Kia EV4 GT review – a budget Hyundai Ioniq 5 N?

The Kia EV4 GT is said to be the brand’s first ever hot hatch, but we struggle to see that. Its dimensions make it much closer to the likes of a Tesla Model 3 in size and with all-wheel drive and a two-ton kerb weight, it’s hardly treading on a Golf GTI’s toes. 

It doesn’t look particularly like a ‘hot’ hatch in the typical sense, either, with a slightly awkward elongated bonnet, a tall, upright stature only exaggerated by its slender, vertical lights and very minimal changes to say it’s any different to the ordinary EV4. That’s not to say it’s an undesirable package, though.

> Volkswagen ID.3 GTI revealed as the most powerful GTI ever

Powertrain and technical highlights

• Dual-motor, front-biased all-wheel drive
• Output of 288bhp and 345lb ft of torque
• 81kWh battery pack for a 313-mile WLTP range

The basics are that it makes use of a motor on each axle for all-wheel drive, and a total output of 288bhp and 345lb ft of torque. These are adequate numbers for a hot hatch, but its 2060kg weight figure brings performance back down to earth – you can thank the battery for 477kg of that. Unlike some all-wheel drive EVs though, around 70 per cent of that power is sent primarily to the front wheels, much like in a Volkswagen Golf R.

The EV4 GT doesn’t have many direct rivals at this middle point in the market, but the new Volkswagen ID.3 GTI is perhaps the closest on paper as far as EVs are concerned. That features just a single motor, but one that’s mounted to the rear axle and produces 321bhp to edge 33bhp ahead of the Kia. The two share an identical 5.6-second 0-62mph time though, a second slower than the petrol-powered Volkswagen Golf R.

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All of this feeds from an 81.4kWh battery pack in the EV4 GT, so combined with 3.4mi/kWh estimated efficiency, it’ll do 313 miles (WLTP) on a full charge. Our drive on the mountainous roads of the South of France was not so efficient, but the car still achieved a respectable 3mi/kWh under these conditions – regen-heavy downhill sections do skew efficiency figures, though, which is worth considering.

Performance, ride and handling

• Six-speed ‘virtual’ gearbox & synthesised five-cylinder sound
• Great balance and plenty of grip
• No record-breaking performance, but it’s enough

This is the first time I’ve experienced some of the finest roads the South of France has to offer, and I’m in a Kia. Ten years ago this would have been a tragedy, but today, in the EV4 GT, I’m not as frustrated as you might expect. There’s no escaping the fact that this is very much a middling ‘warm’ performance model, but enable ‘GT’ mode and engage the virtual gear shifts, and it transitions from a comfortable everyday runabout to something that encourages you to push on.

Just about every car on sale today comes with a plethora of drive modes, but very few of them make the difference their manufacturers claim. In the EV4 GT though, the use of a prominent, enveloping synthetised engine sound in conjunction with simulated gear shifts and torque curves (much improved in comparison to the EV6 GT) gives the car an entirely new feel at the touch of a button. 

The new sound took me by surprise, as while the Kia EV6 GT (and even Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N for that matter) opt for video-game style four-cylinder sound tracks, the EV4 GT features a sound suspiciously similar to that of an Audi RS3’s five-cylinder. It has a bassy warble at low ‘revs’ and sounds more convincing the higher your work it – it does lack the crackles, pops and sharp upshift kicks you get in full-fat N products, and there is still a synthetic element to it all, but it injects some fun into an otherwise ordinary family car.

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Don’t expect taught, razor sharp hot hatch dynamics though, as the EV4 GT (quite literally) leans more towards everyday compliance regardless of the drive mode – there’s a reasonable amount of body roll as a result, but given the manner in which most will drive a car like this the majority of the time, I think that’s a good call. Nevertheless, you can carry surprising pace down an undulating piece of tarmac and it’ll keep its mass in check – the GT’s setup strikes a great balance between everyday comfort and stability.

On paper, a 140bhp/ton power-to-weight ratio puts it well behind conventional hot hatches (a Golf GTI has around 180bhp/ton) but while the GT doesn’t have that neck-snapping acceleration of some EVs, you’ll very rarely crave more power. The strong 345lb ft torque figure is part of the reason, but the synthesised torque curves and simulated engine braking in ‘Virtual Gear Shift’ mode create the illusion of a much more characterful powertrain than the one beneath you. Ensuring you’re in the right gear for corner exit and downshifting on corner entry for engine braking effect both make you feel significantly more involved in the experience than you would be otherwise.

The front-biased power distribution does give the EV4 GT an element of traditional hot hatch, too. Its trick ‘Electric Dynamic Torque Vectoring Control’ system creates some of the feel of a conventional mechanical limited-slip diff. Steering is lacking feel and vague off-centre, but you can occasionally feel the tug of the front tyres finding grip when you’re pushing on. With 245-section front tyres, you have ample grip to play with too, and front end response is good once they’re loaded up.

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Interior and tech

• Cabin is spacious, practical and feature rich
• Strong build quality
• GT-specific green highlights, GT button and sports seats

It’s very much modern Kia inside, which is to say surprisingly well built, with lots of tactile physical buttons for vital controls like seat and wheel heating on the door panel, and climate control on physical rockers beneath the infotainment display. The controls on the steering wheel are physical too, and the GT even gets an additional button for GT mode, giving you instant access to the sharpest setup much like the M1 and M2 buttons on BMW M cars.

The GT might have a performance edge, but it’s just as practical as the ordinary EV4, which is where this car really comes into its own. There’s a complete flat floor in the front and back to make its already capacious cabin even more comfortable to be in. There's a lot of useful storage too, a three-pin plug socket in the rear, and numerous other everyday usability features that prove its engineers gave plenty of attention to the important bits.

The seats are unique to this car and have more aggressive bolstering to hold you in place, which they do well, but they’re not the most comfortable for longer drives in my experience. The steering wheel has plenty of articulation, which isn’t a given in 2026, and it’s a pleasant environment overall. The central infotainment system is sharp, snappy and feature rich, but this does mean that you can find yourself diving through multiple menus to find what you’re looking for – thankfully much of this can be avoided with custom-mapped buttons for one-press access.

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Price, specs and rivals

The Kia EV4 GT is priced from £49,345, which makes it £10,000 cheaper than its near-600bhp EV6 GT sibling and £15,000 cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Its performance is not match for either though, and aligns more closely with the new 321bhp Volkswagen ID.3 GTI. The Tesla Model 3 is also a very worthy candidate, with the middling long range all-wheel drive model almost identical in price at £49,990 and considerably quicker on paper with a 4.2sec 0-60mph time.

In the petrol-powered world, Volkswagen’s Golf R is the closest equivalent. It’s a much more capable and engaging driver’s car and available for less money at £46,810, but it is a smaller car that might not cater to the do-it-all requirements of a larger family. If you’re looking for a quick EV to tick that box, the EV4 GT does it well. 

Kia EV4 GT specs

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