New to the Canadian market is the 2026 Kia EV4 Wind Premium, entering the compact electric sedan category.
The Wind’s trim utilizes a Long-Range 81.4 kWh battery with DC fast charging for an approximately 530km of driving range. I liked how the vehicle adjusts its max and minimum kilometres left in battery, listing both as you drive and it drains. This gave you a good idea of how far you can travel, giving me a sense of peace and confidence in the drive.
I found the EV4 Wind quicker to charge than most fully electric vehicles in the same segment, and that it held its battery life for longer. This was in due part thanks to its ability to charge when coasting down hill. But this is not done with your foot pressed on the brake, but instead the ball of your foot needed to gently rest on the accelerator to continue to propel forward. The Kia EV4 rolls, but as soon as you take your foot off the gas, it stops by 75%. So it had great responsiveness.
Its premium interior also includes a panoramic roof, wireless phone charger, heated steering wheel, and Highway Driving Assist. The latter included collision warning, which caught me off guard a few times. It was helpful overall, but on one occasion it proved untrue, jerking my drive and having me lurch in my seat a little.
With all these newer innovations in car technology available to the market now, and present within the Kia, I found the need to manually have to push and pull to adjust the steering wheel out of place. This was also the case for its reverse cameras. The one that gave you a look at what is behind you, without having to physically turn around and look behind you, was helpful. However, the other only gave you an over head camera view, but no look at what was surroundings the car. Just a top down profile of the car with black nothingness all around it. This didn’t really prove helpful when trying to keep in your lane and between the lines, when reverse stall parking. Especially as the rearview window is smaller, and sits at a slant, losing a lot of regular visibility. And because the mirror didn’t automatically adjust to show the direction your wheels are heading. Here, I relied on my old school driving skills to take me home.
The ignition button and gear shift are an all in one, on one toggle, located at the right side of the wheel. Thus clearing up more space for centre compartments. There was a cascading two with 5 different bins to help organize and sort your belongings.
I took full advantage of this and the other cargo room. There was plenty of leg room and wider seats for three. Plus a trunk that easily fit a 36inch pizza in box. I was happy to have the 2026 Kia EV4 Wind Premium for that and the ability to save when gas prices continue to soar up to 216.9 and here I was only having to pay under $25 for my week with it.
A little over a month later I revisited the world of Kia’s EV with a week in the 2026 Kia EV4 GT-Line. The biggest difference between the two is the GT’s focus on a sportier design and elevated comfort, over the mid-tier Wind Premium. This comes with a $3K price difference.
At its exterior while both trims ride on 19-inch wheels, the GT-Line features sportier, aggressively styled body elements and gloss-black trims on the bumpers, wheel arches, and mirrors. The Wind Premium utilizes a blend of machine-finished wheels and more subtle, matte-black plastic elements on the lower fascia.
The GT-Line adds ventilated front seats, and a sport steering wheel, while the Wind Premium relies on matte black lower grilles and a slightly more understated aesthetic with its synthetic leatherette seats. The GT-Line has ventilated front seats for warmer days and a dedicated “driver relaxation” seat.
Both versions share the identical powertrain configuration—an 81.4 kWh battery driving a single front-mounted electric motor that produces roughly \(201 \text{ hp}\) and \(209 \text{ lb-ft}\) of torque.
