Is it a crossover? Is it a hatchback? Whatever it is, Kia’s EV3 electric is a fun and practical little car, and there’s a hotter GT variant on the way. Our spies caught this prototype in public wearing some pretty extensive camouflage, but there’s no hiding the lime green brake calipers that have become the signature of Kia’s hotted-up electric variants, currently represented by the the EV6 and EV9 GTs.
We’ve known the EV3 GT was coming for a while, but this is our first glimpse of a prototype testing in the wild. The eye-catching brakes aren’t the only sign that something’s different about this EV3. If you look closely at the rear wheel hubs, you can see an axle shaft and nut, indicating the presence of a rear drive unit. The standard EV3 is front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive models below the GT are expected to be part of the mix, but there’d be no reason to disguise the exterior of a standard EV3 with an extra motor. What’s to hide?
The standard EV3 can knock off a 0-60 run in 7.5 seconds. That’s perfectly acceptable for an economy EV, but it’s not going to impress anybody who pays attention to performance. The EV6 GT, for example, hits 60 in under 3.5 seconds, shaming a good number of dedicated sports cars. And it’ll do it a lot more consistently than your average high-output, rear-wheel-drive pony car.
We’re not expecting anything close to the EV6’s 576 horsepower from the smaller EV3 GT, but even doubling up on the standard car’s single-motor setup would result in a combined 400 horsepower. Even if the extra motor pushes the EV3’s curb weight north of 4,000 pounds, the extra oomph would make it feel plenty quick.
Our spies suggest the EV3 GT will make its debut either later this year or early next. Since the standard EV3 hasn’t even arrived stateside yet, we’re pegging 2027 as the first likely model year for the hotter model. Hopefully, we’ll know more soon.
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