Kia EV2 handles extreme cold — 310 km at minus 31°C

Kia's smallest and most affordable electric car, the upcoming EV2, has passed one of the world's toughest winter tests with impressive results. During the 2026 El Prix in Norway, organised by NAF and Motor Magazine, the EV2 prototype covered 310 kilometres despite temperatures dropping to minus 31 degrees — the coldest edition ever.

Better than production cars

A total of 24 EVs participated in the El Prix winter test, which is considered one of the most demanding cold-weather tests for electric cars in the world. The tests are conducted in Norway's mountainous Jotunheimen region — "Home of the Giants" — where 29 of the country's tallest mountains are found.

Despite the EV2 still being a prototype and therefore not included in NAF's official results, it drove under exactly the same conditions as the production cars. The result? 310 km of range with a 61 kWh battery — just 25 per cent below the expected WLTP figure of 413 km.

Kia claims this places the prototype at the top among all participants, including significantly more expensive cars.

Fast charging in freezing conditions

Equally impressive was the charging performance. Under the same extreme cold conditions, the EV2 charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just six minutes longer than its official rating. This demonstrates that Kia's battery management system works well even in Nordic conditions.

"This result proves that EV2 will deliver reliable range even in extremely low temperatures," says Martinez Masip, Vice President of Product and Marketing at Kia Europe.

An affordable EV for everyone

At just 4,060 mm in length — roughly the same as a Volkswagen ID.3 — the EV2 is intended as Kia's entry-level electric car. It will come in two battery variants: a standard 42.2 kWh and a long-range 61 kWh.

Production of the standard version has already started at Kia's factory in Slovakia. The long-range version and GT-Line variants begin production in June 2026.

The price has not been officially confirmed, but Kia is expected to set the starting price at around €30,000 (approximately SEK 340,000). That would make the EV2 one of the cheapest EVs on the European market.

What does this mean for privatleasing?

A new affordable EV from Kia is great news for the Swedish leasing market. Kia already has some of the most popular leasing cars with models like the EV3 and EV6. When the EV2 reaches the Swedish market — likely during autumn 2026 — it's expected to push privatleasing prices down in the budget segment.

With an expected monthly price of around SEK 2,500–3,500, the EV2 could become the most affordable way to get into EV driving through privatleasing. The fact that the car has also proven itself capable in Nordic winter conditions makes it an even stronger alternative.

You can already compare privatleasing deals on Kia's models here at PrivatLeasa.se.