2027 Kia EV3 GT-Line AWD Priced for Australia: Dual-Motor Flagship Lands at $66,490, 559km WLTP and 6.6-Second 0-100

Image credit: Kia Australia

Kia Australia has locked in a fifth EV3 grade, and it is the one buyers have been asking about since the small electric SUV first landed here. The GT-Line AWD Long Range is now priced from $66,490 before on-road costs, first cars in showrooms from September 2026. It sits $2,540 above the FWD GT-Line, adds a second motor at the rear, keeps the same 81.4kWh battery, and only gives up 4km of WLTP range to do it. Kia has thrown in bigger brakes and a bespoke Australian suspension and steering tune, which is the part that matters if you actually plan to drive one hard.

For anyone comparing small electric SUVs on our directory this week, this is worth stopping to look at. The 6.6-second 0 to 100 puts the EV3 GT-Line AWD in the same window as much dearer performance EVs, the AWD grip solves the Kona and Atto 3 winter-drive gripe most owners quietly have, and the price still holds it under the fuel-efficient LCT cap. That last point matters for anyone considering a novated lease.

Full EV3 pricing after the AWD addition

The GT-Line AWD Long Range slots in above the FWD GT-Line as the new top of the EV3 range. Every other grade holds its RRP. All figures below are before on-road costs and match Kia Australia's current price list.

What the second motor buys you

The AWD car takes the same 150kW front motor as the GT-Line Long Range and adds a rear motor, lifting combined system output to 195kW and 385Nm. Kia claims 6.6 seconds for 0 to 100km/h, down from 7.9 on the FWD GT-Line. It is not a hot-hatch outright number, but it is a genuine second-and-a-bit quicker to the highway limit, which is where most cross-shopping happens.

More importantly, WLTP range holds at 559km. The FWD GT-Line Long Range is 563km, so the AWD gives up just 4km after adding a whole extra motor. That is a strong result and speaks to the E-GMP platform's efficiency. Battery capacity, DC and AC charging speeds and the 800-volt architecture carry over unchanged from the rest of the Long Range EV3 line.

Standard equipment

GT-Line AWD kit largely mirrors the FWD GT-Line. Standard gear includes 19-inch alloy wheels, LED projection headlights, an electric sunroof, synthetic leather trim, a 10-way power driver's seat with memory, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, dual-zone climate with rear vents, dual 12.3-inch displays paired with a dedicated 5-inch climate strip, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, and an eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system.

Kia's newer ccNC infotainment stack runs on both, along with over-the-air updates and a digital key you can share to compatible Android phones. The AWD adds one visual signal, a subtle badge on the boot lid, but Kia has resisted the temptation to slap fake vents or extra body cladding on the flagship. It looks like the GT-Line does, which is exactly right for a car sitting under $70,000.

Chassis: this is why the AWD matters

Kia's engineering teams here have signed off a dedicated ride, handling and steering tune specifically for the GT-Line AWD, on top of the general Australian program the FWD EV3s already run. The AWD also picks up larger front and rear brakes, which is the honest response to a heavier, faster car. The two additions together suggest Kia sees this as more than a token AWD variant, more the true driver's pick of the EV3 lineup.

The FWD GT-Line Long Range already reviewed well on Aussie tarmac, so a rear motor plus bigger stoppers and a fresh damper tune should sharpen the car in the two areas we noticed it needed help, corner exit traction on wet council roads and pedal feel under heavy braking. If you plan to buy an EV3 and drive it enthusiastically, this is the one to test.

Safety

The Kia EV3 wears a five-star ANCAP result awarded in 2025 under the 2023 to 2025 protocol. Kia Australia is expected to carry the rating across to the AWD variant on the same build. Standard driver-assist tech includes Highway Driving Assist 2, Smart Cruise Control with stop-and-go, forward collision-avoidance assist with junction turning and crossing detection, lane-following and lane-keep assist, blind-spot collision-avoidance assist, safe exit assist, rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist, driver attention warning with a camera-based fatigue check, and Remote Smart Parking Assist. The full safety kit list matches the FWD GT-Line rather than being trimmed back on price.

How it stacks up against the small electric SUV field

Almost every rival in the small electric SUV bracket is front-wheel drive only. The BYD Atto 3 starts at $39,990 before on-roads for the base grade, MG's S5 EV opens at $42,990 driveaway, the Geely EX5 begins at $41,990, and the Renault Megane E-Tech FWD sits at $54,990. None of those give you AWD off the showroom floor today. The BYD Atto 3 EVO AWD is on the horizon for second half of 2026 but has no pricing yet. The Hyundai Kona Electric Premium Extended Range is FWD-only from $59,990 driveaway.

For a like-for-like cross-shop with an all-paw electric SUV that has the same E-GMP DNA, the Kia EV5 GT-Line AWD is currently the closest thing at $71,770 before on-roads, which puts the smaller EV3 GT-Line AWD $5,280 cheaper. A Subaru Uncharted is $59,990 and comes standard with dual-motor AWD, and it produces a bigger 255kW combined, but its 522km WLTP range trails the EV3's 559km by 37km. See our full EV3 vs Atto 3 breakdown for the pre-existing FWD-only match-up.

Warranty and servicing

Kia Australia sticks with a 7-year unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty plus 7 years or 150,000km on the high-voltage battery, which is longer than Tesla's 4-year car and 8-year battery mix and matches Hyundai's five-plus-eight in a simpler single number. Service intervals sit at 12 months or 15,000km. Kia's current capped-price plan runs at $688 for the first three years and $1,308 for five years on the EV3, which is one of the cheapest scheduled service plans on any new car on sale here right now.

What this means for buyers

Looking across the electric small SUVs listed on CarSorted, the EV3 GT-Line AWD at $66,490 comes out at the top of the segment on price, but it is the only one delivering more than 550km of WLTP range and dual-motor AWD in the same package. If you cross-shop it against the FWD-only BYD Atto 3 Premium at $47,499 or the FWD-only Hyundai Kona Electric Premium Extended Range at around $59,990 driveaway, you are paying an $8,000 to $19,000 walk for the second motor, the local tune and the extra range. For a Melbourne, Sydney or Canberra buyer who drives in wet conditions half the year and wants a proper 550km-plus real-world highway car, that gap closes fast.

The FBT novated lease angle is arguably even more interesting. The GT-Line AWD sits inside the fuel-efficient LCT threshold ($91,661 for 2026-27), which means the fringe benefits tax exemption for eligible battery-electric cars still applies when leased through a novated agreement. On a five-year lease that is worth several thousand dollars in net take-home. Our novated lease guide runs the numbers on how the exemption stacks against a straight cash purchase.

If you want to see the EV3 next to its most obvious cross-shop pair, open our Kia EV3 vs Hyundai Kona Electric comparison, or dig into the small electric SUV field on our directory. And for buyers already deposited on the FWD GT-Line, September is the deadline to swap into an AWD build slot if you want the extra motor and the reworked chassis without waiting again.

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