It’s a sedan shape in a market drowning in SUVs, it glides along quietly, the standard 14-speaker Sony stereo sounds like it belongs in a dearer car, and my week of Sydney driving covered 400km on a single charge. Worth weighing up before you buy: the 337-litre boot is modest for a car this long, and the lane centring tugs at the wheel rather than nudging it. We scored it 7.7 out of 10.

The Mazda 6e GT is $49,990 before on-road costs. I spent a week with one, in a light grey with the warm beige interior, mostly around Sydney. I was surprised to see this as a Mazda wearing a 6 badge, because it looks a whole lot nicer than the ones I grew up with in the early 2000s.

It’s refreshing to see a sedan at all when the general trend has been towards big and small SUVs like the Xpeng G6. Mazda calls the 6e a five-door hatchback, but it looks like a regular sedan, and I’ll treat it as one. The electric sedans that do exist, the BYD Seal and the Tesla Model 3, sit either side of it on price. Drive-away, Mazda’s own delivered pricing runs from about $52,666 in the NT to $56,296 in WA.

A week with the Mazda 6e GT

The bit that stuck with me all week was the front end at night. There’s a series of LEDs that glow around what would have been the grille. Most EVs don’t need a grille and often look a little odd without one, just a flat front face. The LEDs surrounding this one make it look normal, and after dark the glow is a genuine highlight.

I ran the battery down to 8 percent and plugged into an Ampol charger. It took 59.382kWh in 26 minutes and 44 seconds and cost me $44.28 including GST. The car was pulling 150kW until someone else plugged in beside me and it dropped to 133kW, so the charger was the limit, not the car. Before that stop I’d covered 400 kilometres around Sydney and still had 8 percent showing.

The niggle that never went away was the voice-assistant button on the steering wheel. Have your hands at the wrong point of the wheel while turning and it activates on the slightest of nudges. The other one: the left side of the driver’s display kept telling me to “Check and setup navigation app on main screen before using”, because I prefer Android Auto over the built in navigation, and I couldn’t find a button to change that.

What does the Mazda 6e look like?

The sporty look was a bit of a shock for what I’ve always known as a modest family sedan. The front three-quarter looks good, as it does on most cars, but the rear three-quarter looks equally good, and that’s the rarer thing. It comes across as sleek rather than awkward.

The spoiler got the inner child in me excited. It’s a “Veyron like” wing that dips into the boot and rises when you unlock the car. Our car wore a light grey over the 19-inch alloys; Mazda offers seven colours, three of them at extra cost.

What is the Mazda 6e like inside?

The interior surprised me. It feels more like a Mercedes than a classic Mazda sedan. The warm beige seats with black finishes and silver accents give it a real premium feel, and they fooled me: they feel like leather, but they’re Maztex, Mazda’s synthetic, and a $1,000 option exclusive to the GT. Real leather is Atenza-only.

Both front seats are power adjusted, heated and ventilated, the steering wheel is heated, the driver’s seat has memory, and a panoramic sunroof with a powered blind is standard. There are 64 colours of ambient lighting, for the four you’ll actually use.

Storage

The cabin is sensibly sorted: a covered centre console, wireless charging pad, bottle holders in all four doors, cupholders front and rear, a 12-volt outlet, and USB-A plus USB-C up front with another USB-C in the back. Under the bonnet there’s a 72-litre frunk, which happens to be the right size for the charging cables.

Rear seat and boot space

The back seat gets its own air vents, a USB-C port, a fold-down armrest, adjustable head restraints and a 40/60 split fold, with two ISOFIX points and three top tethers. The roof slopes hard into the tail, and I didn’t sit back there during the week, so I’m not going to tell you how it feels.

The boot is the weak spot. 337 litres with the seats up is modest for a car nearly five metres long. Fold the seats and it opens to 678 litres to the parcel shelf, or 1,074 to the ceiling. The liftback tailgate means the opening is never the problem; the 337 litres behind it is. There’s no spare wheel, just an inflation kit, which is fine on a car like this because you’ll generally be within quick NRMA distance if it’s too bad. Braked towing is 1,500kg.

Technology and connectivity

The Sony sound system was great. There’s a sub in the back, and while it’s not as good as an aftermarket system, it’ll suit almost everyone without feeling like you have to upgrade. Cranking the bass was enjoyable, you can feel the hum of the rhythm, and it adds to an already good driving experience. The closest comparison I can make is the Genesis I drove earlier this year, and that car costs roughly three times as much, which tells you how much stereo fifty grand is buying here.

A 14.6-inch touchscreen runs the infotainment, with a 10.2-inch driver’s display and a head-up display that projects 3D arrows onto the road when you use the built in navigation. I don’t know whether that’s useful or a gimmick, but it was a nice surprise. CarPlay and Android Auto are both wireless.

The catch is the one from earlier: the driver’s display will only show the built in navigation’s map. Prefer Waze or Android Auto and you’re choosing between your map on the centre screen or Mazda’s map with the 3D arrows. Other cars are happy to show Waze in the driver’s dash. This one isn’t.

Highlighted Features

• Electric rear spoiler: sits flush in the bootlid and rises when you unlock the car.
• Augmented-reality head-up display: projects 3D directional arrows onto the road ahead, using the built in navigation.
• Vehicle to load: up to 3.5kW of household power out of the car via an adaptor.

Engine and drivetrain

A single motor drives the rear wheels with 190kW and 290Nm, fed by a 78kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. Mazda claims 560km of range and doesn’t publish a 0 to 100km/h time, so I won’t invent one. The full numbers live in the tables below.

Charging is a strong suit. The DC ceiling is 194kW, and most public fast chargers in Australia top out at 150kW, so unlike a car rated at 350kW that spends its life disappointed, the 6e takes everything a typical charger has to offer. Mazda quotes about 24 minutes for 10 to 80 percent, and my 8 to 80 percent stop took 26 and a half while sharing the site’s power. At home, a full charge takes about eight hours on an 11kW wallbox.

What’s the Mazda 6e like to drive?

It’s smooth, with minimal road noise, and the drive feels like a glide. Planted is the other word. Two tonnes sounds alarming until you notice it’s exactly why the car feels nailed down; I didn’t feel the road too much, and in the times I didn’t have music blasting, I didn’t really hear anything either, even on highways.

It definitely looks faster than it is, but it’s no slouch either. It won’t throw you back in your seat, but there’s some pace behind it, even in Comfort, where I left it most of the week. The drive modes are more subtle changes than big ones. And with the power coming from the back, it steers nicely, with none of the tugging you get when the front wheels are doing both jobs.

Rear-wheel drive is something you don’t see these days, even more so on an EV. Plenty of JDM icons started life as ordinary family cars, and I couldn’t help thinking this might be one of those cars in 20 or 30 years, purely because it’s rear-wheel drive. Drifting one wasn’t something I’d do in a test car, but I did wonder what it’d be like in the right hands.

My main gripe is the lane centring. With cruise control on, the car wants you dead centre of the lane, and it’s willing to insist: on any deviation you feel it tugging you back across, as opposed to a beep or a gentler nudge.

Is the Mazda 6e safe?

The 6e carries a five-star ANCAP rating with a 2025 datestamp, applying to all variants: 93 percent for adult occupant protection, 93 percent for child occupant protection, 74 percent for vulnerable road users and 79 percent for safety assist. Worth knowing: it was assessed against ANCAP’s 2023 to 2025 criteria rather than the tougher 2026 protocols, so it’s not directly comparable with a car rated under the newer rules. The rating runs until December 2031.

• Smart Brake Support with pedestrian and cyclist detection, plus rear crossing support
• Blind Spot Monitoring with vehicle exit warning, and rear cross traffic alert
• Emergency Lane Keeping with road keep assist and blind spot assist, plus lane-keep assist
• 360-degree view monitor with see-through view, front and rear parking sensors, driver monitoring and traffic sign recognition

Airbags run to front, side front and rear, curtain front and rear, and a far-side bag for the driver. The driver monitoring wasn’t very noticeable in a week of driving, which isn’t true of every system of its type.

How much does the Mazda 6e cost?

The GT starts at $49,990 before on-road costs, the Atenza at $52,990. Mazda publishes a recommended delivered price by state, covering rego, CTP, stamp duty and dealer delivery: from about $52,666 in the NT to $56,296 in WA, with NSW at $54,817. Our test car had the $1,000 warm beige interior, a GT-only option, taking it to $50,990 before on-roads.

For that you get 19-inch alloys, the 14.6-inch touchscreen, the head-up display, the Sony audio, a 360-degree camera, the panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated wheel, a powered tailgate, the rising spoiler, wireless charging and vehicle to load. The Atenza adds tan leather, a leather wheel and suede trim, and nothing mechanical. Everything that makes this car good is already on the GT, which makes the cheaper one the pick.

How much does the Mazda 6e cost to run?

Mazda covers the 6e with a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty and eight years of high-voltage battery cover, though it doesn’t publish a distance cap on the battery term. Servicing is every 12 months or 20,000km at capped prices of $220, $318, $726, $318 and $220, so $1,802 over five years, or $2,846 over seven. The dear visits are the fluid services at years three and six. Mazda’s 6e page advertises five years of Premium Roadside Assistance.

The trip computer showed 15.5kWh/100km over the week, against Mazda’s 15.9 claim. At a typical home rate of about 33 cents a kilowatt hour that’s roughly $5.12 per 100km, dropping to about $1.24 on a cheap overnight EV plan. Public DC is another story: my $44.28 Ampol stop works out closer to $14 per 100km. Charge at home and this is a very cheap car to run. Rely on public fast chargers and it isn’t.

On range, be realistic. I covered 400km and still had 8 percent showing, which points to about 435km in the real world rather than the 560km on the sticker. Respectable for heavy urban running, but budget on the smaller number.

Final thoughts

Buy the 6e if you’re looking for a premium sound system and a sedan-like shape. It’s quiet, well equipped for the money and cheap to service, and the GT is the one to have, because the Atenza adds trim and nothing else.

Walk past it if you need the amount of room you get from an SUV. Something like the Kia EV5 gives you far more boot for similar money. The BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3 are the obvious cross-shops, and the Mazda undercuts the Tesla on list price while matching the BYD. If you want an electric sedan with far more pace, the IM5 Performance exists, at a much higher price.

The sedan is a shape I feel is sorely missed, and this is a good one to bring it back.

2026 Mazda 6e GT — Frequently Asked Questions

How far does the Mazda 6e go on a charge?
Mazda claims 560km on the WLTP cycle from the 78kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. In our week of mixed suburban and motorway driving in Sydney we covered 400km with 8 percent charge remaining, which points to a real-world range of roughly 435km.

How much does the Mazda 6e cost in Australia?
The 6e GT starts at $49,990 before on-road costs and the Atenza at $52,990. Mazda’s recommended delivered price for the GT ranges from about $52,666 in the Northern Territory to $56,296 in Western Australia, depending on state charges.

How long does the Mazda 6e take to charge?
Mazda quotes approximately 24 minutes for a 10 to 80 percent DC fast charge at up to 194kW. On our test an 8 to 80 percent charge took 26 minutes and 44 seconds on a 150kW public charger while sharing site power. A full AC charge takes about eight hours on an 11kW wallbox.

Is the Mazda 6e GT worth buying?
Yes, if you want a well equipped electric sedan rather than an SUV. The GT includes a 14-speaker Sony stereo, an augmented-reality head-up display and a panoramic sunroof as standard, and costs $1,802 to service over five years. It is less convincing if you need boot space, at 337 litres with the seats up.

For the latest pricing and to book a test drive, visit Mazda Australia.

The post Mazda 6e GT 2026 Review appeared first on Eco Car Guide.

The extra $5,000 all goes on the gear inside: the sunroof, the better stereo, the nicer seats. That’s not a lot to pay for comforts you’ll actually use every day for years, so for most buyers I’d say it’s worth it.

It lands in a segment that’s filling up fast with similar electric SUVs, the BYD Atto 3, MG S5 EV, Geely EX5 and Volvo EX30 all chasing the same buyer. The EV3’s pitch is that it’s the sensible, safe one that looks more expensive than it is, and the GT-Line leans into that hardest. It starts at $63,950 before on-road costs, or roughly $68,000 drive-away depending on your state, putting it just under the larger Kia EV5.

What does the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line look like?

Kia has essentially shrunk its excellent EV9 into a city-friendly footprint, and on the GT-Line the “baby EV9” tag fits best of all. At 4,310mm long it is properly compact, yet the upright nose, near-vertical “Star Map” lighting and chunky black wheel-arch cladding give it the road presence of something dearer. The GT-Line then piles on the flagship touches: LED “cube” projection headlights, full-LED tail lights, a gloss-black roof, gloss mirror caps, privacy glass and 19-inch GT-Line alloys that fill the squared-off arches. Our car wore Matcha Green, and it is a genuine highlight. It beats the bland, monochrome greys and whites so many makers default to, and it suits the EV3’s friendly shape.

That shape is worth dwelling on. The EV3 wears softer, rounder edges than the boxier, more upright Kia EV5, and to my eye it is the more likeable of the two Kia siblings for it. It is distinctive in a segment where most rivals look like the same electric appliance in different shades. A low bar, admittedly, but the EV3 clears it comfortably.

What is the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line like inside?

This, for me, is where the EV3 wins you over, and the GT-Line makes the strongest case of the lot. The completely flat floor and tall roofline make the cabin feel a class bigger than the exterior suggests, and our car’s grey two-tone scheme is calm and grown-up. Crucially, Kia has resisted the urge to bury every function in a touchscreen. Physical buttons handle the things you actually use, so you are not forever diving through menus, and the two-tone, three-spoke sports steering wheel is a genuinely nice shape with controls that fall easily to hand.

The GT-Line then adds the polish you are paying for. A wide sunroof brightens the cabin, although it is worth knowing the opening panel sits only over the front seats rather than sliding the full length of the glass. Ambient mood lighting, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon stereo and the relaxation front seats all lift the ambience a clear notch above the cheaper grades. None of it is essential, but it is the kind of everyday comfort that makes the car nicer to live with over years rather than minutes, which is rather the point of a flagship.

Storage

Practicality is baked in. The centre console carries an extendable table top, twin USB-C ports front and rear, a wireless phone charger, deep door bins and the usual clutch of cup and bottle holders. That fold-out table is a nice touch, though it works more as a mini table than an armrest. I ended up resting a 13-inch laptop on it a few times, which was never really the brief, but it did the job. Up front, under the bonnet, sits a 25-litre “frunk”. It is modest, but exactly the right size for stashing the charging cables so they are not rolling around the boot. It is the kind of thoughtful, everyday packaging that makes a car easy to live with rather than impressive on paper.

Rear seat and boot space

Thanks again to that flat floor and the 2,680mm wheelbase (the same as a Sportage), the back seat is airy and accommodating, with proper room for adults and a bright, glassy feel helped by the GT-Line’s sunroof. The boot holds 460 litres with the seats up, expanding to around 1,250 litres with the 60:40 rear seats folded flat. It is the smallest boot of the natural cross-shops, the larger EV5 and IONIQ 5 both hold a little more, but for a compact SUV the EV3 punches well above its class for usable space, and the flat load floor makes the litres easy to actually use.

Technology and connectivity

Every EV3 gets a triple-panoramic layout: a 12.3-inch driver display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen flanking a 5-inch climate strip. The GT-Line adds a head-up display and that eight-speaker Harman Kardon system on top. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, satellite navigation, over-the-air updates and Kia Connect are all standard. The system is responsive and, more importantly, sensibly laid out. Those physical shortcut keys mean the screens stay out of your way rather than demanding constant attention, which after a week in some rivals feels like a small holiday.

Highlighted Features

• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L): run 220-240V appliances straight off the battery via the interior socket and adaptor, handy for camping, tools or a power cut.
• i-Pedal 3.0 one-pedal driving: smooth, well-judged regen that lets you drive largely on one pedal around town.
• Relaxation front seats with driver memory: GT-Line exclusive, they recline to let you rest in comfort while the car charges.

Engine and drivetrain

The GT-Line Long Range pairs a single front-mounted permanent-magnet motor with the larger 81.4kWh battery. That is 150kW and 283Nm through the front wheels, enough for a claimed 0 to 100km/h of 7.9 seconds. Charging is respectable rather than headline-grabbing. The EV3’s 400V system peaks at around 128kW, so on a 150kW DC charger, which is the current Australian norm, 10 to 80 per cent takes roughly 30 minutes. There is little point hunting out a 350kW ultra-rapid unit, because the car tops out well below what one can deliver anyway. A three-phase 11kW AC wallbox does 10 to 100 per cent in around seven and a half hours. The charge port lives on the driver’s side (the right, in our right-hand-drive cars) at the front. WLTP range is a strong 563km, and the real world, as it turns out, is not far off it.

What’s the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line like to drive?

Mechanically the GT-Line is identical to the rest of the Long Range EV3s, and it drives exactly like the mid-grade Earth I spent a week in, so the honest verdict carries straight over. The steering is fine. It is light, easy and perfectly judged for the car park, but nothing special, and at times it feels a little disconnected from the road, as though the assistance systems are quietly filtering the conversation. Performance tells a similar story. The 150kW motor is serviceable and gets on with the job, but it is no highlight; coming off punchier dual-motor EVs, it feels a touch sluggish. On wet uphill starts the front wheels can briefly scrabble for traction, a reminder that this is a near-1.9-tonne front-driver with instant torque. There is a small irony in the spec sheet, too: the cheapest, lightest Air Standard Range is actually the quickest EV3 of the lot.

What it does do, it does smoothly. The ride is absorbent and settled over Australian roads, even on the GT-Line’s larger wheels, the power is metered out without any jerkiness, and wind and road noise simply never registered over a week of driving, which is the mark of a quietly refined thing. The i-Pedal one-pedal mode is excellent, and the brake auto-hold takes the strain out of traffic. One word for the drive, then: composed.

Is the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line safe?

The EV3 carries a 5-star ANCAP rating from 2025, and it covers every version of the car, so the GT-Line is neither safer nor less safe than the cheapest Air. It scored 83% for adult occupant protection, 86% for children, 78% for vulnerable road users and 81% for safety assist, and the active-safety kit is comprehensive and standard right across the range.

Two things nagged at me, though, and neither has much to do with how it does in a crash. Like every EV3, the driver-assist tech is a touch too eager: the speed-limit assist and the driver-attention monitor wanted switching off almost every drive, which wears thin fast. And even at this price, the GT-Line makes do with front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. No Australian EV3 gets a surround-view camera, and honestly, I didn’t miss it. A 360-degree camera is a lovely thing to have and a quick way to forget how to park without one.

• Autonomous Emergency Braking with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection
• Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist 2 and Smart Cruise Control 2
• Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist with Rear Cross-Traffic alert and Safe Exit Warning
• Seven airbags, including a front-centre airbag; front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera

How much does the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line cost?

The GT-Line opens at $63,950 before on-road costs, which is roughly $68,000 drive-away depending on your state. That is roughly $5,000 above the mid-grade Earth. It is worth checking Kia’s live offers when you buy, as drive-away deals come and go.

For that premium you get the visual GT-Line makeover (the LED cube headlights, full-LED tails, gloss-black trim, privacy glass and 19-inch alloys) plus the cabin upgrades that matter day to day: the sunroof, ambient lighting, head-up display, Harman Kardon audio, and the power-adjustable relaxation seats with driver memory. My honest read is that it is money well spent. Five grand is not a huge stretch on a car in this bracket, and these are comforts you will actually use for the life of the car, not showroom novelties you forget about in a fortnight.

How much does the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line cost to run?

On paper the ownership side is strong. Every EV3 gets Kia’s 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, with the high-voltage battery covered for 7 years or 150,000km down to a 70% capacity floor. The one catch is servicing: Kia leaves its EVs out of the capped-price program its petrol cars enjoy, so you prepay instead, around $688 for three years, $1,308 for five or $1,929 for seven, with a visit due every 12 months or 15,000km. Roadside cover runs a year at a time and renews at each service for up to eight years.

Running it is where an efficient EV pulls ahead. Over my week the GT-Line averaged 16.2kWh/100km, matching Kia’s claim to the decimal. Charge at home on a standard tariff around $0.33/kWh and that is about $5.35 per 100km; shift to a cheap overnight EV plan near $0.08/kWh and it drops to barely $1.30. Lean on premium public fast-charging at about $0.75/kWh, though, and it climbs to roughly $12 per 100km, so charging at home rather than out is where the savings really live. A 10 to 80 per cent top-up moves about 57kWh, so call it $19 at home or around $43 on public DC.

Final thoughts

The EV3 GT-Line is not the car for someone chasing pace or driver involvement. If that is you, keep walking, because the flagship badge changes nothing under the skin. What it is, is the plushest version of one of the most sensible, easy-to-live-with small EVs on sale: roomy beyond its size, impressively efficient, properly safe, and finished with a cabin that genuinely feels above its money. The difference on the GT-Line is that the extra $5,000 buys real, daily comfort rather than empty flash, which makes it easy to recommend to anyone keeping the car a while. If you only want the space and the safety net, the cheaper Earth still does the job. But if you can stretch, the GT-Line is the EV3 at its most likeable, and for a lot of buyers it will be all the electric SUV they ever actually need.

How does the 2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line compare?

The natural cross-shops are its own Kia family and the odd cousin. The larger Kia EV5 undercuts it and offers a bigger boot, but its Standard Range trades away range; the E-GMP Hyundai IONIQ 5 is roomier and longer-legged again, but steps up in size and price. The EV3’s pitch is efficiency and value in a tidier package. Note the figures below sit on slightly different price bases (the EV5 quoted drive-away, the others before on-roads), so confirm drive-away for your postcode.

2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line — Frequently Asked Questions

How far does the Kia EV3 GT-Line go on a charge?
Kia claims 563km (WLTP) from the 81.4kWh battery. In our week of mixed driving it averaged 16.2kWh/100km, matching the official figure, which works out to roughly 500km of real-world range.

How much does the Kia EV3 GT-Line cost in Australia?
It is priced from $63,950 before on-road costs, or roughly $68,000 drive-away depending on your state. Always confirm the drive-away figure for your postcode.

Is the Kia EV3 GT-Line worth it over the cheaper EV3 Earth?
Yes, if you want the plusher cabin. The roughly $5,000 step adds a sunroof, Harman Kardon audio, a head-up display and relaxation seats, comforts you use every day, on the same efficient and sensible EV. If you only want the space and safety, the Earth saves you money.

What rivals should I cross-shop against the Kia EV3?
The obvious rivals are the BYD Atto 3, MG S5 EV, Geely EX5 and Volvo EX30, plus its larger sibling the Kia EV5 and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 if you need more space.

Kia EV3 GT Line Details

For the latest pricing and to book a test drive, head to the official Kia Australia site.

2026 Kia EV3 GT-Line — Buyers could also look at:

• Kia EV5 Standard Range 2025
• Hyundai IONIQ 5 2026
• Xpeng G6 Long Range 2025

The post Kia EV3 GT-Line Long Range 2026 Review appeared first on Eco Car Guide.

Years of rideshare kilometres have taught me that the cars you actually live with are rarely the exciting ones, and the EV3 is a textbook case. It is competent rather than charismatic, and all the easier to recommend for it.

The segment is now drowning in look-alike electric crossovers, with the BYD Atto 3, MG S5 EV, Geely EX5 and Volvo EX30 all chasing the same buyer. Against that backdrop the EV3 plays the sensible, safety-first card and looks a size more expensive than it is. Priced from approximately $58,600 before on-road costs, or roughly $63,000 drive-away depending on your state, the Earth Long Range slots just beneath its bigger sibling, the Kia EV5, and uses the same trick of feeling like a class above its price tag.

In this review

• What does it look like?
• What is it like inside?
• Storage
• Rear seat and boot space
• Technology and connectivity
• Engine and drivetrain
• What’s it like to drive?
• Is it safe?
• How much does it cost?
• How much does it cost to run?
• Final thoughts
• How does it compare?
• Frequently Asked Questions

What does the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range look like?

Kia has essentially shrunk its excellent EV9 into a city-friendly footprint, and the “baby EV9” tag fits. At 4,300mm long it is properly compact, yet the upright nose, near-vertical “Star Map” lighting and chunky black wheel-arch cladding give it the road presence of something dearer. The flush door handles sit cleanly into the bodywork, the 19-inch aero alloys fill the squared-off arches, and a contrasting dark roof breaks up the tall silhouette. It is distinctive in a segment where most rivals look like the same electric appliance in different shades. A low bar, admittedly, but the EV3 clears it comfortably.

What is the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range like inside?

This, for me, is where the EV3 wins you over. The interior was comfortably the highlight of the car. The completely flat floor and tall roofline make the cabin feel a class bigger than the exterior suggests, and the Earth’s two-tone scheme is a quiet stroke of genius. The orange contrast may divide opinion, but there is a practical logic to it. So much of what we carry, whether phones, keys or wallets, is dark, and the lighter trim makes everything easier to spot. Crucially, Kia has resisted the urge to bury every function in a touchscreen. Physical buttons handle the things you actually use, so you are not forever diving through menus, and the two-spoke steering wheel is a genuinely nice shape with controls that fall easily to hand.

Storage

Practicality is baked in. The centre console houses a slide-out tray, there are twin USB-C ports front and rear, a wireless phone charger, deep door bins and the usual clutch of cup and bottle holders. Up front, under the bonnet, sits a 25-litre “frunk”. It is modest, but exactly the right size for stashing the charging cables so they are not rolling around the boot. It is the kind of thoughtful, everyday packaging that makes a car easy to live with rather than impressive on paper.

Rear seat and boot space

Thanks again to that flat floor and the 2,680mm wheelbase (the same as a Sportage), the back seat is airy and accommodating, with proper room for adults and a bright, glassy feel. The boot holds 460 litres with the seats up, expanding to around 1,250 litres folded. To put real numbers on it: on one run up the Central Coast I had a passenger aboard, the boot fully loaded, the cabin packed, and my budgie riding shotgun in his cage. The EV3 swallowed the lot without complaint. For a compact SUV, it punches well above its class for space.

Technology and connectivity

Every EV3 gets a triple-panoramic layout: a 12.3-inch driver display and a 12.3-inch touchscreen flanking a 5-inch climate strip. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, satellite navigation, over-the-air updates and Kia Connect are all standard. The system is responsive and, more importantly, sensibly laid out. Those physical shortcut keys mean the screens stay out of your way rather than demanding constant attention. One thing you don’t get is a surround-view camera, though no Australian EV3 gets one, the GT-Line included. I didn’t especially miss it: at this price a 360-degree camera is a nice luxury rather than a parking necessity, so it is hard to mark the EV3 down too harshly for it.

Highlighted Features

• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L): run 220-240V appliances straight off the battery via the interior socket and adaptor, handy for camping, tools or a power cut.
• i-Pedal 3.0 one-pedal driving: smooth, well-judged regen that lets you drive largely on one pedal around town.
• Heated and ventilated front seats + heated steering wheel: standard on Earth, and a genuine step up over the entry Air.

Engine and drivetrain

The Earth Long Range pairs a single front-mounted permanent-magnet motor with the larger 81.4kWh battery. That is 150kW and 283Nm through the front wheels, enough for a claimed 0 to 100km/h of 7.9 seconds. Charging is respectable rather than headline-grabbing. On a 150kW DC charger, which is the current Australian norm, 10 to 80 per cent takes about 31 minutes; the EV3’s 400V system tops out comfortably below what an ultra-rapid charger can deliver anyway, so there is little to gain from hunting out the 350kW units. A three-phase 11kW AC wallbox does 10 to 100 per cent in around seven and a half hours. The charge port lives on the driver’s side (the right, in our right-hand-drive cars) at the front. WLTP range is a strong 563km, and the real world, as it turns out, is not far off it.

What’s the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range like to drive?

This is the part where the EV3’s honesty shows. The steering is fine. It is light, easy and perfectly judged for the car park, but nothing special, and at times it feels a little disconnected from the road, as though the assistance systems are quietly filtering the conversation. Performance tells a similar story. The 150kW motor is serviceable and gets on with the job, but it is no highlight; coming off punchier dual-motor EVs, it feels a touch sluggish. On wet uphill starts the front wheels can briefly scrabble for traction, a reminder that this is a near-1.9-tonne front-driver with instant torque. There is a small irony in the spec sheet, too: the cheapest, lightest Air Standard Range is actually the quickest EV3 of the lot.

What it does do, it does smoothly. The ride is absorbent and settled over Australian roads, the power is metered out without any jerkiness, and wind and road noise simply never registered over a week of driving, which is the mark of a quietly refined thing. The i-Pedal one-pedal mode is excellent, and the brake auto-hold takes the strain out of traffic. If I have a single ergonomic gripe, it is oddly specific: the drive-mode button sits exactly where my left thumb wants to rest in the gap of the steering wheel, so I could relax my right thumb in the equivalent spot but never my left. Convenient to reach, mildly annoying to live with. One word for the drive, then: composed.

Is the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range safe?

The EV3 wears a 5-star ANCAP rating from 2025, with 83% for adult occupant protection, 86% for child occupants, 78% for vulnerable road users and 81% for safety assist. The hardware is comprehensive and standard across the range. The one catch, and it is a recurring EV3 complaint, is that some of the systems are over-eager: the intelligent speed-limit assist and driver-attention monitor needed switching off almost every drive, which gets old fast.

• Autonomous Emergency Braking with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection
• Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist 2 and Smart Cruise Control 2
• Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist with Rear Cross-Traffic alert and Safe Exit Warning
• Seven airbags, including a front-centre airbag; front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera

How much does the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range cost?

The EV3 Earth Long Range opens at about $58,600 before on-road costs, which is roughly $63,000 drive-away depending on your state. That puts it a rung below the range-topping GT-Line and just beneath the larger Kia EV5. It is worth checking Kia’s live offers when you buy, as drive-away deals come and go.

For that money you get the sensible core of the EV3 done well: the flat-floor cabin, the triple-screen layout with physical shortcut keys, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and the full safety suite. Step up to the GT-Line and you add a sunroof, Harman Kardon audio, a head-up display and plusher seats, but the Earth already covers the things you actually use every day, which is what makes it the value pick of the range.

How much does the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range cost to run?

Kia’s 7-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty applies, and the high-voltage battery is covered for 7 years or 150,000km down to a 70% capacity floor. The one catch is servicing: Kia leaves its EVs out of the capped-price program its petrol cars enjoy, so you prepay instead, around $688 for three years, $1,308 for five or $1,929 for seven, with a visit due every 12 months or 15,000km. Roadside cover runs a year at a time and renews at each service for up to eight years.

Running it is where an efficient EV pulls ahead. Over more than 1,000km the Earth averaged 16.7kWh/100km, close to Kia’s 16.2 claim. Charge at home on a standard tariff around $0.33/kWh and that is about $5.50 per 100km; shift to a cheap overnight EV plan near $0.08/kWh and it drops to barely $1.35. Lean on premium public fast-charging at about $0.75/kWh, though, and it climbs to roughly $12.50 per 100km, so charging at home rather than out is where the savings really live. A 10 to 80 per cent top-up moves about 57kWh, so call it $19 at home or around $43 on public DC.

Final thoughts

The EV3 Earth Long Range is not the car for someone chasing pace or driver involvement. If that is you, keep walking. What it is, is one of the most sensible, easy-to-live-with small EVs on sale: roomy beyond its size, impressively efficient, properly safe, and finished with a cabin that genuinely feels above its money. It suits families and anyone who simply wants to get from A to B in calm, safe comfort. If you need more room again, the larger Kia EV5 is the natural step up; but for a lot of buyers, the smaller, cheaper, cleverly packaged EV3 will be all the electric SUV they ever actually need.

How does the 2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range compare?

The natural cross-shops are its own Kia family and the odd cousin. The larger Kia EV5 gives you a bigger boot, but its Standard Range trades away range; the E-GMP Hyundai IONIQ 5 is roomier and longer-legged again, but steps up in size and price. The EV3’s pitch is efficiency and value in a tidier package. Note the figures below sit on slightly different price bases (the EV5 quoted drive-away, the others before on-roads), so confirm drive-away for your postcode.

2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range — Frequently Asked Questions

How far does the Kia EV3 Earth Long Range go on a charge?
Kia claims 563km (WLTP) from the 81.4kWh battery. In our week of mixed driving it averaged 16.7kWh/100km over more than 1,000km, which works out to roughly 485km of real-world range.

How much does the Kia EV3 Earth Long Range cost in Australia?
It is priced from about $58,600 before on-road costs, or roughly $63,000 drive-away depending on your state. Always confirm the drive-away figure for your postcode.

Is the Kia EV3 Earth Long Range worth buying?
Yes, if you want a calm, safe and spacious family EV with strong real-world range. It earns its keep on practicality and efficiency rather than performance, so keen drivers should look elsewhere.

What rivals should I cross-shop against the Kia EV3?
The obvious rivals are the BYD Atto 3, MG S5 EV, Geely EX5 and Volvo EX30, plus its larger sibling the Kia EV5 if you need more space.

For the latest pricing and to book a test drive, head to the official Kia Australia site.

2026 Kia EV3 Earth Long Range — Buyers could also look at:

• Kia EV5 Standard Range 2025
• Hyundai IONIQ 5 2026
• Xpeng G6 Long Range 2025

The post Kia EV3 Earth Long Range 2026 Review appeared first on Eco Car Guide.

We’re reviewing the base model, the Nissan Ariya Engage Standard Range. It costs $55,840 plus on-road costs. This is cheaper than rivals like the Tesla Model Y. It has a smaller battery and is designed mostly for city driving.

What does the Nissan Ariya Standard Range look like?

The Ariya looks very modern and smooth. It has a sleek front with slim headlights and a shield-like grille.

It has a sporty shape with a sloping roof. The standard model comes with aero hub cap covers that look good on the car. Unlike some plain-looking electric cars, the Ariya has sharp lines that give it a strong style.

What is the Nissan Ariya Standard Range like inside?

The interior is the best part of the car. It feels fancy and open, with a suede like finish.

The dashboard is simple and clean, with a wood-look panel across the front. The buttons for the air conditioning are built into this wood panel. They are invisible when the car is off and light up when you turn it on.

The seats are designed to be very comfortable, even on long trips. The quality of materials feels expensive, even in this cheaper model.

Storage

There is good storage inside. You get a wireless phone charger and cup holders in the centre.

There is a normal glovebox and big pockets in the doors. However, there is no front boot (frunk) under the bonnet. That space is used for car parts.

Rear seat and boot space

The back seat is very spacious because the floor is flat. Three adults can sit comfortably. There is plenty of legroom. Rear passengers also get air vents and USB ports to charge their phones.

The boot has 466 litres of space. It is a useful square shape. You can move the floor panels to separate your bags or make it flat. If you fold the back seats down, the space grows to about 1350 litres.

Technology and connectivity

The dashboard has two large 12.3-inch screens. One is for the driver’s speed and instruments, and the other is for maps and music.

The system works well and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and standard Android Auto. It is easy to use. This model comes with a standard 6-speaker sound system.

Engine and drivetrain

This model has a 63 kWh battery. It has one electric motor that drives the front wheels. It produces 160 kW of power.

The official driving range is 385 km. This is enough for city driving and weekly commutes. If you want to drive long distances interstate, you might need to plan your charging stops more carefully than with the bigger battery model.

It can charge at home or use fast public chargers. A fast charger can fill the battery from 10% to 80% in about 35 minutes.

What’s the Nissan Ariya Standard Range like to drive?

The Ariya is built for comfort, not speed. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.0 seconds, which is fine for normal driving.

The ride is excellent. The suspension is smooth and soaks up bumps very well. The cabin is also very quiet, blocking out wind and road noise. It feels relaxing and easy to drive.

Safety features

The Ariya has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. It comes with Nissan’s ProPILOT safety features, which include:

• Emergency braking (stops for cars, people, and cyclists)
• Lane keeping assist (helps you stay in your lane)
• Blind spot warning
• Rear cross-traffic alert (helps when reversing)
• Smart cruise control

Owner benefits

Nissan gives a 5-year / unlimited-kilometre warranty on the car. The battery is covered for 8 years / 160,000 km.

You need to service the car every 12 months or 20,000 km.

Final thoughts

The 2025 Nissan Ariya Engage is a great choice if you want a stylish car. Its 385km range and low towing capacity (750kg) are not the best in class.

However, if you don’t drive huge distances every day, the Ariya offers a beautiful interior and a very smooth ride. At $55,840, it feels like a luxury car for a good price.

The post Nissan Ariya 2025 Review appeared first on Eco Car Guide.