Kia Takes Triple Honours From What Car? Awards
Kia has kicked off 2025 with a hat-trick of prizes from the annual What Car? Car of the Year awards, including one for a car yet to hit the market.
The Sportage, EV3 and the upcoming EV4 were all honoured on a successful evening for the Korean brand, which is fresh off the back of a strong 2024 that saw its market share in the UK increase to 5.75%.
The EV3 was named as the Best Small Electric SUV, having been praised for its practicality, driving position and interior space.
Success for the ever-popular Sportage came in the Family SUV of the Year category, with particular attention being paid to the design, interior quality and the competitive pricing, which undercuts its main rivals.
Arguably the biggest award secured by Kia on the night came in the form of the Readers Choice Award, which was decided after What Car? readers were asked to chose the car they were most looking forward to seeing in 2025 from a shortlist of twelve.
The EV4, which will launch as a rival to the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and the Polestar 2, emerged on top of the vote ahead of the Renault 4 and Jaguar’s upcoming GT EV and is set to be formally revealed in the coming months.
“What Car? is one of the most trusted and dependable publications for UK motorists, and recognition in their annual Car of the Year Awards is one of the most celebrated accomplishments any brand or vehicle can achieve,” Paul Philpott, President & CEO, Kia UK, said. “To receive three awards again this year is an great endorsement for the depth and strength of our line-up.
“Three years on from the launch of the fifth generation Sportage, this is now the third year in a row the Sportage has been named What Car?’s ‘Best Family SUV’, a testament to just how impressive the model is. It’s a consistently high performer for families everywhere, and this result follows a record year of sales success, with the Sportage the best-selling SUV in the UK in 2024 – and second best-selling car overall.
“I am particularly proud to see the EV3 and upcoming EV4 recognised for their talents. The EV3 is our bold new entrant into the electric compact SUV market, and the latest fully electric model to join our growing family, already proving very popular with customers.
“The EV4 is next on the way, adding greater variety to Kia’s line-up. Two awards for two of our EVs is tangible recognition that we continue to operate at the top of our game in bringing exciting and desirable EVs to our UK customers.”