Fresh from its recent arrival as Kia’s first electric hatchback and its first European-made EV, the EV4 lands on our long-term fleet. Simon Harris nabs the keys.

P11D price (BIK): £39,380 (3%)  Range: 362 miles  Claimed efficiency: 3.9mpkWh  Test efficiency: 3.3mpkWh

Are hatches making a comeback? Of course they never went away, but they have appeared to be less visible as the number of taller SUVs has increased in the last 20 years.

And, of course, when it comes to EVs, the expectation of a premium price of SUVs – as well as more convenient packaging for a battery under the floor – has made them a slightly easier way to accommodate the cost of a large lithium-ion battery in the price.

But as the car industry has grappled with demand for more EV range, alongside the impact on cost and kerb weight of adding ever-increasing capacity to batteries, the reality is that the more aerodynamic an EV is, the greater potentially available range there is, relative to a taller, less sleek car with the same hardware.

Enter the Kia EV4, as the brand’s Volkswagen ID.3 and Vauxhall Astra Electric rival, available in hatchback five-door (as supplied to us) and Fastback four-door.

It adopts Kia’s rather angular look for its EV range, and while the jury is out on whether these sharp looking lines are handsome or merely dramatic, but the car certainly stands out.

In entry-level Air specification, and with a 58kWh battery, it squares off against the Astra and its 54kWh battery. Meanwhile, the 81kWh battery version – standard in GT Line and GT Line S grades – gives it extra potential to rival EVs – such as those within Volkswagen Group brands – that are offered with longer range battery options.

The entry-level EV4 Air is priced at around the same level as the Vauxhall Astra Electric Griffin, while our 81kWh GT Line is there or thereabouts with a Volkswagen ID.3 Match Pro S.

The GT Line is fitted with 19-inch wheels, sports styling kit and rear privacy glass, and inside has two-tone artificial leather seats, with heating and electric adjustment in front. A few decent stowage areas make it an acceptable family car, with a small upper and large lower area in the centre console. Luggage capacity is up to 435 litres with the rear sears in place (the boot floor has a movable platform that can be placed at load-lip height or lower), and 1,415 litres with them folded.

Maximum power is 204hp, with a torque output of 283Nm – more than adequate for a family hatchback – and delivers performance more akin to the old Kia Ceed GT.

On a good day, the EV4 is reckoned to achieve 3.9mpkWh on the WLTP combined cycle, but we’re still in the midst of winter at the time of writing, and an indicated range of just under 300 miles, and energy consumption of 3.3mi/kWh is more typical.

But it’s early days, and we expect this to move closer to the official figure as spring advances.