Kia’s EV2 prototype topped a major winter testing challenge, beating every production electric car in the world’s largest cold-weather EV evaluation.
The pre-production model lost just 25% of its driving range during extreme winter testing. That’s the smallest drop of any vehicle tested by the Norwegian Automotive Federation in their annual NAF El Prix evaluation.
Prototype Beats Production Models
The EV2 covered 310.6km (193 miles) compared with its claimed range of 413km (256.6 miles). Testing took place in brutal conditions with temperatures dropping to -31 degrees Celsius.
The closest production rivals were the Hyundai Inster and MGS6 – both lost 28.9% of their official range.
That performance gap matters. The NAF El Prix puts electric cars through Norway’s harshest winter conditions to see which ones actually deliver on their promises when temperatures plummet.
Real-World Testing Reveals Range Reality
The Norwegian Automotive Federation drives vehicles until they completely run out of charge. Test routes wind through the mountainous Jotunheimen region where temperatures swing between -8 and -31 degrees.
This year’s testing included 24 different electric models.
The Lucid Air traveled the longest total distance at 520km (323 miles). But that represented a massive 45.8% drop from its official range of 960km – the biggest shortfall of any car tested.
Cold weather hits EV batteries hard. The average range loss across all tested models was exactly 33%.
“This result serves as proof that the EV2 will continue to deliver reliable range even in extremely low temperatures,” said Pablo Martinez Masip, vice president of product and marketing for Kia Europe.
Entry-Level EV With Premium Performance
Kia’s positioning the EV2 as an affordable entry point into electric driving. The company isn’t cutting corners on cold-weather capability despite the lower price point.
“Being the entry point to Kia’s EV line-up does not mean compromising; the EV2 offers customers throughout Europe an affordable yet reliable way to enter electric mobility,” Martinez Masip added.
The EV2 will be Kia’s smallest electric model when it launches. The company plans to start sales in the second half of this year with pricing under £25,000.
That puts it directly against the Renault 4, Ford Puma Gen-E, and the upcoming Skoda Epiq in the competitive small EV market.
The winter testing results could give Kia a significant advantage – especially in northern European markets where cold-weather performance matters most to buyers.
