Kia EV3 vs Subaru Solterra

Here is the thing that makes this pair worth writing about. The most expensive Kia EV3 you can buy is front-wheel drive, and the cheapest Subaru Solterra you can buy is all-wheel drive. There is no AWD EV3 and there is no two-wheel-drive Solterra. The two ranges brush past each other in a $2,000 window and then head in opposite directions.

Both brands quote recommended retail before on-road costs, so the comparison is like for like. Subaru Australia lists the Solterra AWD at $61,990 and the AWD Touring at $67,990, and its own pricing data flags both as list price rather than drive-away. Kia lists the EV3 from $47,600 to $63,950, also before on-roads. Kia is separately advertising estimated drive-away prices, and at the time of writing they land the Air Standard Range at $46,990 and the Air Long Range at $52,990 drive-away, which is below the list price on both. Campaign numbers move, so check they are still live before you count on them.

Kia EV3 (single-speed, front-wheel drive)

Subaru Solterra (single-speed, all-wheel drive)

Read both tables together and one pattern jumps out: in each range, the cheapest car goes the furthest. The $53,315 EV3 Air Long Range claims 604km, which is 41km more than either of the two dearer Kias, because it rides on 17-inch wheels instead of 19s. The $61,990 Solterra AWD claims 566km against the Touring's 517km, for exactly the same reason: 18-inch alloys instead of 20s. If range is the reason you are shopping, the entry grade is the answer in both showrooms, and that is unusual enough to be worth saying twice.

Both cars carry a current five-star ANCAP rating awarded in 2025, and both ratings run to December 2031. The Subaru is ahead on three of the four category scores.

Two scope details matter more than the percentages. The EV3's rating covers all variants of a car ANCAP records as on sale here from March 2025. The Solterra's rating is narrower: it applies to all variants built from October 2025, and ANCAP says plainly that a separate, earlier rating applies to Solterras built before that. If you are cross-shopping a demonstrator or a used one, check which side of that line it falls on.

The second detail is the one that explains this car's whole existence. ANCAP states that the Solterra's rating "is based on testing of the closely-related Toyota bZ4X", with Subaru supplying technical information and additional test data to show the bZ4X results apply. The Solterra and the bZ4X are the same car underneath, which is why we compare the Kia against the Toyota separately in EV3 vs bZ4X.

On equipment, the two take different routes to the same rating. Both get dual frontal, front side, curtain and front-centre airbags, and the Solterra adds a driver's knee airbag on top, which makes it eight airbags to the Kia's seven. Both run autonomous emergency braking with car, vulnerable road user, junction and head-on coverage, lane keeping, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and safe exit warning as standard.

The clearest gap is cameras. Subaru fits a Panoramic 360 Degree View Monitor plus a Multi-Terrain Monitor as standard on the base Solterra AWD, along with front and rear parking sensors and a parking support brake. Kia's own specification sheet lists no surround-view camera on any EV3 grade, right up to the $63,950 GT-Line. On a car of that price that is a genuine omission, and if you park in tight city spots every day it is worth more than a percentage point of ANCAP score.

Subaru front-loads the Solterra. The base AWD at $61,990 already has heated front and rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel, synthetic leather trim, eight-way power seats for both front occupants with electric lumbar for the driver, a hands-free powered tailgate with kick sensor, a digital rear-view mirror, dual-zone climate with rear vents, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+, satellite navigation, two wireless phone chargers, roof rails, privacy glass and a 14-inch touchscreen. Spending the extra $6,000 on the Touring buys 20-inch alloys, a panoramic glass roof, a 10-speaker Harman Kardon system, ventilated front seats, driver seat and mirror memory, advanced park assist and the 220V/1500W vehicle-to-load outlet.

Kia does the opposite and spreads it out. The $47,600 Air Standard Range gets cloth trim, 17-inch alloys, a six-speaker system and manual seats. Earth adds artificial leather, 19s, a heated wheel, heated and ventilated front seats, a ten-way power driver's seat and a height-adjustable smart power tailgate. Only the $63,950 GT-Line gets the head-up display, the wide sunroof, the eight-speaker Harman Kardon system, the power passenger seat, the memory seat and the full-LED lighting. So the Kia that actually matches the Solterra on equipment is the one that also matches it on price.

Two standing advantages to the Kia, though. Every EV3 runs the same integrated panoramic display, a 12.3-inch driver cluster plus a 5-inch climate strip plus a 12.3-inch touchscreen, where the Solterra pairs its 14-inch centre screen with a 7-inch LCD instrument display. And vehicle-to-load is standard on every EV3, interior socket and exterior adaptor both, where the Solterra only gets a V2L outlet on the $67,990 Touring. If you want to run a fridge or a set of power tools off the car, the cheapest EV3 does it and the cheapest Solterra does not.

The EV3 has one front motor in every grade, making 150kW and 283Nm. Kia quotes 7.5 seconds to 100km/h for the Air Standard Range, 7.7 for the Air Long Range and 7.9 for the Earth and GT-Line, with a 170km/h top speed throughout. The Solterra has two, a 167kW unit at the front and an 88kW unit at the rear making 268Nm and 169Nm respectively, for a combined 252kW that Subaru does publish. What Subaru does not publish, anywhere on its Australian site or in its own specification sheet, is a 0-100km/h time, so we are not going to put a number on it. The power figure speaks for itself.

Range is the surprise: they are effectively level. Subaru quotes up to 566km WLTP for the Solterra AWD from a 74.7kWh CATL battery. Kia quotes 563km for the GT-Line from a larger 81.4kWh pack. A two-tonne all-wheel-drive SUV matching a front-drive small SUV on range, off a smaller battery, is a genuinely good result for the facelifted Solterra. Both are laboratory figures and neither car will see them at 110km/h on the Hume.

Charging is where the Subaru quietly wins. On DC they are a wash: Subaru quotes about 30 minutes from 10 to 80 percent on a 150kW charger, Kia quotes about 31 minutes for the Long Range on a 350kW charger, or about 79 minutes on a 50kW unit. On AC they are not close. The Solterra takes up to 22kW from three-phase and Subaru quotes roughly four hours for a full charge, or about 12 hours on a 7kW single-phase supply. The EV3's onboard charger maxes out at 6.9kW single-phase and 10.5kW three-phase, and Kia quotes about seven hours and 15 minutes from 10 to 100 percent. If you have three-phase power at home, or you rely on destination chargers at work, the Subaru refills roughly twice as fast.

Then there is the part no spec table captures properly. The Solterra runs Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive on the e-Subaru Global Platform with two-mode X-Mode including a new Grip Control function, and 212mm of ground clearance measured at kerb weight. The EV3 has 140mm. That is 72mm, which is the difference between a gravel road being a non-event and a gravel road being a decision. For a lot of buyers this is the entire argument, and Subaru knows it.

WLTP numbers are a lab result, not a forecast. Our range estimator works from battery size and real conditions if you want to see what either car does on your actual commute.

These are not the same size of car, and then the boot result goes the other way to what you would expect.

The Solterra is 380mm longer with 170mm more between the axles, and it spends that on people rather than luggage. Neither brand publishes a legroom figure, so treat the wheelbase gap as the guide and sit in both. What Subaru does list that Kia does not is a reclining rear seat, which on a long drive is worth more than a few millimetres either way. Both cars get second-row air vents.

The boot goes the other way. Kia prints 460 litres behind the EV3's rear seats to Subaru's 421 litres, and the Kia adds a 25-litre frunk for cables that the Solterra does not have. Kia also gives you a luggage board with two height settings, so you can choose depth or a flat load lip. Subaru does not separately publish a seats-folded figure for the Solterra, so we are not quoting one. Winning a boot comparison from 380mm less car is a real piece of packaging work by Kia, and it is the single most counterintuitive number on this page.

Weight is the other one. The EV3 Long Range's 1,930kg tare is only 70kg under the Solterra's 2,000kg, despite being a segment smaller. Big batteries are heavy, and the Kia carries the bigger one.

Around town the smaller car is easier: 10.4 metres of turning circle against 11.2, and 380mm less to thread into a car park. Out of town the Subaru is the more capable machine, with 1,500kg of braked towing against 1,000kg, a 150kg tow ball limit against 100kg, and a tow bar that Subaru lists as an accessory rather than standard equipment. Note the EV3 Air Standard Range drops to just 500kg braked, so if you tow anything at all, the Standard Range is out.

Kia covers the EV3 with seven years and unlimited kilometres, and backs the high-voltage electric vehicle components for seven years or 150,000km. Subaru covers the Solterra for five years and unlimited kilometres, but the high-voltage battery gets eight years or 160,000km. So the Kia gives you two more years on the car and the Subaru gives you an extra year and 10,000km on the single most expensive part in it. Which one is worth more depends entirely on how long you plan to keep it.

Servicing splits the same way. Subaru's capped-price program runs five years or 75,000km. Kia's runs seven years, and Kia also sells three, five and seven-year service plans you can pay for up front at purchase. Neither electric SUV will cost much to service by petrol standards. There is no oil, no filters and no exhaust on either.

Running costs favour the Kia on paper. Kia publishes 162 Wh/km combined for the Earth and GT-Line and 149 Wh/km for the two Air grades, against Subaru's 146 Wh/km for the Solterra AWD and 160 Wh/km for the Touring. Those are close enough that the wheel size you choose matters more than the badge. The Solterra's 22kW AC capability is the more useful cost lever, because it makes short top-ups on cheap daytime tariffs practical in a way 10.5kW does not.

Resale is the harder question and the honest answer is that nobody has a clean read on either yet. The EV3 has been on sale here since March 2025 and the updated Solterra only since November 2025, so both are too new for a reliable Australian used-market pattern. Subaru has decades of AU brand equity and a loyal owner base, Kia has the longer warranty transferring to the next owner, and electric SUV values in general have been softer than petrol equivalents. If you want to model what either one is likely to be worth in three or five years, our depreciation calculator is a better starting point than a gut feel.