Kia EV4 Test: Can You Travel Far with Your Family Without Stress? Our 1,500 km Test Drive
From the lost paths of New Forest to the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast, we drove 1,500 kilometers across England in the Kia EV4. Its large battery, comfort, and spacious interior make it a good travel companion. However, its slow charging speed and some annoying details detract from its overall appeal.
To put the Kia EV4 to the test in real conditions, we took it on a 1,500-kilometer road trip through southern England. With four people aboard, a week’s worth of luggage in the trunk, and a route that combined cities, highways, and remote paths deep in the British countryside, it was the perfect setup to uncover both its true strengths as a travel vehicle and its shortcomings.
After disembarking from the ferry in Portsmouth, we headed toward the New Forest. Our first stop was a ranch completely isolated in the English countryside, far from major roads and, most importantly, from fast-charging stations. The journey then continued to the Cotswolds, specifically to Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury, before we reached Bath, Somerset, and the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast. After a stop in Brighton, we finally returned to Portsmouth to catch the ferry back to France.
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In total, our Kia EV4 has traveled about 1,500 km on English roads. It covered a variety of routes sufficient to assess its performance as a commuter vehicle: city centers, sometimes very narrow country roads, expressways, and sections of motorway.
Our Kia EV4 Earth was equipped with a large 81.4 kWh battery. This is undoubtedly one of its main strengths. Kia claims a range of 594 to 625 km under the WLTP cycle, depending on wheel size. Theoretically, this range allows for long trips with a certain degree of confidence.
In reality, the battery performed perfectly. Despite a route that often took us off the main roads, we never really suffered from a lack of range. There were relatively few stops, and we didn’t need to look for charging stations at every turn.
This was all the more appreciated since fast charging stations seemed quite scarce on certain sections of our journey. We will discuss the charging experience in England in more detail in a dedicated article. Suffice to say that when traveling through the New Forest, Cotswolds, or Somerset, having a battery of over 80 kWh is truly reassuring.
Another issue arose during the stay. At the beginning of the trip, the Apple CarPlay connection worked normally. After a few days, the phone’s display became increasingly unreliable, until it stopped working properly. We even had to connect a second iPhone before the problem recurred and forced us to rely on the smartphone’s GPS.
Bluetooth remained active, allowing calls and music playback as usual. However, it was impossible to display Apple CarPlay properly on the center screen. Several attempts to reconnect failed to restore stable functionality. While this issue isn’t deal-breaking, it diminishes the in-vehicle experience, especially during trips abroad, as one relies more on the phone for navigation, music, or finding addresses.
We eventually decided to go with the navigation system built into the EV4. What initially seemed like a backup solution turned out to be quite convincing. The GPS is easy to read, the instructions are clear, and the system guided us properly for the rest of the journey. Of course, this doesn’t fix the issue with Apple CarPlay. But at least the EV4 doesn’t become unusable when the smartphone’s display acts up.