Kia has topped its small electric SUV with the EV3 GT-Line AWD, a dual-motor flagship that swaps a few kilometres of range for an extra motor and a smidge more power.
The front-wheel-drive EV3 spent the first half of 2026 building a decent following. In June it posted 821 sales, its best month yet, and collected a shelf of Australian motoring-media awards along the way. So the sensible question, when a car is already winning, is why build a slightly warmer one at all. The answer is two-fold. S second electric motor bolts on under the boot floor, and the product manager, Roland Rivero thought it brought the EV3 range in line with other nameplates on the Kia forecourt.
The Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD is the new range-topper, on sale from September and the trim that neatly completes the EV3 family. The full spec can be downloaded here at Kia Australia, but the headline is a combined 195kW and 385Nm with dual-motors. Although not especially neck-snapping, its enough to hustle the little SUV to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds. The front-driver was never a slouch. This one adds the nip all EVs deserve.
What the Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD Adds
The second motor is the main change, but Kia has fitted larger brakes, and given the car a bespoke suspension and steering package tuned specifically for Australian roads, thanks to more work by Graham Gambold. Sadly, Australian roads are less a smooth ribbon of tarmac and more like concrete Swiss cheese. Kia’s HQ has long acknowledged Australia’s local tuning as often being superior to factory issue. That is another gong for Kia Australia’s Kimchi.
Above: 2026 Kia K4 Hatch S safety Pack But is it any good
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ABOVE: The 2026 EV3 GT-Line AWD
Range, Pace, and the Trade You Are Making
The 81.4kWh Long Range battery claims up to 559km on WLTP. Strap on a second motor and physics presents its invoice, so the AWD gives up a little range against the front-wheel-drive, though Kia rates the drop as a mere trifle. In an Australian summer
, with the air con blasting out Arctic bliss and a right foot enjoying a bit of extra grunt, plan on something closer to 450 to 480km. That is still a comfortable week of Zen commuting between charges. Range anxiety is slowly fading into myth and legend as infrastructure starts to wash over the landscape.
Kia is not singing in an empty room. The EV4 Earth sits nearby as the brand’s electric sedan play, very brave in a contracting passenger car market. The small-EV price fight has gone nuclear thanks to newcomers like the Leapmotor B10 undercutting almost everything under $42k. In a market where Toyota, BYD, and Tesla are scrapping over the sales crown, $66,490 for the Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD is certainly no bargain. It is a flagship price for a flagship trim and buyers will decide whether it stacks up or not.
Is the Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD Worth the Walk Up
At $66,490 RRP, the Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD asks a clear premium over the front motor car most buyers were perfectly content with. For the money you get the adequate 195kW dual-motor oomph, frisky 6.6 seconds 100km/h sprint, bigger brakes, and a chassis fettled for our roads rather than a German autobahn or a Korean proving ground. Whether that stacks up depends on how often you lean on the second motor. For plenty of buyers, the front-drive EV3 is still the smarter spend. For the ones who want the quicker version, this completes the range and gives them somewhere to climb. Kia has now catered to both the sensible and the speedy.
Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD by the Numbers
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | $66,490 RRP |
| Battery | 81.4kWh Long Range |
| Range (WLTP) | up to 559km |
| Power | 195kW combined |
| Torque | 385Nm combined |
| 0-100km/h | 6.6 seconds |
| Drivetrain | Dual-motor AWD |
| On sale | September 2026 |
To prove a point, here are a few tasty choices as we ask, would you buy a Kia EV3 GT Line, or a Tesla Model Y?
Remember, Tesla Model Y was the top selling car in Australia last month, and BYD is now only a few hundred cars from knocking Toyota off as number one.
Times, they are a-changin.
| Vehicle Model | Approx. MRLP (AUD) | Power Output |
| MG4 XPOWER | $53,990 | 320 kW |
| Tesla Model Y RWD | $58,900 | 220 kW |
| Zeekr X RWD | $49,900 | 200 kW |
| Cupra Born | $59,990 | 170 kW |
| Renault Megane E-Tech | $49,990 | 160 kW |
| GWM Ora 5 Ultra | $36,990 | 150 kW |
| Volvo EX30 Single Motor Ext. | $55,990 | 200 kW |
| Polestar 2 Long Range | $67,262* | 220 kW |
| BYD Seal Performance | $62,990 | 390 kW |
| Tesla Model 3 RWD | $54,900 | 208 kW |
More Kia Stories
- Kia K4 Hatch is Comfy but is it Value? Video Review
- Toyota BYD Tesla Fight For Australia’s Sales Crown
- 2026 Kia EV4 Earth Long Range Review Brilliant to Drive, Difficult to Love
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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