The Kia Carens Clavis is the facelifted version of the Kia Carens that has been around since 2021. It is essentially the successor to the Carens that was also in European showrooms in previous years, but unlike that car, the new Carens is a somewhat SUV-like model. Also, the latest Carens is mainly intended for growth markets, and India is at the top of that list. The Carens Clavis, complete with new Kia design language and Star Map lighting, was already available in gasoline and diesel versions. Now, Kia is adding an electric version for the first time, the first Kia EV to be built in India. And that offers quite an interesting package.
This 4.54-meter-long front-wheel-drive vehicle continues to offer space for seven people. The base version has a 42-kWh battery, which Kia claims provides a range of 404 kilometers. That seems a bit optimistic to us, but it is also measured according to a test cycle that seems more forgiving than ‘our’ WLTP method. The base version has 135 hp and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.5 seconds.
Those who prefer more in all areas can also opt for a ‘Long Range’ version with 51.4 kWh. According to the same cycle, it travels 490 kilometers and sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds thanks to more power. When looking at the charging figures, we do see that money was a theme with these models, because fast charging from 10 to 80 percent is not fast (39 minutes) and the Carens Clavis does not have a three-phase on-board charger either, although that may well be irrelevant in India.
Moreover, we forgive it almost everything when you see the price, because the basic version costs only about €18,000 converted. The Long Range variant is more expensive, but at around €22,500 converted, it’s not too bad either. A possible export version for Europe would of course be a lot more expensive, but even then this could easily be a good alternative to the Citroën C3 Aircross and Opel Frontera. Those are also ‘budget cars’, also seven-seaters and optionally also EVs, only the combination of seven seats and electric powertrain is not available at Stellantis. Isn’t that a nice gap, Kia?