The Kia EV3 has been named UK Car of the Year 2025, marking the second consecutive year that an electric Kia has collected the trophy.
Following in the footsteps of last year's winner, the larger EV9, the EV3 was praised by judges for its practicality, safety and value for money.
“Securing back-to-back successes in this competition has only been achieved once before, which shows the outstanding attributes and appeal of the Kia EV3,” said John Challen, co-chairman, UK Car of the Year Awards.
“Kia has successfully grown its EV portfolio and the specification, driving range, and distinctive styling are all EV3 elements that impressed our panel of experts.”
The Kia EV3 was introduced in late 2024 and is the smallest model to utilise Kia's bespoke electric car platform. It has a maximum range of 372 miles, a large 460-litre boot and prices that start from £32,995.
Paul Philpott (centre), president and CEO, Kia UK, receives the UK Car of the Year 2025 trophy from Matt Robinson (left), car reviews editor at heycar UK and John Challen (right), director, UK Car of the Year Awards
Paul Philpott, president & CEO of Kia UK, said: “We’re delighted to once again be victorious winning the outright UK Car of the Year Award with EV3. This follows our success in 2024 with EV9. These consecutive awards clearly demonstrate Kia’s strong leadership in electrification, the genuine demand from UK customers and the quality of our product line up.
"With this outstanding recognition and our increasing order bank, we and our dealer partners are confident EV3 will continue being a popular and accessible choice for the growing number of people switching to electric.”
Seven cars were shortlisted for the annual UK Car of the Year Awards, each judged the best in their respective categories.
Now in its eleventh year, the UK Car of the Year Awards has judging panel comprising 31 motoring journalists, based all over the UK.
The group selected their winning cars in categories ranging from Small Car, to Medium Crossover, to Performance Car. Before deciding the overall winner.
The UK Car of the Year Awards is run in association with Heycar, which has sponsored the awards since January 2022.
UK Car of the Year 2025 category winners:
Small Car – Suzuki Swift
Family Car – Skoda Superb
Small Crossover – Kia EV3
Medium Crossover – MINI Countryman
Large Crossover – Hyundai Santa Fe
Executive Car – Polestar 4
Performance Car – Hyundai IONIQ 5 N
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Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
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