The Kia Syros is a small Hyundai-based EV we want
Kia Philippines has been going all out with its electrification push. Other than its hybrid offerings, the Korean automaker also currently offers the fully electric EV5 and EV9, and is confirmed to be introducing the EV3 and PV5 as well.
If there’s one battery electric vehicle (BEV) from Kia that isn’t confirmed for our market (yet) but is getting our attention, it’s the Kia Syros which was just unveiled last month, based on the Hyundai Inster.
The original ICE-powered Kia Syros is based on the Hyundai Casper and was first introduced in India where it’s built back in 2025, offering gasoline and diesel powertrains. Both the ICE and BEV versions of the Syros are planned for export to the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East markets, but we’ll focus on the BEV for now.
It comes with two electric powertrain options. The first produces 135 horsepower and 255Nm of torque, paired to a 42kWh lithium-ion battery that provides 443km of range on a single charger. The second option increases output to 171 horsepower, and is paired to a larger 51.4kWh battery that provides up to 526km of range.
Charging the battery from 10 to 80% can be done in 39 minutes through CCS2 DC charging, or from 10 to 100% in four hours to four hours and 50 minutes through Type 2 AC charging.
Size-wise, the Kia Syros EV measures at 3,995mm long, 1,805mm wide, and 1,670mm tall. This puts it in a similar size category as the popular BYD Seagull, and the GAC Aion UT, among other small BEVs available in our market. Kia has also done a lot to set it apart from its Hyundai counterpart.
The exterior wears Kia’s signature Opposites United design language, featuring their Star Map LED front lighting and Tiger Nose front fascia. The vertical headlights are placed low, there’s a lot of black plastic body cladding for a rugged effect, and the taillights are L-shaped, wrapping around the rear windshield.
The interior is familiar Kia with a sleek dashboard that makes heavy use of horizontal lines, and holds two screens for the driver and infotainment system into one housing, albeit in a smaller package. Despite its small dimensions, it supposedly can still fit a total of five occupants including the driver.
It’s also still fully loaded with features such as leather seat upholstery, the aforementioned screens which measure at 12.3-inches each, a five-inch climate control screen, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, ventilated front and rear seats, a 360-degree camera, and even a full suite of advanced driver-assist systems (ADAS).
While the Kia Syros EV is only available in right-hand drive (RHD) for now, its planned export to the ASEAN gives our market a chance to receive it, perhaps as an entry-level BEV. Do you think Kia Philippines should launch this in our market? We’d like to say yes because it looks genuinely eye-catching and may work in our market.
