Kia has finally given its EV3 flagship the pace to match its price tag. The new GT-Line AWD adds a second motor, 45kW and 102Nm over the front-drive version, cutting the 0-100km/h time from 7.9 seconds to 6.6, for a $2,540 premium and barely any hit to range.
Kia Australia has confirmed a GT-Line AWD flagship for the EV3, its small electric SUV. The new dual-motor variant completes the local EV3 range and arrives in dealerships from September.
Priced at $66,490 before on-road costs, the GT-Line AWD sits $2,540 above the existing GT-Line FWD. That gets buyers a second motor, a genuine step up in performance, and a suspension and brake package tuned specifically for Australian roads.
Pricing and Variants
The GT-Line AWD runs the same 81.4kWh Long Range battery as the rest of the upper EV3 lineup. Where the single-motor GT-Line makes 150kW and 283Nm from its front motor alone, the AWD combines front and rear motors for a combined 195kW and 385Nm.
That lifts the 0-100km/h claim from 7.9 seconds to 6.6, at a cost of just 4km of WLTP range: 559km against 563km. Everything else on the GT-Line spec sheet carries over unchanged, from the 19-inch alloys and Harman Kardon stereo to the heated and ventilated front seats, dual 12.3-inch displays, and V2L power outlets front and back.
| GT-Line FWD | GT-Line AWD | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (excl. on-roads) | $63,950 | $66,490 |
| Power/Torque | 150kW / 283Nm | 195kW / 385Nm |
| EV Range (WLTP) | 563km | 559km |
| Combined Range (WLTP) | N/A | N/A |
| Battery | 81.4kWh Long Range | 81.4kWh Long Range |
| Standard Inclusions | 19-inch alloys, Harman Kardon 8-speaker audio, dual 12.3-inch displays, heated/ventilated front seats, V2L, head-up display | Same as GT-Line FWD, plus bespoke suspension and steering tune and larger brakes |
| 0-100km/h | 7.9 seconds | 6.6 seconds |
The Powertrain Upgrade
Until now the GT-Line has actually been the slowest EV3 in the range. All FWD variants share the same 150kW motor, but the heavier GT-Line’s claimed 7.9-second sprint trails the entry Air Standard Range’s 7.5 seconds. Paying the most for an EV3 meant getting the slowest option.
The AWD fixes that, a rear motor joins the existing front unit and the combined outputs make the GT-Line AWD the quickest EV3 on sale, at least until Kia decides what to do with the EV3 GT.
A second motor does more than add outright pace too. Splitting torque across both ends of the car rather than pushing all of it through the front wheels, typically pays off in wet weather and on loose surfaces, not just in a straight line.
Sales Context
EV3 is Kia’s fourth EV nameplate in Australia arriving in March 2025 well behind the flagship EV9 and mid-size EV6, and following the more affordable China-sourced EV5. It’s also become the volume seller of the group by some margin. Kia has pitched the model from the outset as a way to pull buyers away from cheaper Chinese-brand electric SUVs, and a genuine dual-motor flagship gives that pitch a proper halo model to point to.
June 2026 was its best month yet. Kia sold 821 examples, enough to lead the VFACTS “small SUV over $45,000” segment outright for the month, ahead of the BMW X1/iX1 (605) and Mercedes-Benz GLA (374).
Across the first half of 2026, EV3 volume sits at 2658 units, up 130.5% year on year. That’s just behind the BMW X1/iX1 (2669) for the half, and a couple hundred units off Kia’s own EV5 (2951). A dual-motor flagship gives Kia another reason for buyers to trade up rather than cross-shop.
The Competition
The closest direct rival is Volvo’s EX30 Twin Motor Performance, the only AWD variant in that range. It makes 315kW and 543Nm, claims a 3.6-second 0-100km/h time and costs $71,290 before on-roads, for a WLTP range of around 417km.
The Kia gives up outright speed to the Volvo by a wide margin, but claws back close to 140km of range and undercuts it by nearly $4,800. The GT-Line AWD isn’t trying to be a pocket rocket. It’s a more usable, longer-legged alternative in a segment that has mostly chased outright performance numbers.
What’s Next
Kia’s confirms the GT-Line AWD but says nothing about the higher-performance EV3 GT, the 215kW, 5.7-second variant revealed overseas in January. Its absence here raises real doubts about whether it ever arrives in Australia given how close the GT-Line AWD now sits to it on paper.
One gap remains on the spec sheet regardless of price. There’s still no surround-view or 360-degree camera on the flagship EV3, just a single rear-view unit with dynamic guidelines, a shortfall reviewers flagged on the outgoing GT-Line and one this new AWD version hasn’t fixed.
Kia Australia hasn’t detailed exact order-bank timing beyond the September dealer start. Anyone chasing the quickest EV3 available should keep an eye on what happens with the GT: if it turns up here after all, this AWD variant won’t hold the pace record for long.
