Due in Kia showrooms later this month, the EV4 electric sedan will undercut its Tesla Model 3 rival – and compete closely on price with rear-wheel-drive versions of the BYD Seal.
Kia's rival to the Tesla Model 3, BYD Seal and Polestar 2 electric sedans has launched in Australia, as the brand's fifth dedicated battery-electric car sold in local showrooms.
Customer deliveries of the 2026 Kia EV4 will commence in Australia "later this month", with pricing starting from $49,990 before on-road costs – $3000 more than a BYD Seal Dynamic, but $4910 less than a Tesla Model 3 Rear-Wheel Drive.
The EV4 is based on the front-wheel-drive, 400-volt version of Hyundai-Kia's Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), sharing its electric motor and batteries with the Kia EV3 small SUV.
In contrast, the Model 3 and Seal, along with the larger Hyundai Ioniq 6, are rear-wheel-drive vehicles.
Matching the EV3, the EV4 Air Standard Range has a 58.3kWh lithium-ion nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) battery, while the EV4 Earth Long Range and GT-Line Long Range upgrade to an 81.4kWh unit.
All variants feature a 150kW/283Nm single electric motor, with claimed 0-100km/h acceleration times of 7.4 seconds for the Air, and 7.8s for the Earth and GT-Line.
The EV4 Air Standard Range has a 456-kilometre driving range rating on the WLTP lab-test standard, while the Earth and GT-Line are both rated at 612 kilometres.
While it beats the BYD Seal on range, with the Premium rated at 570km WLTP, the Earth Long Range can not match the new Tesla Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive's 750km WLTP rating.
Kia claims a 10 to 80 per cent charge on a direct-current (DC) fast-charger will take 29 minutes for the Air Standard Range, or 31 minutes for the long-range Earth and GT-Line.
Standard features in the EV4 Air include 17-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless/wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 5.0-inch climate control display, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, Kia Connect phone-app access, and over-the-air software updates.
It also includes USB-C charging ports, black cloth upholstery, and active safety features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.
The $59,190 Earth adds 19-inch alloy wheels, external vehicle-to-load (V2L) for powering electrical devices, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, cloth and leather-look upholstery in black and light grey, heated front seats, and a power-adjustable driver's seat.
EV4 buyers need to step up to the $64,690 GT-Line to access features standard in the Seal and Model 3, including a wireless smartphone charger, full leather-look upholstery, a surround-view monitor, and a power-adjustable passenger seat.
The GT-Line also gains a head-up display, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, blind-spot cameras, driver's seat memory, ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a power boot lid.
A 490-litre boot capacity is listed for the EV4 sedan, greater than the BYD Seal (400L + 53L front) but lower than Tesla's 682-litre claim for the Model 3.
The EV4 has yet to be assessed by ANCAP, but similarly equipped versions received a five-star rating from Euro NCAP in 2025.
Kia Australia has not launched the EV4 hatchback, as it is built in Slovakia, while the sedan is manufactured in Korea, which is closer in distance – for reduced shipping costs – and has a Free Trade Agreement with Australia.
"To manufacture an equivalent car in that respective [Slovakian] factory is a little bit on the higher side," Kia Australia head of product Roland Rivero told Drive in April 2025.
Earlier this month, Kia revealed the EV4 GT hatchback in Europe, featuring dual-motor all-wheel drive, a 215kW combined power output, 20-inch alloy wheels, and electronically-controlled adaptive dampers.
Along with the EV3 GT, the local arm said the EV4 GT is "under study for Australia".
The 2026 Kia EV4 electric sedan will arrive in Australian showrooms "later this month".
2026 Kia EV4 price in Australia
Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.
2026 Kia EV4 Air standard features:
2026 Kia EV4 Earth adds (over Air):
2026 Kia EV4 GT-Line adds (over Earth):
2026 Kia EV4 available colours:
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
