Free Food, Free Drinks, and the World Car of the Year (Kia EV3), But …

You’d have thought the Kia EV3 “launch” by a local car dealer at a prestigious sports club would have attracted Aussie car buyers like flies! However, Majella and I attended and were surprised by how few people showed up. The event had been well advertised on Facebook. We were met at the door and issued our wristbands and a choice of beverages. Majella had red wine; I had a beer. Waiters circulated constantly with trays of “yummies.” All very upmarket, befitting the World Car of the Year.

As announced at the 2025 New York International Auto Show, the Kia EV3 has been officially crowned as the 2025 World Car of the Year. Globally, Kia sold 22,000 EVs in 2024 (a 74% increase) — 3,610 were sold in Australia.

Behind the sports club, there were four cars on display under spotlights. About 8 sales people and the dealer principal were on hand to answer questions. At times, the number of salespeople almost exceeded the number of enquirers. The cars were gorgeous, the drinks and food were free — where were all the “punters”? Only about 20 members of the pubic showed up. Once again, I was forced to ask — what does it take to sell EVs in Australia?

Perhaps the minimal interested from the public was the reason most of the salespeople spent the evening chatting to each other. Majella went and sat in the car and played with its “bits,” while I engaged with a salesman. His main point of conversation was that the world would not reach “net zero” by 2050 and the main culprits were China and India. The batteries were the main culprit — making way too much pollution during manufacture. I suggested that for a person trying to sell electric cars, that was probably not a good conversation piece. He appeared to double down and give me more of his “opinions” regarding renewables and EVs. Another tried to interest me in a PHEV Subaru.

Meanwhile, Majella was exploring the cars. Three family groups were clustered around the top-of-the-range model — the Kia EV3 GT line. They were attended by 3 salespeople, So, Majella checked out the base model. A salesperson approached her as she sat in the car. “Oh, you’ve turned it on?” he asked, surprised. She had pressed the start button to be able to check out the screens. She explained that it was similar to the EV5 which we had looked at previously. He proceeded to tell Majella about the cars — different ranges, differences in specifications between the models. He explained the process of charging and demonstrated the co-located Ocular charge boxes. He did a great job.

I made sure the staff knew who I was, and handed out business cards, encouraging them to look at the information to be found on CleanTechnica.com. At least 3 salespeople, including the self-styled “big cheese,” offered to contact me the next day to arrange for a 3-day “test drive” of the EV3. Not one has contacted me in the ten days since this event.

One of the sales reps told me she drove an Atto 3, so she had some experience with EVs. The big cheese drives a BYD Shark. “A year ago, I never would have thought I’d drive an electric car,” he said. He finished the anecdote by telling me with pride in his voice that he has only plugged the PHEV Shark in twice since he bought it. He also told us that the dealership will soon be stocking the Deepal EO7 and the electric Foton.

One salesperson told me that the base model Kia EV3 was the same price as a similar petrol version — AU$47,600. However, a quick google search identifies the Kia Seltos as a petrol-powered similar vehicle. The base price of the Seltos is AU$30,000. So, Kia has a way to go yet. The base Kia EV3 sells for the same money as the premium BYD Atto 3. The Kia has seven years warranty compared to the BYD’s 6 years.

You can check out a technical review of the Kia EV3 here.

After chatting with the salespeople and looking at the cars, we settled down with our second drink and had more “horse doovers.” We found ourselves sitting with two couples who were interested in EVs but were fearful of the misinformation that was floating around. Once again, we found ourselves dispelling myths and doing the job which should have been done by the abundant salespeople who were chatting to each other nearby.

One topic of conversation we all agreed on was the fact that we would find the ambient lightning a distraction.

Majella explained and demonstrated PlugShare. I told them of the long trips we had done in our Tesla, despite its six-year-old short range (320 km). They still seemed to think that they had to “go somewhere to charge.” If you have your own battery-powered pump for the tyres, you never have to go to a servo again — unless you have run out of milk or bread in the middle of the night, or you have a desperate need for a chocolate milk and a toasty on the way to an early morning shift.

The Kia EV3 is a beautiful hi-tech driving machine. I would be proud to own one. However, this experience taught me a couple of things. First, sometimes even free beer will not lure people to look at a vehicle. Second, car salespeople still have a lot to learn when it comes to selling an EV — it is not just a car, it is a mindset and an eco-system. It was quite the contrast to the launch of the Tesla Model Y, which attracted hundreds to a warehouse, without even offering free drinks.

We need more education? Who will provide it? I would suggest that sales will lift when we have a concerted effort throughout the buying public: carmakers, dealers, media, salespeople, and grassroots owners telling their neighbours and family. Or perhaps the answer is “Lower your price or offer more for the same money.”