With rising fuel prices hurting the pocket, an electric car could help alleviatesome of those financial woes. However, the Electric Vehicles (EVs)currently available in South Africa aren’t exactly affordable, butKia South Africahas a plan…

During the recent local launch of the turbocharged derivative of the Kia Sonet, we had the chance to chat to the good folkat Kia South Africa about its future plans, particularly around electrification.

Right now, there’s simply no electric car offering that’s priced within reach of the average South African motorist. The cheapest is the Mini Cooper SE at around R700 000, but its limited range of 200 km restricts it to the confines of the city. It would make a fantastic runabout / second car. Other electric offerings we’ve sampled have impressed us, but nearly all of them around priced comfortably over R1 million.

Where are the more affordable and mainstream models from other brands? One brand which is quietly working behind the scenes is Kia. While nothing is immediately confirmed, Kia South Africa admitted that one model has passed South African homologation. There was no confirmation on what that model is either, so now we can play the speculation game.

Based on what’s available in right-hand drive, we’ve narrowed it down to the Kia e-Soul, Kia Niro and Kia EV6.

Which electric Kia vehicles could come to SA?

Kia e-Soul

The eccentrically-designed Kia Soul is available overseas in electric form. Customers have a choice of a long-range (64 kWh) or a standard-range (39.2 kWh) powertrain. The 64 kWh comes with a 150 kW / 395 Nm motor, and is good for a range of 452 km based on the WLTP cycle.

The standard-range 39.2 kWh comes with 100 kW and 395 Nm and can go up to 276 km on a single charge. Both are capable of DC fast charging and when connected to a 100 kW fast charger, the battery will go from 20% to 80% in around 42 minutes.

The Kia e-Soul looks, on-paper at least, like a viable electric offering that shouldn’t be priced into six figures. What if money was no object? Read on….

Kia EV6

The strikingly-styled Kia EV6 is the current European Car of the Year for 2022 and it’s arguably the most advanced electric offering from the Korean brand right now. Under the skin, there’s a brand-new EV-focused platform, 800V charging capability (10-to-80 % battery charge in just 18 minutes), and customers can choose from all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive. There’s even a performance GT version that will hit 100 kph in under 4 seconds!

Even the entry-level EV6 boasts impressive numbers like outputs of 166 kW and 350 Nm, 77.4 kWh battery, a claimed range of over 500 km based on WLTP and its good for a 0-100 kph in 7.3 seconds. The dual-motor all-wheel drive EV6 is faster, with 236 kW and 605 Nm and sprints to 100 kph in 5.2 seconds.

Kia Niro

As cool and as desirable as the Kia EV6 is, we think its punching right into very expensive territory and it’s perhapsnot the model that Kia SA is looking to launch. Enter the Kia Niro.

Cleverly, its packaging can support conventional internal combustion engine, hybrid, plug-in hybrid powertrain or full electric.

The Kia Niro EV features a 64.8 kWh battery and a 150 kW motor. Fast charging is supported and you’ll go from 10-80% in under 45 minutes, with a maximum charging capability of 85 kW. A range of around 400 km is quoted. Given our recent pleasant experience with a Volvo plug-in hybrid (PHEV), we reckon the Niro PHEV is also worth a look.

Its party trick is a 1.6-litre petrol engine mated to a 62 kW electric motor, giving it a total outputs of 132 kW and 264 Nm. It has an 11.1 kWh battery and a pure electric range of just over 50 km. The real benefit is the low fuel economy thanks to the two engines working togther.

Final Thoughts

Despite the inane taxation of electric vehicles which makes them more expensive than their petrol/diesel counterparts, progress is inevitable as more brands take the plunge and bring EVs to South Africa.

We can’t wait to see what Kia SA rolls out in the near future, (we suspect its either Soul or Niro) and hope that Kia is joined by a few more carmakers.

Whick one of the above electric Kia’s would you like to see in South Africa?

Some Kia dealerships regularly offer great deals.See our New Car Specials!

Looking to sell your car?You can sell your car to SA’s biggest dealer network

Search foranew or used Kia here