2025 Red Dot Award-Kia EV3 Wins Best of the Best

SEOUL - Kia Corporation’s compact electric SUV, the EV3, has been awarded the prestigious ‘Best of the Best’ honor at the 2025 Red Dot Award: Product Design in the Automobiles and Vehicles category. This significant achievement follows the EV9’s 2024 win and the EV6’s 2022 victory, further reinforcing Kia’s global leadership in electric vehicle (EV) design, innovation, and sustainable mobility solutions.

The Red Dot Award is one of the most prestigious international design competitions, honoring excellence in product design, communication, and design concepts. The ‘Best of the Best’ is its highest distinction, awarded only to the most groundbreaking designs.

Celebrating Purposeful Design

Karim Habib, Executive Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design, emphasized the dedication behind the EV3’s development:

"It is a tremendous honor to receive the 2025 Red Dot 'Best of the Best' design award for the Kia EV3, especially after the success of the EV9, winning the same award last year. The award is a reflection of the passion and dedication of Kia Design, as well as all our global colleagues, to bring relevant and meaningful mobility solutions to our users."

He added:"Underpinned by our ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, the EV3's combination of strong architectural graphics, with its faceted and folded surfaces, results in an emotional design derived from logic, while our 10 material solutions ensure that our approach to mobility remains responsible. From the bold, progressive exterior aesthetics to the innovative living-space inspired interior, the Kia EV3 is a thoughtful product that we hope can make the lives of even more customers easier and better."

‘Opposites United’ Drives EV3’s Design

The Kia EV3 embodies the brand’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, which blends contrasting elements to create visually striking and functional vehicles. With a confident silhouette, faceted surfaces, and compact yet robust proportions, the EV3 is designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of EV buyers.

The exterior is defined by broad shoulders, a clean front face with vertical headlamps, and a seamlessly integrated C-pillar and tailgate glass, offering a futuristic, high-tech appearance.

Inside, the EV3 presents a spacious and comfortable cabin with seating for five, a panoramic widescreen display, and a sliding center console with integrated storage—drawing inspiration from modern living spaces and sustainable design.

Red Dot Gala Set for July 2025

The award will be presented at the Red Dot Gala on July 8, 2025, at the Aalto Theater in Essen, Germany. This event gathers leading designers, automotive innovators, and global media to celebrate the year’s top achievements in product design.

Global Impact and Industry Significance

Winning the Red Dot ‘Best of the Best’ for the third time in four years cements Kia’s reputation as a global leader in electric vehicle design. With the EV6, EV9, and now EV3 recognized at the highest level, Kia continues to set benchmarks in the transition to design-led, sustainable mobility.

About the Red Dot Award:
Established in 1955, the Red Dot Award is one of the most respected international design competitions. It evaluates thousands of entries each year and recognizes only the most innovative and impactful designs with its top honor, the ‘Best of the Best’.