Дата публикации: 30-07-2026 07:30:00

Kia has chosen the Syros to be its second mass-market EV for the Indian market. Despite its superb packaging, oddball styling and high initial prices held back the original ICE version against traditional compact SUV rivals. However, EV customers are generally more accepting of avant-garde design, so can the Syros EV find success where the ICE version couldn’t? We drove it in Bengaluru to find out.Kia Syros EV Exterior Design and Engineering - 7/10EV has a slimmer intake above the number plate and a slightly different lower bumper.A game of spot the difference between the Syros EV and the ICE version would prove challenging for the casual observer, so here is the cheat sheet. Up front, the bumper is ever so slightly different, with a slimmer cooling slot above the number plate and minor tweaks to the body-coloured triangular pods that house the LED fog lamps. Apart from the charging port on the front left fender and the shorter roof rails, the profile is unchanged. Crouch down, though, and you’ll notice the battery pack is visible, like it is on the Hyundai Creta Electric. Kia claims ground clearance is 197mm, which is 7mm more than the ICE version. The tri-spoke 17-inch alloys are the same ones that debuted on the ICE car but were discontinued with the facelift. No differences round the back either, save for an EV badge on the tailgate.Split lighting lifts the otherwise bland rear.If you didn’t like the way the Syros looked, the EV isn’t going to change your mind. It is distinctive, though – like a Japanese kei car, only larger and Korean. Its blanked-off fascia looks appropriate on an EV, and the vertically oriented headlights give it a unique look. The cladding lower down on the bumper carries on to the wheel arches, doors and the rear, adding some muscle. Breaking up the large greenhouse are the pronounced B-pillar and the upward kink in the C-pillar, both of which are neatly done. And while the tailgate looks a bit blank, the split lighting – with L-shaped elements framing the rear windscreen and larger units at the edge of the bumper – looks great when lit up.Syros EV Interior Space and Comfort - 10/10Dash layout is identical to that of the ICE version, but it gets the 3-spoke steering wheel from the Seltos.Step inside, and you start to understand why the Syros EV looks the way it does. Space for passengers, their knick-knacks and luggage is abundant. With the EV’s drive selector positioned on the steering column, Kia has re-engineered the centre console to create a lot more storage space. It now has two levels: the top floating portion has a small cubby under the armrest, along with two cup holders with their own sliding cover, while the lower level has a large storage area for a bag or similar items, another cup holder and a wireless charger. The front door pockets are just as accommodating, with room for a couple of bottles and an umbrella.New centre console has a lot of storage spaces.The front seats are supportive and comfortable, with heating and ventilation, along with 4-way power adjustment for the driver. While the dash layout is unchanged, the EV gets the Seltos’s three-spoke steering wheel, but adjustment is still limited to rake and not reach. The EV uses a slightly different colour palette inside: our HTX+ test car gets a smart-looking black-and-off-white theme, the X-Line features a darker black-and-green ambience, while all other trims get an airy light grey-and-pastel-blue theme. While most surfaces are hard plastic, the quality of the materials, fit and finish is top-notch.Front seats are comfy, with heating, ventilation and power adjustment for the driver.The back seat remains a highlight, with plenty of room all around. The floor is slightly higher because of the battery pack, which means thigh support isn’t as good as in the ICE version. However, if you slide the bench back and stretch out, this isn’t much of an issue. A benefit of the raised floor is that it is now completely flat. Ventilation for the seat base carries over, but the backrest still misses out, as Kia says it would restrict its recline angle.Higher floor slightly affects thigh support, but there's ample room to stretch out.Boot space is identical to the ICE Syros at 390 litres with the seat all the way back and 465 litres with it slid forward. The rear seat also split-folds – though not completely flat – to carry longer items. There is a 16-litre frunk too, though it is rather narrow.Kia Syros EV Features and Safety - 9/10Sitting proud on the dash is what Kia calls the Trinity Panoramic Display, comprising two 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment and driver’s display, with a 5-inch screen in between for the HVAC controls. The driver’s display is logically laid out, easy to read and offers some customisation, while the infotainment unit is sharp, snappy and has a clean UI. The EV gets a dedicated tab that shows several parameters related to the battery, range and energy consumption. It can also help find the nearest charger, condition the battery before charging and even set up charging schedules.Handy drive mode button to cycle between Eco, Normal and Sport modes.The infotainment also offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and, on the top trims, powers a superb Harman Kardon audio system with eight speakers, including one on the dash and a subwoofer in the boot. Sunblinds and rear AC vents are standard, while the massive panoramic sunroof features on all but the bottom two trims. Our second-from-top HTX+ also gets an integrated dashcam.360-degree camera is sharp but only available on the top X-Line trim.Overall, the Syros EV is very well-equipped, but some features are available only on the top X-Line variant, including Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera and a household-style three-pin socket in the back seat. Restricting features to the top trim isn’t unusual; however, the X-Line can only be had in Aurora Black Pearl or Matte Graphite, which might not be to all tastes.V2L power outlet under the rear seat.The standard safety suite is robust, including six airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, tyre-pressure monitoring and Isofix mounts. The ADAS suite is also comprehensive, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-keep assist, forward and rear collision avoidance and a blind-spot camera. At the time of writing, the Syros EV does not yet have an official crash-safety rating, but considering the ICE version has a five-star BNCAP rating, a similar result for the EV can be expected.Kia Syros EV Performance and Refinement - 9/10The Syros EV is available with the same 42kWh and 51.4kWh NMC battery packs as the Carens Clavis EV and Hyundai Creta Electric. Here, too, they power a single motor on the front axle, producing 135hp with the smaller battery and 171hp with the extended-range version. Torque is identical on both at 255Nm.Borrows the 42kWh and 51.4kWh battery packs from the Carens Clavis EV.The 0-100kph sprint is claimed to take 8.1 seconds, and though we couldn’t verify this, performance felt brisk on our 51.4kWh test car. There are three drive modes to choose from – Eco, Normal and Sport – with each sharpening throttle response a little more than the last. The initial response in all modes is linear so as not to overwhelm those who aren’t used to the instant torque, but there is a strong shove as you get further into the throttle. Overtaking, then, is quite effortless, even in Eco and Normal, almost never needing a switch to Sport for a quick pass.Initial acceleration is linear, but there is plenty of shove for quick overtakes.The regen braking modes – selected via the paddleshifters – are also very well-calibrated, with a noticeable increase in resistance in each mode and the ability to turn it off completely. Holding the left paddle engages one-pedal driving, which uses regen to bring the car to a full stop. It works quite seamlessly and can be very convenient once you get used to it.Regen modes are well-calibrated, and the i-Pedal function is handy in the city.Refinement is good, too, with no noticeable motor whine making its way into the cabin. It’s so quiet, in fact, that Kia has added a virtual humming sound to warn pedestrians. Since there is no engine note inside the cabin, you do hear a bit more road noise, but at no point does it become intrusive.Kia Syros EV Range and Efficiency - 8/10Claimed MIDC range is 526km for the 51.4kWh battery and 443km for the 42kWh unit. Our short drive didn’t allow us to test these claims, but if the real-world range we achieved in the Clavis EV and Creta Electric is anything to go by, the Syros EV Extended Range should comfortably manage around 400km on a single charge. We will verify this when we have the car for longer.Capable of DC fast charging at up to 100kW.Topping up a depleted battery from 10 to 80 percent is said to take 39 minutes on a 100kW DC fast charger. The same charge using the optional 11kW wallbox charger is said to take almost five hours for the Extended Range and four hours for the Standard Range.Kia Syros EV Ride Comfort and Handling - 8/10The ride on the Syros EV is a touch more absorbent than on its ICE counterpart. Sharp bumps don’t come through to the cabin as abruptly, but there is still an underlying firmness to it. This firmness is there to help body control, but being a tall, narrow car, there is still a fair bit of body roll through the corners. It does feel stable, though, and overall grip is strong.There's plenty of body roll, but it remains stable through the bends.Steering feel is also good, and it weighs up as speeds rise, which helps with high-speed stability. The four-wheel disc brakes are strong, too, bringing the Syros to a confident halt when you drop the anchors. Overall, it isn’t the most entertaining car to drive, but it feels stable and secure at speed while being easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces.Kia Syros EV Value for Money - 7/10Introductory prices for the Syros EV start at Rs 13.5 lakh for the 42kWh version and Rs 17 lakh for the 51.4kWh Extended Range. If you want the fully loaded X-Line, that’ll be a cool Rs 20 lakh. To reduce the upfront purchase cost, a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) scheme is available, with prices starting at Rs 7.99 lakh plus a battery rental of Rs 3.3 per kilometre. To sweeten the deal, Kia is offering a 15-year/unlimited-kilometre HV battery warranty for the first owner, along with an assured buyback value of up to 80 percent after three years.Its pricing means the Syros EV rivals the Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 3XO EV, as well as larger EVs like the MG Windsor and Maruti e Vitara. As such, the 42kWh Syros EV makes for a very compelling option, undercutting its rivals in the sub-four-metre EV space. It is easily the most spacious in this segment and is very well-equipped even in the lower trims. However, its case weakens with the 51.4kWh Extended Range. It is significantly pricier than its immediate rivals, overlapping with the larger-battery versions of the Windsor and e Vitara. While the Syros EV has its merits and even outdoes them in some areas, buyers might find the allure of a bigger car for the same money too hard to resist.

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Kia has chosen the Syros to be its second mass-market EV for the Indian market. Despite its superb packaging, oddball styling and high initial prices held back the original ICE version against traditional compact SUV rivals. However, EV customers are generally more accepting of avant-garde design, so can the Syros EV find success where the ICE version couldn’t? We drove it in Bengaluru to find out.

Kia Syros EV Exterior Design and Engineering - 7/10EV has a slimmer intake above the number plate and a slightly different lower bumper.

A game of spot the difference between the Syros EV and the ICE version would prove challenging for the casual observer, so here is the cheat sheet. Up front, the bumper is ever so slightly different, with a slimmer cooling slot above the number plate and minor tweaks to the body-coloured triangular pods that house the LED fog lamps. Apart from the charging port on the front left fender and the shorter roof rails, the profile is unchanged. Crouch down, though, and you’ll notice the battery pack is visible, like it is on the Hyundai Creta Electric. Kia claims ground clearance is 197mm, which is 7mm more than the ICE version. The tri-spoke 17-inch alloys are the same ones that debuted on the ICE car but were discontinued with the facelift. No differences round the back either, save for an EV badge on the tailgate.

Split lighting lifts the otherwise bland rear.

If you didn’t like the way the Syros looked, the EV isn’t going to change your mind. It is distinctive, though – like a Japanese kei car, only larger and Korean. Its blanked-off fascia looks appropriate on an EV, and the vertically oriented headlights give it a unique look. The cladding lower down on the bumper carries on to the wheel arches, doors and the rear, adding some muscle. Breaking up the large greenhouse are the pronounced B-pillar and the upward kink in the C-pillar, both of which are neatly done. And while the tailgate looks a bit blank, the split lighting – with L-shaped elements framing the rear windscreen and larger units at the edge of the bumper – looks great when lit up.

Syros EV Interior Space and Comfort - 10/10Dash layout is identical to that of the ICE version, but it gets the 3-spoke steering wheel from the Seltos.

Step inside, and you start to understand why the Syros EV looks the way it does. Space for passengers, their knick-knacks and luggage is abundant. With the EV’s drive selector positioned on the steering column, Kia has re-engineered the centre console to create a lot more storage space. It now has two levels: the top floating portion has a small cubby under the armrest, along with two cup holders with their own sliding cover, while the lower level has a large storage area for a bag or similar items, another cup holder and a wireless charger. The front door pockets are just as accommodating, with room for a couple of bottles and an umbrella.

New centre console has a lot of storage spaces.

The front seats are supportive and comfortable, with heating and ventilation, along with 4-way power adjustment for the driver. While the dash layout is unchanged, the EV gets the Seltos’s three-spoke steering wheel, but adjustment is still limited to rake and not reach. The EV uses a slightly different colour palette inside: our HTX+ test car gets a smart-looking black-and-off-white theme, the X-Line features a darker black-and-green ambience, while all other trims get an airy light grey-and-pastel-blue theme. While most surfaces are hard plastic, the quality of the materials, fit and finish is top-notch.

Front seats are comfy, with heating, ventilation and power adjustment for the driver.

The back seat remains a highlight, with plenty of room all around. The floor is slightly higher because of the battery pack, which means thigh support isn’t as good as in the ICE version. However, if you slide the bench back and stretch out, this isn’t much of an issue. A benefit of the raised floor is that it is now completely flat. Ventilation for the seat base carries over, but the backrest still misses out, as Kia says it would restrict its recline angle.

Higher floor slightly affects thigh support, but there's ample room to stretch out.

Boot space is identical to the ICE Syros at 390 litres with the seat all the way back and 465 litres with it slid forward. The rear seat also split-folds – though not completely flat – to carry longer items. There is a 16-litre frunk too, though it is rather narrow.

Kia Syros EV Features and Safety - 9/10

Sitting proud on the dash is what Kia calls the Trinity Panoramic Display, comprising two 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment and driver’s display, with a 5-inch screen in between for the HVAC controls. The driver’s display is logically laid out, easy to read and offers some customisation, while the infotainment unit is sharp, snappy and has a clean UI. The EV gets a dedicated tab that shows several parameters related to the battery, range and energy consumption. It can also help find the nearest charger, condition the battery before charging and even set up charging schedules.

Handy drive mode button to cycle between Eco, Normal and Sport modes.

The infotainment also offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and, on the top trims, powers a superb Harman Kardon audio system with eight speakers, including one on the dash and a subwoofer in the boot. Sunblinds and rear AC vents are standard, while the massive panoramic sunroof features on all but the bottom two trims. Our second-from-top HTX+ also gets an integrated dashcam.

360-degree camera is sharp but only available on the top X-Line trim.

Overall, the Syros EV is very well-equipped, but some features are available only on the top X-Line variant, including Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems), ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera and a household-style three-pin socket in the back seat. Restricting features to the top trim isn’t unusual; however, the X-Line can only be had in Aurora Black Pearl or Matte Graphite, which might not be to all tastes.

V2L power outlet under the rear seat.

The standard safety suite is robust, including six airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, tyre-pressure monitoring and Isofix mounts. The ADAS suite is also comprehensive, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane-keep assist, forward and rear collision avoidance and a blind-spot camera. At the time of writing, the Syros EV does not yet have an official crash-safety rating, but considering the ICE version has a five-star BNCAP rating, a similar result for the EV can be expected.

Kia Syros EV Performance and Refinement - 9/10

The Syros EV is available with the same 42kWh and 51.4kWh NMC battery packs as the Carens Clavis EV and Hyundai Creta Electric. Here, too, they power a single motor on the front axle, producing 135hp with the smaller battery and 171hp with the extended-range version. Torque is identical on both at 255Nm.

Borrows the 42kWh and 51.4kWh battery packs from the Carens Clavis EV.

The 0-100kph sprint is claimed to take 8.1 seconds, and though we couldn’t verify this, performance felt brisk on our 51.4kWh test car. There are three drive modes to choose from – Eco, Normal and Sport – with each sharpening throttle response a little more than the last. The initial response in all modes is linear so as not to overwhelm those who aren’t used to the instant torque, but there is a strong shove as you get further into the throttle. Overtaking, then, is quite effortless, even in Eco and Normal, almost never needing a switch to Sport for a quick pass.

Initial acceleration is linear, but there is plenty of shove for quick overtakes.

The regen braking modes – selected via the paddleshifters – are also very well-calibrated, with a noticeable increase in resistance in each mode and the ability to turn it off completely. Holding the left paddle engages one-pedal driving, which uses regen to bring the car to a full stop. It works quite seamlessly and can be very convenient once you get used to it.

Regen modes are well-calibrated, and the i-Pedal function is handy in the city.

Refinement is good, too, with no noticeable motor whine making its way into the cabin. It’s so quiet, in fact, that Kia has added a virtual humming sound to warn pedestrians. Since there is no engine note inside the cabin, you do hear a bit more road noise, but at no point does it become intrusive.

Kia Syros EV Range and Efficiency - 8/10

Claimed MIDC range is 526km for the 51.4kWh battery and 443km for the 42kWh unit. Our short drive didn’t allow us to test these claims, but if the real-world range we achieved in the Clavis EV and Creta Electric is anything to go by, the Syros EV Extended Range should comfortably manage around 400km on a single charge. We will verify this when we have the car for longer.

Capable of DC fast charging at up to 100kW.

Topping up a depleted battery from 10 to 80 percent is said to take 39 minutes on a 100kW DC fast charger. The same charge using the optional 11kW wallbox charger is said to take almost five hours for the Extended Range and four hours for the Standard Range.

Kia Syros EV Ride Comfort and Handling - 8/10

The ride on the Syros EV is a touch more absorbent than on its ICE counterpart. Sharp bumps don’t come through to the cabin as abruptly, but there is still an underlying firmness to it. This firmness is there to help body control, but being a tall, narrow car, there is still a fair bit of body roll through the corners. It does feel stable, though, and overall grip is strong.

There's plenty of body roll, but it remains stable through the bends.

Steering feel is also good, and it weighs up as speeds rise, which helps with high-speed stability. The four-wheel disc brakes are strong, too, bringing the Syros to a confident halt when you drop the anchors. Overall, it isn’t the most entertaining car to drive, but it feels stable and secure at speed while being easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

Kia Syros EV Value for Money - 7/10

Introductory prices for the Syros EV start at Rs 13.5 lakh for the 42kWh version and Rs 17 lakh for the 51.4kWh Extended Range. If you want the fully loaded X-Line, that’ll be a cool Rs 20 lakh. To reduce the upfront purchase cost, a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) scheme is available, with prices starting at Rs 7.99 lakh plus a battery rental of Rs 3.3 per kilometre. To sweeten the deal, Kia is offering a 15-year/unlimited-kilometre HV battery warranty for the first owner, along with an assured buyback value of up to 80 percent after three years.

Its pricing means the Syros EV rivals the Tata Nexon EV and Mahindra XUV 3XO EV, as well as larger EVs like the MG Windsor and Maruti e Vitara. As such, the 42kWh Syros EV makes for a very compelling option, undercutting its rivals in the sub-four-metre EV space. It is easily the most spacious in this segment and is very well-equipped even in the lower trims. However, its case weakens with the 51.4kWh Extended Range. It is significantly pricier than its immediate rivals, overlapping with the larger-battery versions of the Windsor and e Vitara. While the Syros EV has its merits and even outdoes them in some areas, buyers might find the allure of a bigger car for the same money too hard to resist.

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