The EV1 Shows How Kia Plans to Keep City Cars Alive

The Kia EV1 arrives at a pivotal moment for Europe’s smallest cars. With the long‑running Picanto finally reaching the end of its lifecycle, one of the last petrol city cars on the continent is bowing out.

Kia’s decision to replace it with a fully electric model reflects a wider industry shift: emissions rules, safety standards, and market pressures have already pushed most rivals out of the segment. Now Kia is stepping forward with an EV alternative designed to stay affordable, compact, and genuinely usable. Thanks to the brand’s increasingly broad EV lineup, stretching from the EV2 to the flagship EV9 — Kia has the scale to target a starting price of around £22,000 for the EV1.

As the Picanto era closes, the EV1 signals a new beginning for city‑car buyers who still want something small, simple, and future‑proof.

Although the Kia EV1 and Hyundai Inster will sit shoulder‑to‑shoulder in Europe’s shrinking city‑car segment, the two models are far less related than their shared parent company suggests.

The Inster is essentially a lengthened evolution of the Hyundai Casper, an ICE‑based city car adapted for electric use. The EV1, by contrast, is being developed on the dedicated EV platform that underpins the larger EV2, giving it a cleaner, purpose‑built foundation.

That difference matters: a bespoke EV chassis typically brings better packaging, improved ride quality, and more predictable handling. While both cars aim to keep electric mobility affordable, the EV1’s architecture hints at a more refined driving experience — one that could give Kia a dynamic edge in a segment where every millimetre and kilogram counts.

Our exclusive design sketch imagines how Kia might configure the EV1 using components already available within the Hyundai–Kia portfolio. A small‑capacity battery — likely in the 35–45 kWh range — would keep weight down while delivering the kind of urban‑friendly range buyers expect.

Motor options could mirror those used in the EV3 and Hyundai’s smaller EVs, giving the EV1 enough performance for city use without pushing costs too high. But Kia’s recent EV strategy leaves room for something more ambitious: a GT variant.

With the brand already offering GT models across its larger EVs, a hotter EV1 feels entirely plausible. A punchier motor, sportier suspension tuning and subtle visual tweaks could turn this tiny EV into one of the most entertaining small electric cars on sale.

Our GT rendering imagines how a performance‑focused Kia EV1 GT could slot into a niche that barely exists today. Smaller than the upcoming Alpine A290, and with only the three‑door Abarth 500e as a direct rival, a hot‑hatch EV of this size would stand almost alone in the market.

The proportions in our sketch show how compact the EV1 GT could be while still carrying the visual drama expected from Kia’s GT models — sharper surfacing, wider stance, and a more assertive front end.

For urban drivers who want something genuinely sporting but still easy to park, this kind of electric hot hatch could be a hit. With instant EV torque and a lightweight footprint, the EV1 GT has the potential to revive the playful spirit small performance cars once offered.

Kia’s electric lineup has expanded rapidly in recent years, and the EV1 will soon become its smallest and most affordable entry — a bookend opposite to the massive EV9.

Models like the EV3, EV5 and EV6 have already shown that Kia can deliver competitive pricing, strong efficiency and distinctive design, giving the brand real credibility as it moves deeper into the EV space.

The EV1 continues that strategy at the opposite end of the scale, replacing the long‑running Picanto just as Europe’s petrol city‑car segment reaches its final chapter. If Kia can apply the same engineering focus and value‑driven approach seen across its other EVs, the EV1 could become the natural successor for buyers who simply want a small, honest, well‑priced car.

And if it’s good enough, the question becomes unavoidable: will people even miss the Picanto?

(Image Credits: The New Yardstick)