I’VE been doing this job for a few years now so remember the very first electric cars to come onto the UK market – all of which had an Achilles heel that led to a new phrase entering the English language… range anxiety.

The first ones I tested could only go ludicrously short distances on a full charge (in some cases less than 20 miles) and even when things got a little better around a decade ago you had to plan journeys well in advance yet could still be caught out by a lack of charging facilities at your destination.

Fast forward to 2026 and things have changed out of all recognition with rapid public chargers popping up everywhere and recharge speeds a fraction of what they were. Then there are the electric cars themselves – a great example of which is the very latest offering from KIA, the EV4 which comes as a hatchback or more sporty fastback.

Its full charge range is 388 miles (enough to get you from Manchester to London and back!) a distance which would have seemed the stuff of science fiction in those early electric car days. In fact KIA say if the car is just used for city driving that range can go up to a shade under 500 miles.

With the latest KIA front-end styling it’s built on the same underpinnings as the EV3 but is shorter and has a stretched wheelbase meaning better aerodynamics.

A week of motoring, including a two day break to North Yorkshire, showed those claims to be credible as I only had to stop at a motorway charge point once to keep the battery well topped up.

The EV4 is KIA’s first electric saloon and C-segment hatchback and their first new saloon in Europe since the Stinger.

Like its siblings the EV3, EV6 and EV9, there is a three-tier model line-up: ‘Air’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’, each are well equipped as standard. The EV4 Fastback is only offered in ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’ guise.

Our entry level EV4 ‘Air’ is available with a choice of 58.3kWh standard range or 81.4kWh long range battery packs. The car can travel up to 273 miles with the 58.3kWh version, or up to 388 miles on our larger 81.4kWh edition – the first time a Kia EV has a range of more than 380 miles on a single charge.

Stepping up to the ‘GT-Line’ only the long range battery pack is offered as is the top specification EV4 ‘GT-Line S’.

Every EV4 has a single front-mounted electric motor with 150kW (201bhp) and 283Nm torque and can do 0-to-62mph in 7.5 seconds with a top speed of 105mph. However, for more power the new EV4 GT will have two electric motors, four-wheel drive and is claimed to get to 62mph in around four seconds with 288bhp on tap.

With all seats upright, the Fastback has boot space of 490 litres while the hatchback can carry 435 litres of luggage, making it one of the most practical vehicles in its segment.

Super-fast 400-volt technology ensures charging is hassle free going from 10-to-80 per cent in just 29 minutes (31 minutes for long range) when plugged into a 150kW DC rapid charger, and in just 5 hours and 20 minutes on an 11kW AC charger (7 hours and 15 minutes for models with the long range battery).

Standard equipment includes Kia’s new connected car Navigation Cockpit integrated into the dual 12.3-inch display and infotainment screens featuring Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a range of on-demand features, and an additional 5.3-inch climate control touchscreen, accompanied by physical rocker switches on the centre fascia to control heating and ventilation.

The EV4 also has a Kia AI Assistant to help control the vehicle’s features and makes Kia’s voice assistant even more capable. It can support travel planning, suggest stop-off points and POI information, answer FAQs regarding the owner’s manual plus entertainment, such as music recommendations, voice games, jokes and trivia questions.

‘GT-Line S’ variants offer premium electric front relaxation seats which can recline almost flat if you want to take a break from driving.

The driving position is very good and interior space front and back exceptional while everything feels well put together with some soft touch surfaces where needed. All versions come with front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. GT-Line S versions add a bird’s eye view camera.

Our entry-level Air trim model still has a respectable amount of luxuries, including 17in alloy wheels, heated front seats, power fold door mirrors, sat-nav and lots of safety kit including automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, rear-cross traffic alert, Isofix child seat mounts on the two outer rear seats and blindspot monitoring.

The regular EV4 hatchback starts at around £35,000, rising to around £45,000 if you want the bigger Long Range battery, range-topping GT-Line S trim and a heat pump for more efficient warming of the interior in cooler weather.

For more info see www.kia.co.uk