Kia EV2 review

Production has yet to start with the long-range version, so we were in the short. They tell us it isn't much different to drive, although the smaller-battery one weighs slightly less so goes slightly faster.

For a suburban car, the performance is all you need. Motor power is 147bhp, torque 184lb ft. The 0-62mph run-up passes in 8.7 seconds. Accelerator calibration is pretty smooth in normal mode – if you like it lazier or jumpier, switch to eco or sport. Top speed is a neat 100.0mph. We briefly got to 85mph-odd on a foreign motorway, and it was clear going much beyond that would take quite a distance. Also, even at 70mph there's a fair bit of wind noise in an otherwise very quiet car.

Unlike some FWD EVs, traction is entirely sufficient. It'll hardly trouble the traction control given full squirt out of a tight bend, even in the wet. Relatively soft roll stiffness at the front contributes to this.

There are four levels of regeneration, the first three all made 'smart' via a one-second pull of a paddle. That means they use not just the speed of the car in front but sat nav knowledge to slow you down in bends. Sometimes useful, sometimes not. Level four is one-pedal driving, bringing you to a complete stop.

The brakes are neatly calibrated so we avoided regen level 3. It gives a sharp kick point as you lift the accelerator, about a quarter way down from the top, so a lift on the way into a corner can throw the car onto its outside front tyre.

And the handling?

The steering also seems to get quicker after about a quarter-turn of lock, exaggerating this feeling you've lobbed it into a bend too vehemently. Not that those front tyres aren't up to the job. The EV2 is generally very secure.

But not playful. The steering's largely numb and on-off accelerator toe-tapping does nothing to adjust the cornering attitude. This might well be because it has a simple torsion-beam rear suspension, not the multi-link of the EV3.

Payback for the boring handling is the ride. It's nicely squidgy, at all speeds from A-road to the important urban potholes and broken surfaces. The tyres travel quietly. That, as much as the wide upright windscreen, contribute to the impression you're in a bigger car.

Driver assistance or driver hindrance?

The sheer number of systems means unless you're an acronym ninja, you'll likely leave many or most in default settings. But at least the screen graphics make it relatively easy to tune them to your wants. Anyway, in default they actually work well, with few false alarms. The lane departure setting and speed limit bonger get easy shortcuts.

Adaptive cruise control works well and steers smoothly even in pretty tight dual-carriageway curves. As most Kia-Hyundai cars you can use the parking cameras as blind-spot visualisations when you indicate. The existence of all-round cameras is pretty unusual in this sort of car, albeit they're optional, together with a remote parking via app – handy if the space is too narrow to open the doors.