Kia's EV3 and EV5 Orders Are Piling Up in Canada — and It Says Chinese EVs Won't Hurt It

Kia is betting that its new wave of affordable electric SUVs can win Canadian buyers on value, not just sticker price — and it's not worried that the flood of cheaper Chinese EVs now allowed into Canada will undercut it. At Automotive News Canada's Retail Forum this week, Kia Canada chief operating officer Elias El-Achhab said orders for the EV3 and EV5 are already backed up, and that the trade deal letting up to 49,000 Chinese-made EVs enter Canada at a 6.1% tariff is, in his words, "just a bonus."

The "first affordable EV brand" pitch

Kia launched the EV3 in Canada in August at $39,744, calling it the country's lowest-priced electric vehicle. The company's stated goal is to be "the first affordable EV brand in the country" — but El-Achhab is careful to define affordability as a "value equation," not simply the lowest number on the window sticker. The EVs Kia sells at the lower end of the market still carry the tech and features buyers expect from pricier cars.

Three mass-market EVs, all under $45,000

With the EV3, EV4 and EV5 now on sale in Canada, Kia offers three distinct mass-market EVs for drivers moving away from gasoline at a lower cost:

• EV3 — compact SUV, from $39,744
• EV4 — midsize, from $38,995
• EV5 — midsize SUV, from $43,495

For the EV3, that means Kia's Connected Car Navigation Cockpit, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, and nearly 30 inches of total display across two 12.3-inch screens plus a 5-inch climate panel. Every variant has a native NACS charging port, so drivers can use Tesla Superchargers without an adapter. The 58.3 kWh pack charges 10–80% in about 29 minutes on a 350 kW DC charger; the 81.4 kWh pack takes roughly 31 minutes. One-pedal driving, vehicle-to-load and Smart Cruise Control are standard.

Why it thinks China's arrival helps, not hurts

When asked whether the Chinese imports could intensify pressure on Kia as a low-cost brand, El-Achhab said he "actually think[s] the opposite." His reasoning: because Kia is already more affordable and is positioning around a value equation rather than a price race, cheaper rivals don't steal its buyers so much as validate the category. He also pointed to retention — roughly 90% of EV buyers stay with electric vehicles after switching — suggesting that winning the first sale at an accessible price builds long-term loyalty rather than a one-time discount play.

The U.S. picture is more limited: Kia has postponed the EV4 there indefinitely and has no plans to bring the EV5 to that market, leaving the $29,890 2027 EV3 (58.3 kWh for up to 221 miles, or 81.4 kWh for up to 321 miles) as its main lower-cost offering across the border.

For Canadian shoppers weighing a first EV, the practical takeaway is that Kia is now competing at the price point where most buyers start, with a full lineup and NACS charging access — and it expects the Chinese arrivals to make the affordable-EV category bigger rather than to squeeze it out.

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