Kia EV4 named best family car at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2026

• Kia EV4 wins ‘Family Car’ category at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2026
• Overall UK Car of the Year 2026 to be announced on 26 February – a title previously held by the Kia EV3 and EV9

The Kia EV4 has won the ‘Family Car’ category at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2026. The EV4’s category win means the EV4 is now also in contention for the grand title of ‘UK Car of the Year’, announced on 26 February.

This award recognises the EV4 as a leading choice for UK drivers, joining other major awards for the vehicle, including ‘Electric Car of the Year’ at the News UK Motor Awards, and ‘Best Medium Car of the Year’ at The Car Expert Awards 2026.

John Challen, UK Car of the Year Editor, comments on the success of the EV4: “A fantastic alternative to the plethora of offerings in the electric SUV space. Taking the best elements of Kia’s other EV models and implementing them in hatchback and fastback form has worked a treat”.

The Kia EV4 is the brand’s first ever electric family hatchback and saloon (EV4 Fastback), with the popular hatchback model built at Kia’s Žilina factory in Slovakia. It sits at the heart of Kia’s growing line-up of fully electric cars, which also includes the EV3, EV5, EV6 and EV9. The EV4 is available in three grades: ‘Air’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’, each generously equipped as standard.

Two battery options, 58.3kWh or 81.4kWh are offered on the entry-grade ‘Air’, while all other grades come as standard with the Long Range 81.4kWh battery pack. In its most efficient form, the EV4 is capable of up to 388 miles* of range from a single charge (WLTP ‘combined’ cycle). A 10-80% charge takes just 29 minutes when plugged into a 150kW DC fast charger.

The EV4 offers a spacious interior and flexible boot space with a cargo capacity of 435 litres (490 litres in the EV4 Fastback), ideal for accommodating everyday family equipment, including prams and pushchairs, holiday luggage, or sports equipment.

Importantly for families, the Kia EV4 recently achieved the maximum 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating, scoring 84% and 85% for adult and child occupancy safety, respectively.

Starting from £34,745 (on-the-road), the Kia EV4 is one of the brand’s first models eligible for the £1,500 UK Electric Car Grant (ECG). The ECG is available on the EV4 'Air', across both battery options.

This win for the EV4 further cements Kia’s reputation for creating reliable, family-friendly cars which offer great value. The award follows the success of the Kia EV3, which won ‘Small Crossover’ and overall ‘UK Car of the Year’ in 2025, and the Kia EV9, which was named UK Car of the Year in 2024.

Established in 2014, the UK Car of the Year Awards is an independent awards programme designed specifically for the nation’s car-buying public, created to highlight and advise on the best new cars in the market. All areas of the country are represented by a panel of UK Car of the Year judges, made up of some of the most respected names in motoring journalism.

*All range figures are determined according to the standardised EU measurement procedure (WLTP). Individual driving style and other factors, such as speed, outside temperature, topography and the use of electricity-consuming devices/units, have an influence on the real-life range and can possibly reduce it.