- EV2 among seven 2027 Car of the Year finalists.
- Ninth Kia model to reach the shortlist.
- Sixth consecutive final for the brand.
- Built in Žilina, Slovakia, for Europe.
- Winner announced on 8 January 2027.
An independent jury of leading automotive journalists from across Europe has named the Kia EV2 one of seven finalists for the 2027 Car of the Year award. The B-segment electric SUV is the ninth model from the brand to reach the shortlist.
Its selection gives Kia a sixth consecutive appearance in the final. Soohang Chang, President and CEO of Kia Europe, said the EV2 brings “the technology and experience of our dedicated EV range to a compact SUV developed around European customers’ everyday needs.”
Kia Car of the Year history
The company’s link with the competition dates back to 2008, when the Cee’d became its first finalist. The EV6 won in 2022, becoming the first South Korean vehicle to take the title, and started the current run.
Four more finals followed. The Niro made the shortlist in 2023, the EV9 in 2024 and the EV3 in 2025, when it finished second with the highest points total achieved by a Kia model at that time. The European-built EV4 was a finalist for 2026. Like several of its predecessors, the newest contender is based on the Electric-Global Modular Platform.
EV2 design and European production
Unveiled at the 2026 Brussels Motor Show, the EV2 is the most compact dedicated electric SUV in the range and the entry point to the brand’s EV line-up. It was designed, developed and produced in Europe, and is built in Žilina, Slovakia, as the second fully electric model from that plant after the EV4 Hatchback. Production is exclusively for the European market.
Engineers tailored its noise, vibration and harshness package to European roads, using acoustic tyres, laminated acoustic glass and targeted insulation to reduce road, wind and high-frequency powertrain noise.
EV2 real-world range in the NAF El Prix
In the NAF El Prix, the real-world range test run twice a year by the Norwegian Automobile Federation, the Standard Range EV2 covered 325 kilometres in the summer edition, more than five per cent above its official WLTP figure. A Long-Range ‘GT-Line’ prototype managed 428 kilometres against a 418-kilometre target, and in the winter edition a similar prototype covered 310.6 kilometres in temperatures as low as minus 21 degrees Celsius.
Car of the Year winner announcement
The jury will now carry out further evaluation and a final vote. The 2027 winner will be announced on 8 January 2027 at the Brussels Motor Show.
Supplied by Newspress UK (Kia)
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