In 2021, I named the KIA EV6 as my Car of the Year, and the EV9 was in the mix last year. Now comes the EV3, a midsize B-SUV, and with my year-end fast approaching, it's definitely on the shortlist.

KIA just know how to do electric, and while this car will have multiple competitors - the Renault Megane E-Tech, Smart #1, Volvo EX30, CUPRA Born, and Volkswagen ID.3 - it genuinely is a match for any of them.

KIA is No.5 on the list of bestselling brands here, with 9,150 cars sold this year, the bestseller being the Sportage, and the EV3 is sure to consolidate that position.

As I mentioned last week, there are plenty out there who admire the EV6 but, especially for the older among them, it's too big for their needs, and at entry level probably too expensive also. That's why this car really has appeal.

It is smaller, and less expensive, with pricing starting at €36,790. It still feels roomy and airy, with boot capacity of 460 litres, expandable to 1,252 litres with the rear seats down, and also comes with a 25-litre frunk, perfect for storing the charging cables. Front legroom is 1,060mm, with 950mm in the back seats.

For many, the big attraction will be range. On the smaller Standard 58.3kWh battery, the WLTP figure is 436km, while the bigger Long Range battery, at 81.4kWh, which was in my test car, delivers up to 605km.

As I always warn, you're not going to get that if you're at a constant 120kph on the motorway, but anyone whose driving is exclusively in the city really shouldn't need to charge the battery to full capacity more than once a fortnight.

Acceleration from 0-100kph in the cars is, respectively, 7.5 and 7.7 seconds.

Inside, you get a triple panoramic display, with 12.3-inch driver information panel, a dedicated 5.3-inch touchscreen for climate control, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen for navigation and infotainment, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

Coming soon, you can add in-car entertainment packages from Soundcloud, Disney+, Amazon music, You- Tube, and Netflix, handy if it is pouring rain and you can't bear to watch another school soccer match. In-car payment will also be offered, meaning you won't have to leave the car to pay for the likes of parking.

If this is the main car of the family, and you have adult children, you never need worry about physical keys, as you can share seven digital versions, which allow all to lock and unlock the car, and to start the ignition, from their phones.

This works even when the phone battery is dead. As is the case with previous KIA models, you can also use the vehicle-to-home function to keep the lights on in the house during power cuts.

Of course, none of this impressive tech would matter a jot if the car was a dog in the design department but, for my money, it's an absolute looker, especially in the blue of my test car seen here. Not a colour I normally would go for, but the black wheel arches and door inlays really give it a lift.

As for the cabin, the recycled upholstery fabric is bright and crisp, the seats are really comfortable, and the pièce de resistance is headrests in front that are as soft as cushions. Honestly, resting your head on a long drive, they feel like your head is nuzzling a cloud.

Pricing starts at €36,790 for the Earth 2 trim with the smaller battery and 17-inch wheels, rising to €42,840 for Earth 3 with the bigger battery and 19-inch wheels, and €47,190 for the test car, which has all the Earth 3 features plus GT-line alloys, black GT-line exterior, GT-line interior, power adjustable sunroof and smart power tailgate.

The launch offer includes 0 per cent APR finance, with repayments from €186 per month, a €500 SuperValu gift voucher, and a free home charger.

The KIA Charge plan for the public network costs a base €4.99 a month on the advance plan, allowing for harmonised charges of 50c/ kWh at any speed, with providers ESB, EasyGo, and ePower, with Ionity also to hopefully be added to the mix.

All in all, the EV3 is a great addition to KIA's electric range of cars. It has lots of tech, safety and entertainment, it looks the business, and above all, it offers a calming, quiet driving environment. Will it be my Car of the Year? You'll have to wait until next Saturday to find that out!