Kia EV3 GT gets "a slam dunk" for Australia

The brand-new Kia EV3 GT is emerging as the most likely of three new electric performance SUVs revealed by the Korean giant to come to Australia.

The logical outcome is that the Korean-built, all-wheel drive (AWD), dual-motor 215kW EV3 GT will be on sale in Australia before the end of 2026.

Meanwhile, the Slovakian-built Kia EV4 GT hot hatch remains on the Aussie wish list, while the EV5 GT has been ruled out for being too expensive.

The EV5 GT is built in Korea, but the mainstream Australian EV5 range is sourced from China and rides on different underpinnings.

The EV3 GT, EV4 GT, and EV5 GT were unveiled together at the Brussels motor show in Belgium earlier this month.

While the EV3 GT has not yet been 100 per cent signed off, Kia Australia’s product chief Roland Rivero described it as “a slam dunk” for local sale.

“That’s an easy one,” he told carsales during last week’s EV4 sedan media launch.

The final green light for the EV3 GT is expected before the end of this quarter, which would guarantee the car’s arrival before the end of 2026.

The same timing applies to the EV4 GT, although its business case is bundled in with the mainstream EV4 hatch made in Slovakia. Because of that sourcing, it’s a tougher proposition to get approved than the EV3 GT.

“We're doing the number crunching on those [EV4s],” Rivero said.

The European-developed EV3 and EV4 GTs share a dual-motor powertrain good for a combined 215kW, with the former stopping the clock from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds and the latter in 5.6 secs.

Both feature a long range 81.4kWh battery pack (range TBC), a front-bias torque split, 20-inch alloys, virtual gear shift and active sound design.

The EV5 GT uses a 225kW version of the same powertrain, but it’s slower because it carries more weight.

“The EV5 GT will be by far the more expensive out of Korea,” Rivero said.

“I don't believe it will garner a huge amount of volume.”

As it is already homologated for Australia and Kia’s dynamics guru Graeme Gambold has had a crack at tuning it, the EV3 GT is only a box tick away from going on sale.

Pricing won’t be cheap considering the top-spec EV3 GT-Line is already priced at $63,950 plus on-road costs, suggesting a price above $70,000 for the GT.

But before the EV3 arrives, Kia will update the EV6 GT in February and then add the new 374kW EV9 GT.

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