• Kia EV3 wins 2025 ‘Car of the Year’ award and named ‘Best Small Crossover’ at the same time
• Kia EV9 named ‘Best Premium Large Car’

Kia’s sequence of success continues with new awards for the latest addition to its line-up, the EV3. The new all-electric compact crossover has been named ‘Car of the Year’ and ‘Best Small Crossover’ at the Car Expert Awards 2025. Kia’s flagship electric model, the EV9, was also named ‘Best Premium Large Car’ in the awards.

The Car Expert Awards are calculated using its ‘Expert Rating Index’, an algorithm which aggregates new car reviews from 35 of the UK’s top motoring titles. An overall score is then attributed to each new car, with the consensus of the UK’s leading automotive titles accurately reflected based on media reviews.

Stuart Masson, Editorial Director at The Car Expert, said, “The Kia EV3 isn’t just another bar-raising new car from Kia. It really shows how electric cars can be objectively superior to fossil-fuel cars in most of the ways that really count. It’s a compact SUV with more cabin and boot space than many larger vehicles. It’s smooth, quiet, comfortable and refined to drive. It has more than enough battery range for the vast majority of UK driving habits. It throws in plenty of standard kit at a very competitive price. And it’s intelligently designed for family car needs.

"The Kia EV3 is a fabulous car and a worthy winner of The Car Expert’s ‘Car of the Year’ 2025 award.”

The EV3 is not only Kia’s most affordable EV; it also offers the longest driving range of all of Kia’s models – up to 375 miles* on a single charge. The car also boasts an extensive list of standard equipment, even in entry-level ‘Air’ guise.

The six- or seven-seater EV9 continues to impress since its launch in 2023, claiming ‘Best Premium Large Car’ by offering a driving range of up to 349 miles* on a single charge, a spacious and luxurious interior, and vast equipment list.

On the EV9, Masson commented, “It’s telling that the best premium large car winner doesn’t carry an old-school European badge. The EV9 puts Kia firmly into luxury SUV territory, and it’s a revelation. Not only does the Kia EV9 sit shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest names in the business very comfortably indeed, it puts them in the shade in many ways. Clever design, strong build quality, loads of standard kit, acres of cabin and boot space, and a warranty that makes so-called ‘premium’ brands look stingy. Plus it’s fully electric at a price that matches diesel and petrol models from other brands.

“Kia could charge another £10,000 for the EV9 and it would still be good value.”

These awards reinforce the UK media perception of the brand as desirable, innovative and most importantly, as a trailblazing EV manufacturer within the automotive industry. Both the EV3 and EV9 play an integral role in the company’s next step in its ‘Plan S’ strategy, with aims to have launched 15 EVs worldwide by 2027, nine of which are to be offered in the UK.

All range figures throughout this release are determined according to the standardised EU measurement procedure (WLTP). Individual driving style and other factors, such as speed, outside temperature, topography and the use of electricity-consuming devices/units, have an influence on the real-life range and can possibly reduce it.