This is an EV I like. That statement should say it all, because as some of you know, I am generally not a big fan of electric vehicles. But if I had to, the Kia Syros is one of the few EVs I would opt for.

In my view, the Kia Syros EV is well-designed with both flair and good looks. It’s got the range and performance to take on both crowded urban roads and long highway drives. It’s compact but spacious, and comfortable enough for four adults and it also has adequate luggage space for out of town trips. All of this makes it a practical choice. But what I like even more is its user friendliness, and it’s fun and youthful character.  And if that is not enough, it’s packed with features, including some very useful ones like ventilated seats both at the front and rear. The rear seat slides and can be reclined too.

Kia first launched the Syros in India in February 2025, in its fossil fuel powered avatar and now the EV version has been introduced. But look closely at the Syros and it becomes obvious that its entire styling, suits the battery powered format more than the fossil fuel burning one. And in my opinion, maybe that is why it’s adventurous and unconventional exterior design did not go down so well with consumers in its traditional petrol and diesel powered avatar.

But now Kia has the opportunity to reposition the Syros EV as a completely new, born and meant to be electrical vehicle. It definitely looks the part, and some smart communication could make Indian consumers also look at it with a much more open, and willing to accept its avant-garde design, mindset.

I loved it the moment I saw it, and now with the battery-driven powertrain; I fancy it even more and think it’s beautifully “Dressed for the Occasion”. So what exactly do I like about the design and styling. Several things actually. I appreciate the fact that the designers have been adventurous and taken a somewhat atypical approach for the design and styling.

EVs don’t need a grille as there is no IC engine that requires a radiator. And therefore the Syros EV does not have a proper grille and the broad and flat bumper extends till the bonnet, with just a thin insert acting as a separator in between. This results in a flattish and somewhat uncommon face, but it’s one that I like. The placement of the lights at the corners of the bumpers also increases the plain area, and this much bare space, I guess can take some getting used to.  To offset the impact of this flat area there is a lot of contrasting black body cladding below the bumpers and even on the side to add some muscle and give a rugged appearance.

The good thing about the flattish design, is that it also works in favour of interior space and volume. The Syros is also wider and taller than most other sub 4 meter vehicles and due to this; the interior is more spacious and has more headroom, legroom and shoulder room than expected. Yes, it’s definitely roomier inside, than its compact exterior dimensions suggest.

The designers have also done well in giving the Syros large windows and slightly elevated seating, due to which you have excellent frontal and side view. The large panoramic sunroof adds to the sense of “airiness” and it’s because of this large glasshouse that I really enjoyed being inside the Kia Syros EV. This open atmosphere in the cabin will also be appreciated by those who get claustrophobic.

And I think Kia will be well advised to make every visitor to their showrooms sit inside the Syros to appreciate the view of the outside, from the inside. Maybe they could even create a mini forest around where the Syros is displayed and put up models of birds, etc, so passengers sitting inside can appreciate the view.

The boot space is also good (390 litres to 465 litres), depending on the position of the sliding second-row seat, and I like the cabin design and layout too. The Syros is packed with features and though I am not a big fan of digital displays, I must say its panoramic one has good graphics and various options of display styles to suit most tastes. And though it’s an EV, it’s not overloaded with unnecessary graphics and information, and the displays are reasonably easy to read and follow.

One other stand out aspect is the ease of ingress and egress. The door opening and seat height, along with the not so high floor, make getting in or out easy and the aged, or those with hip or knee problems, will appreciate this. The flat bottom steering wheel also makes getting in and out of the driver’s seat easier and provides more vacant space above your knees or thighs, while driving or turning the steering too.

What I don’t like are the flush-fitting door handles, a design element that is getting increasingly common and popular. These handles are inconvenient as you have to first push for them to pop out, and then pull to open the door. Their slots or openings also have a tendency to accumulate dust and looks shabby whenever you pull open the handles. Honestly, these handles are not at all user friendly and I think manufacturers should rethink them.

Now let’s look at the performance part. The Kia Syros EV comes with two different battery packs a 42 kWh (135 bhp) and 51.4 kWh Extended Range (171 bhp), with both producing 255 Nm of torque. The 51.4 kWh one has an ARAI certified range of 526 km, while the 42 kWh one’s range is 443 km. In real life conditions and depending on where and how you drive, you can expect the range to be 50 to 100 km less.

Kia held the test drive of its Syros EV on the outskirts of Bangalore, and when I drove it to the famous Nandi Hills, what truly impressed me was the smooth and linear power delivery. The three driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport are also nicely tuned and though sport is well sporty, the acceleration is not like that of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun. Unlike most EV engineers who revel in thrilling drivers with the surge (sometimes uncontrollable) of instant torque that batteries and electric motors offer, the engineers at Kia have fortunately taken a more mature approach and the power goes to the wheels in a regulated manner. Despite this the 0 to 100 acceleration time is about 8 seconds, which is respectable and more than adequate. But since the electric powertrain makes the interior quite silent, the trade-off is that you can hear the wind noise, even at moderate cruising speeds.

At around 1550 to 1580 kg, the Kia Syros EV weighs about 200 kg more than its diesel (1350 kg) driven sibling. Kia has worked on the suspension setup and retuned it to deal with this additional mass, and as the battery weight is positioned low in the flooring, the Syros EV rides better than its siblings. It feels even more assured at speed and though normally one would say that the additional weight is a handicap, in this case the engineers at Kia appear to have put it to good use.

As a result, the Kia Syros EV is stable at speeds with predictable handling and steering response. The braking is assured too and what I like is that it has paddle shifters, which allow you to manually adjust the levels of regenerative braking on the move.

The prices of the Kia Syros EV range from Rs 13.49 to Rs 20 lakhs and they also offer a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) programme. What I find interesting though is the warranty – which is 15 years with unlimited kilometres or mileage for the first owner, but this not applicable for commercial vehicles like taxi, fleet, etc. For the second owner – battery warranty is 8 years or 1, 60,000 km, whichever comes earlier. Now that is quite a difference and obviously those that buy the Syros EV and keep it, get the best deal on battery warranty. And obviously Kia is not offering unlimited mileage for taxi and fleet, because those fellas do put on a lot of mileage in a short time.

So is the Kia Syros EV worth buying. In my view, yes. Especially if you want a funky looking, fun and easy to use, practical EV with a good number of useful features. And what distinguishes it from other EVs is that it does not try too hard to be different, just because it runs on battery power. In fact once you turn it on and start driving, its feels so familiar and effortless, that its normalcy wins you over. So yes, I will say- go get plugged in. This EV won’t shock you.