with the car after all.

Well, the EV2 is debuting a new version of CCNC Lite.

That's a cost-optimized version

of Kia's connected car navigation cockpit platform.

The hardware is more modest than in higher-end models

and some trims will even skip built-in navigation

in favor of plugging in your smartphone.

And that's not a weakness.

It's a pragmatism to get the cost of the car down.

When we live in an era of our smartphones

are updated regularly, never leave our owner's side.

They're updated more often than our cars

and the car can stay feeling modern

because your phone's up to date.

Over-the-air updates keep your devices current,

whereas Kia will also do over-the-air updates on the car.

The AI Assistant voice control,

they say will handle natural language commands,

has digital key 2.0 letting owners unlock and start the car

with your smartphone, NFC, or Bluetooth.

Plug and charge is included,

supporting automatic authentication

at compatible DC fast charges,

removing RFID cards from an EV driver's wallet.

An integrated EV root planner on those specs

that have it factors in state of charge

and your charging stops on longer trips.

Let's talk about the platform then.

The EV2 uses a tailored version of EGMP,

like some of them are value-oriented models.

It's the 400-volt version.

Now, the 800-volt siblings, EV6,

Hyundai Unix 5,

chasing the ultra-rapid charging time of 18, 20 minutes,

the EV2, like its value, EV3, et cetera, versions,

opts for the 400-volt simplicity and lower cost.

High-end 800-volt components are still not ubiquitous

and they cost a little more from the parts catalogs

or to make yourself as a car maker.

So, for modest battery packs, for school runs,

for commutes, for shopping trips,

and consistent and brisk charging,

this is more than enough.

Two batteries address the use cases,

standard range, 42.2, lithium-ion phosphate,

so charge that to 100% all day long, it will love it.

No cobalt, no nickel, better thermal stability

and fine for urban fleets.

WLTP range, 197 miles or 317 kilometers.

Long range variants have a 61 kilowatt hour,

NMC, nickel-manganese cobalt pack

in the same physical space, lifting WLTP

to 278 miles or 448 kilometers.

A slight bit of confusion on power,

which I couldn't resolve before recording time.

The EV2 uses a single front motor, that's all fine,

but multiple early write-ups and reviews

quoted different power figures,

so the final numbers are TBC.

The reviewers quoted 144 horsepower

on the small battery, 42.2 kilowatt hours,

and less power, 134 horsepower, not 144,

for the big battery.

If it's the same motor, I don't know why it would be different,

it can be, of course, and the 0-60 time

was a lot slower for the big battery.

Okay, so it's heavier, that's fine, I understand that.

I'll wait to get confirmation from Kia on that.

Kia says its charging strategy is tuned

to how you actually drive your cars.

I'll tell you about that plus safety

and why they're making the vehicle over here in Europe,

there's lots of reasons for that.

Stick around, back in a moment, we'll take a quick break.

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Welcome back to the podcast.

Welcome back to our bonus show,

all about the Kia EV2.

Let's talk about charging.

Kia says they've tuned this

for how Europeans drive their cars.

They've added 11 kilowatt DC fast charging

and an option of 22 kilowatts.

So if you come across a three phase AC post,

a 22 kilowatts, and that's your workplace charging,

the car parks you normally use have that.

That's all you need if you're not road tripping

and looking for 350 kilowatt DC fast chargers.

On the DC side, they say it'll charge half an hour.

So 29 minutes on one pack and 30 on the other, 10 to 80.

And that's fine, it matches its direct rivals.

AC charging is where the action happens.

Our vehicles are mostly not driven.

I talk about this all the time.

And whilst there's so much excitement

around DC fast charging, I get it.

I watch all the YouTube videos about the charge testing

and I love it and I wouldn't be without that.

We don't have big enough conversations about AC charging,

which is where all of our charging actually happens.

And this will come with 22 kilowatt AC charging

for European posts.

On an 11 kilowatts wall box, if you can have that at home,

I have a single face here at 240 volts,

then I'm on 7. something kilowatts.

But if you have an 11 kilowatts wall box,

you're filling that overnight in absolute no time.

On a 22 kilowatt public post or maybe a work,

a place post or you have 22s when you go to the cinema

or take the kid bowling once a week,

you are filling your battery in just over two hours.

So bi-directional capability comes as standard.

This blew me away.

Vehicle to load is great.

It lets owners power tools, laptops, camping gear,

even the fridge freezer when you have a power cut at home.

And that's all good.

Vehicle to grid is built in as well.

And they were a little vague about this

because there's not really a turnkey product

that they can advertise at launch.

But vehicle to grid is built in,

allowing power to flow bi-directionally where rules permit.

And that's the thing we haven't quite worked out

with your local utilities, home wiring, all that.

It's not just a case of flicking a switch yet,

but we're so close to this.

Seeing it arrive as standard on a 25 grand car

with little fanfare suggests energy companies

are working with car companies.

It's a whole new dancing that they have to do

to learn together.

And they're taking the idea more seriously now.

Owners who don't care, just plug it in

and let the car do its thing.

But what is a basic city EV?

Could actually be, and I'll put this out there,

feel free to disagree,

key is test bed for their new connected system.

Industry insiders suggest that this new software,

the CCNC Light System, is a layer of a platform

for things like subscription services,

not massively key, not like have subscription fatigue,

but I don't really want to pay another X many pounds

per month for the heated seats.

But energy integration, now you got me interested.

Vehicle to grid, hardware ready,

evolves into demand response partnerships

with utility companies and smart grids.

The EV2 would be key as entry point

into cars being nodes in the power network,

rather than, well, actually,

oh, actually, and what's important here

is some of its cheaper competition doesn't come with this,

and certainly the cheap Chinese cars coming in

are just selling you on, hey, look at our headline price.

They're not doing this kind of integration yet,

well, they can't, they're just competing on cost.

Bidirectional hardware in a 25 grand car is radical,

and it's way more radical than anyone actually talked about

when they initially launched this video.

Hyundai Motor Group itself is trialling V2G

in markets like the Netherlands with utilities,

time of use tariffs and scheduling

to let EVs exploit the difference

between cheap and expensive electricity.

On behalf of you, the owner,

I'm really excited about this,

no one really covered it enough, I'll keep my eye on it.

Now, let's talk about safety.

Formal Euro NCAP scores will follow,

but the EV2 safety package is good for its class.

It's got the buttons back because Euro NCAP

is gonna start looking at distracted driving

as well in terms of its scores.

Ford collision avoidance assist two

brings automatic emergency braking

with detection for pedestrians and cyclists.

HDA two, highway driving assist two,

combines adaptive cruise and lane centering

with lane changing, help, smart cruise control two,

adjust the speed in line with traffic

and in some markets even it will change it

to the posted limits.

Lane keep and lane follow, blind spot monitoring,

blind spot view camera on the screen.

These are all high-end features not so long ago.

Now, in their entry-level car,

remote parking assist on the key.

So you can move the car forwards and backwards

in a tight car parking spot in European cities

with just the key fob.

It's not a party trick.

It genuinely saves you your door mirrors

and your doors from getting dinged.

All this matches the tightening European rules

and will help EV2 get a solid rating.

We don't know what it's gonna be

but I would be surprised if it's not Euro NCAP five star.

No journalist has driven this yet by the way

so I can't talk about driving impressions,

verdicts on handling and refinement will come.

The ingredients suggest a car that is competent

and that's not a criticism by the way.

Instant electric torque, modest weight.

It'll pull cleanly all the way from the lights around town

and it'll hold a motorway speed with no strain at all.

Not a 62, 8.6 seconds.

That's not so long ago.

I was buying car mags in the 90s

and 8.6 seconds would have been a breathless hot hatch review.

Do you know what I mean?

And now 8.6 seconds, all right, box ticked.

A motor-driven power steering system tuned for the city

with lightweight steering hints at steady weighting

at higher speeds, we'll wait and see how it drives.

The battery in the floor and the short wheelbase,

well, we'll see how it balances low speed bump absorption.

The roads in Britain are typically bad

and we'll see how it controls European roads.

Okay, let's talk about, I mentioned it before,

why it's built over here.

Manufacturing in Slovakia gives key advantages

beyond sheer logistics.

European built EVs now sit under shifting tariff rules,

local content mandates, and incentive schemes

that increasingly favor regional production.

Building the EV2 inside the EU avoids anti-substitut tariffs

that hit some Chinese built rivals

and shortens transport chains at a time

when shipping routes are unreliable,

both matter for costs and carbon footprints,

which some governments now take into their subsidies.

For buyers, the detail may be invisible,

but for eligibility, it can spell the difference

between access to a grant and not.

Battery supply at launch comes from the Korean

and European partners, longer term.

It'll point towards LFP packs coming from Goshen high tech.

They're building a factory also in Slovakia.

LFP sells made on European soil from next year.

The decision to build the EV2 in Slovakia positions KIA

to benefit from the EU's incoming rules next year

for origin of EV and battery components.

That tightens the requirement

that up to 55% of an EV's value

must come from within the European Union or its partners.

Aligning with the planned Slovakian Goshen LFP gigafactory

gives KIA a clear path to compliance.

It protects it from future tariffs

that will probably challenge low cost imports.

This is not just an assembly choice.

I think this is evidence that KIA

is preparing their European manufacturing

with an eye on post 2030 decarbonization rules.

So where's the market at?

I say this all the time to my US listeners.

The cheapest cars in the US are 30 grand.

It's the new Bolt, the new Nissan Leaf.

Over here, the new battleground is 15 grand cars.

So small electric SUV shaped vehicles

are turning into Europe's battleground now.

So it means the EV2 enters a competitive market

but not a vacuum.

So it hasn't got to create the market for itself

but it has got to compete.

Renault 4 and Renault 5 e-tech.

Well, they trade on nostalgia and style

and they look really good.

Retro styling, brand loyalty to Renault.

They're great vehicles.

Volkswagen's ID Polo, unknown quantity.

It's going to be the new electric people's car

recording to Volkswagen.

Software stumbles have dent at its timetable.

The buttons are back inside.

We've seen interior shots.

Citroën's EC3, well, they trade more on value, on price.

They trade a bit of range and equipment

to get the sticker price down.

Scott is epic is, again, a bit more value conscious.

EV2 threads the needle.

A path straight down the middle of the mainstream.

Cheaper than the EV3,

which I think is the new Volkswagen Golf.

I love that vehicle.

But it's not stripped bare.

It offers an interior that copes with family duties,

different battery chemistries for different drivers,

very strong AC charging, vehicle to grid.

Most of its expensive rivals like that.

Its long range is competitive with its competitors.

Many buyers will care more, though,

about the dealer network.

Where's my local key idea?

What's the personal finance offer?

Obviously, more than nine out of 10 cars in this segment

are bought on monthly finance

and probably how the car fits into their life.

On paper, the EV2 is really coherent,

not the cheapest, not the flashiest.

Probably one of the most rounded.

According to the ACEA,

that's the Carmakers Association in Europe,

according to their data,

B and C segment EVs grew by more than 40% in 2025

compared to the previous year,

whereas the premium segment started to plateau.

This shift leaves the EV2 in the perfect place.

It's not a subsidy chaser.

It's a product that meets the needs of the mainstream.

Buyers who want reliability, local availability,

and just stability.

It's just a key.

And it looks just like a normal car,

not like a freaky EV.

Research from the mobility think tanks like PWC auto facts

or transport and environment,

they all point to a growing resistance

to really oversized SUVs in European cities

because of parking constraints

and emissions-based taxation.

Possibly taxation coming in many governments

looking at weight of vehicles

because they can inflict more damage on the roads.

And so those big, heavy vehicles

could end up costing you a lot more to run.

The EV2's efficient footprint is the perfect car

at the right time.

So what's the verdict then?

Well, I've not seen it in person,

but the EV2 is a small square,

front-wheel drive crossover with two battery options,

modern software in context,

predictable and consistent

is exactly what the segment wants from Kia.

Kia has not turned its lowest price car

into a bargain basement stripped-down toy car.

Instead, 400-volt architecture containing costs,

charging still good though.

It's carving out some adult-friendly space

inside a small footprint,

bundling in digital and charging technology

that will get those that are a bit more early adoptery

or lean forward in terms of the technology

actually quite excited about this car.

EV2's specs suggest Kia understands what it needs to do,

not led by novelty,

but by households who want their first EV

to be just normal.

If the EV2 drives as it reads on paper,

it could be the car that fills the ordinary streets,

plugs into ordinary wallbox

and persuades ordinary buyers

that electric motoring is just ordinary.

For a little box coming from Slovakia,

that would be no small achievement.

And that's your bonus podcast for today.

See you on the next one.

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It shows how much to set aside for bills

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Get alerts before bills hit, track budgets,

and see every subscription you're paying for.

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by canceling subscriptions you're not using

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BONUS: The Spec Sheet - Kia EV2 Is The Little Box With Big Ambition

About this episode

Keer EV2

Kia EV3

Kia EV2

Kia Soul

Renault 4

Renault 5 E-TEC

Volkswagen ID Polo

Skoda Epic

Citroën EC3

connected car navigation cockpit platform

digital key 2.0

DC fast chargers

state of charge

EGMP

400-volt system

Hyundai EV6

Kia EV6

Hyundai Ioniq 5

800-volt components

lithium-ion phosphate

WLTP range

kilowatt hour

NMC

single front motor

horsepower

0-60 time

DC fast charging

AC charging

Euro NCAP

Chevrolet Bolt

Nissan Leaf

Volkswagens Id

Volkswagen Golf

Request an Explanation

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