The Kia EV3, which swept the grand award from organizations such as the Korea Automobile Journalists Association and the Korean Automobile Press Association, has also made an impact on the global stage.
On the 16th local time, at the 2025 World Car Awards held in New York City, the Kia EV3 was selected as the World Car of the Year (WCOTY). Kia achieved the remarkable feat of winning the World Car of the Year title for two consecutive years, following the EV9 last year and now the EV3.
In addition, Kia has won a total of six awards at the World Car Awards, starting with the Telluride (World Car of the Year) and Soul EV (World Urban Car) in 2020, the EV6 GT (World Performance Car) in 2023, the EV9 (World Car and World Electric Vehicle of the Year) in 2024, and now the EV3.
Kia President Song Ho-sung said, "It is an honor for the EV3 to receive the World Car of the Year award at the prestigious World Car Awards, and this award demonstrates Kia's global leadership in providing sustainable mobility solutions based on innovative technology and excellent design, proving that the EV3 offers a new user experience to customers worldwide with its best-in-class product appeal."
Founded in 2004, the World Car Awards is considered one of the top three automotive awards globally, alongside the North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY) and the European Car of the Year (COTY), with results announced annually at the New York International Auto Show.
Unlike the other two awards, which evaluate based on specific regional markets, the World Car Awards targets the global market and grants candidate eligibility to new vehicles that sell more than 10,000 units annually in at least two continents, enhancing its authority and significance.
The award categories at the World Car Awards include World Car of the Year, World Electric Vehicle of the Year, World Performance Car, World Luxury Car, World Urban Car, and World Car Design, totaling six categories. In this year's evaluation, 96 prominent automotive journalists from 30 countries, including Korea, the U.S., Europe, China, Japan, and India, participated as jurors, test-driving the candidate vehicles and voting for the World Cars of the Year in each category.
The EV3 was recognized as the world's top automobile in the World Car of the Year competition, which featured 52 competing models, including the Hyundai Casper Electric and BMW X3. The EV3 is a dedicated compact SUV electric vehicle that supports Kia's strategy for popularizing electric vehicles in the fiercely competitive global automotive market, providing excellent electrification technology along with advanced features that are highly preferred by customers.
The external and internal design of the EV3 embodies Kia's unique design philosophy "Opposites United," harmonizing a robust and geometric design to convey a sense of originality.
The EV3 operates in two variants: a long-range model equipped with an 81.4 kWh battery and a standard model with a 58.3 kWh battery. The long-range model supports a driving range of 501 km under industrial certification standards and 605 km under the European WLTP standards on a single charge with 17-inch wheels, and it takes 31 minutes to charge the battery from 10% to 80% with a 350 kW fast charger.
The EV3 features various storage spaces and convenience specifications that can transform the vehicle into a living space. It implements spacious first and second-row areas through package design optimization, along with a sliding console table that can extend by 120 mm, a trunk with a capacity of 460 liters (based on VDA standards), and a 25-liter front trunk, enhancing spatial utility.
In addition, the EV3 offers best-in-class convenience with features such as Kia AI Assistant, wireless software updates, Built-in Cam 2, Digital Key 2, and interior/exterior Vehicle-to-Load (V2L). It also applies a 9-airbag system, structural reinforcements on key materials and areas, steering wheel grip detection, rear monitoring, Lane Keeping Assist 2, Highway Driving Assist 2, and Surround View Monitor to assist customers in safe and convenient driving.
Based on its high product competitiveness, the EV3 is being recognized for its excellence at globally prestigious automotive awards. The EV3 has won several accolades, including the 2025 United Kingdom Car of the Year, 2025 Finland Car of the Year, 2025 Denmark Car of the Year, and 2025 World Women's Car of the Year in the compact SUV sector, as well as the crossover category at the Britain's 2024 Top Gear Awards and the under €40,000 best car category at Germany's 2024 Golden Steering Wheel Awards.
In Korea, the EV3 has also dominated three out of eight categories at the '2025 Korea Car of the Year' awards ceremony organized by the Korea Automobile Journalists Association (KAJA), being selected as 'Car of the Year,' 'Electric Vehicle of the Year,' and 'Innovation of the Year.'
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