Kia Celebrates Triple Win at 2025 What Car? Awards
Kia Celebrates Triple Win at 2025 What Car? Awards
We’re delighted to share that Kia has secured three prestigious awards at the 2025 What Car? Car of the Year Awards.
Hosted by the renowned automotive publication, these highly anticipated awards took place earlier this month to celebrate the very best in the industry. Kia was recognised across three categories: the Kia EV3
as ‘Best Small Electric SUV,’ the Kia Sportage
as ‘Best Family SUV’ (for the third consecutive year), and the highly anticipated Kia EV4
with the coveted ‘Readers’ Choice’ award.
We’re incredibly proud to receive this recognition from one of the most trusted voices in the automotive world. It’s a true testament to Kia’s dedication to innovation, quality, and meeting the needs of our drivers.
Kia EV3: Best Small Electric SUV
The Kia EV3
was crowned ‘Best Small Electric SUV’, an accolade that celebrates its spacious yet compact practicality, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)
, and extensive electric driving range.
As Kia’s most affordable electric car
the EV3 redefines what small SUVs can offer, with its class-leading five-seat cabin and spacious 460-litre boot space, plus a 25-litre frunk.
It stands out with an impressive range of up to 375-miles on a single charge*, combined with a collection of efficiency-enhancing technologies. These include regenerative braking and active air flap technology, both of which contribute to improved energy management and help to extend the vehicle’s range. The EV3 is designed to handle everything from daily commutes to longer trips, offering both ease and efficiency on the road.
The judging panel at What Car? praised the EV3’s exceptional practicality, stating: “The EV3 is one of the most practical cars in its class, offering enough passenger and boot space to embarrass some models from the class above. What’s more, it has an excellent driving position that puts you well above the road – just as an SUV should. All of this is combined with soft suspension that's great at soaking up bumps and potholes.”
The EV3 is making a strong impact on the UK market as it enters its first full year of sales, further cementing Kia’s reputation as a leader in sustainable
mobility.
Kia Sportage: Best Family SUV for the Third Year Running
The Kia Sportage
hybrid car was another winner this year, winning the prize for ‘Best Family SUV.'
For the third consecutive year, the Sportage’s winning combination of affordable pricing, a spacious interior, and advanced safety features
helped solidify its reputation as a family favourite.
First launched in 2022, the fifth-generation Sportage is designed to cater to every aspect of family life, from the school run to weekend road trips. Its spacious interior offers plenty of room for growing families. With wide, easily accessible rear seats, getting the kids in and out is effortless. The 1,780-litre boot has enough space for everything from school bags to weekend luggage, while the low lip and wide opening make for easy loading and unloading.
The Sportage is also equipped with smart technology like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
for seamless smartphone connectivity. There are also rear-seat USB ports to keep devices charged and a suite of safety features
designed to protect yourself and your passengers. These thoughtful additions help to make both short commutes and longer journeys comfortable and stress-free.
“The fact that this is the third year in a row that the Sportage has won this award shows what a brilliant all-rounder it is,” the What Car? judges remarked. “It strikes a fantastic balance between comfort and control. The interior is as smart as it is practical, too. And yet the Sportage is very temptingly priced – particularly in mild-hybrid petrol form.”
Beating its previous performance with an all-time high of 47,163 units sold in the UK in 2024, the Sportage remains one of the UK’s best-loved SUVs.
This latest award further reinforces its continued popularity, which shows no signs of slowing down.
Kia EV4: Readers’ Choice Award
The Kia EV4
stands out in the electrical vehicle market, earning the prestigious ‘Readers’ Choice’ award from What Car? Readers. It enjoyed over 40% of the vote – twice as many as the second-placed vehicle. This recognition solidifies the EV4’s status as one of the most highly anticipated cars of 2025.
First unveiled as a concept at Kia’s EV Day in October 2023, every element of the EV4’s design reflects Kia’s commitment to eco-friendly innovation. The interior is crafted using sustainable materials, including bioplastics, recycled PET carpets, and components sourced from discarded fish nets. These thoughtful choices help the EV4 prove that sustainability
and style can comfortably coexist.
The EV4 builds on the success of its predecessors, the EV3,
EV6,
and EV9,
pushing the boundaries of greener mobility even further. It’s part of Kia’s long-term mission to reduce its environmental impact and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
As it prepares for its official launch later this year, the EV4 is set to make a big impact on the UK automotive market.
Kia’s Vision for a Sustainable Future
The What Car? Car of the Year Awards remain a cornerstone of the UK automotive industry, recognising the best new vehicles across various categories. Each shortlisted vehicle is rigorously tested on UK roads and at a dedicated facility to ensure it meets the high standards set by What Car?’s expert road testers.
Paul Philpott added: “To receive three awards from What Car?, one of the UK’s most trusted automotive publications, is a tremendous honour. The continued recognition of the Sportage,
along with the success of the EV3
and EV4,
demonstrates the strength and breadth of our lineup as we continue to lead the way in electrified mobility.”
Kia’s success at the 2025 What Car? Awards highlights the positive impact of its innovative technology, customer-focused design, and key sustainability considerations, reinforcing its position as a leader in the industry.
Images shown are for illustration purposes only and may not be to full UK specification. Features shown are not standard across the Kia model range and availability will vary dependant on model. For further details please refer to the individual model specification sheets.
*The range was determined according to the standardised EU measurement procedure (WLTP). The individual driving style and other factors, such as speed, outside temperature, topography and the use of electricity-consuming devices/units, have an influence on the real-life range and can possibly reduce it.
Product availability varies by models. To find out which products are available for your vehicle, please contact your Kia dealer.