Kia hits 50,000 EV sales milestone
Kia UK sold its 50,000th electric vehicle (EV) in July 2023. This milestone marks another record-breaking month that saw the brand finish at the nation's fourth best-selling car brand.
Kia has sold 10,698 EVs so far in 2023 alone - over a fifth of the entire number of electric cars sold by Kia since the first Soul EV back in 2015!
The increasing popularity of the Kia EV range can be demonstrated by the immense quality, stunning design, groundbreaking technology, practicality, and diverse nature of electric cars on offer. Kia really does offer an EV to suit all tastes and needs.
This year sees the launch of the highly anticipated Kia EV9 SUV. The EV9 is Kia's largest ever electric car, and its first to feature three rows of seats.
The EV9 has a driving range of 336 miles - an exceptional number for a car of its size, and rapid charging times of just 15 minutes.
Kia shows no signs of slowing down its EV production either. The brand plans to launch 15 EVs globally by 2027, as part of its 'Plan S' business strategy - nine of which are coming to the UK.
And it's not just Kia EVs that are proving extremely popular. Almost one in every two cars sold by Kia in the UK is an electrified model (hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric).
So far in 2023, Kia has already sold over 29,000 eco-friendly cars - another record performance.
Paul Philpott is the President and CEO of Kia UK. He said: “Surpassing 50,000 EV sales in the UK is an important milestone for Kia, as we continue on our journey to having nine EVs by 2027.
“Our sales success to date is a testament to our pioneering EV products and launch strategy, which started eight years ago with the Soul EV, and is currently fronted by the award-winning EV6 and highly anticipated EV9.
“With such a varied range currently, and a bright looking future, we're proud to be able to support the UK public make the transition to electric, in collaboration with our nationwide dealer partners.”
Kia EVs through the years
Kia's first electric car production in the UK was the Soul EV that first went on sale in April 2015. The first-generation Soul EV was based on the second-generation Soul model. By today's standards, it offered a modest 132-mile range from its 27kWh battery.
2018 saw an updated Soul EV go on sale, and the launch of the brand-new Kia e-Niro - the fully electric sibling of the fully hybrid Niro. The e-Niro offered 282 miles of range with a 64kWh battery, showing just how far Kia EV battery technology had come in a short period of time. It came as no surprise that as a result, the e-Niro was named the first ever fully electric winner of the WhatCar? 'Car of the Year'.
In 2021, Kia launched the game-changing EV6 - the brand's most powerful car to date. The high-performance flagship electric crossover garnered huge adoration from across the motoring industry and was named as the WhatCar? 'Car of the Year', and also the European Car of the Year.
Built upon Kia's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the EV6 enabled over 320 miles of range and ultra-fast charging times of just 18 minutes.
Hot on the heels of the EV6 came the all-new Kia Niro EV. Since its 2022 launch, the practical family EV has scooped up award after award, thanks to its desirable design, excellent driving range, and competitive price. Kia sold a total of 16,368 EVs in 2022, up from the previous year's 14,337. With the number of Kia EVs sold so far in 2023, this year looks once again to smash the previous year's total.
