No matter how good an EV is, it will likely give the prospective buyer some anxiety – range, resale value, warranty, or high upfront price. But with the Syros EV, starting at Rs 13.49 lakh for the 42-kWh variant and Rs 16.99 lakh for 51.4 kWh, Kia has tackled buyer hesitancy head-on, with:
An assured buy-back programme guaranteeing up to 80% resale value after three years.
Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) starting at Rs 7.99 lakh, with battery EMI at Rs 3.3 per km.
Lifetime battery warranty (15 years, unlimited km, for the first owner).
Loaded to the brim
Its tall-boy, boxy silhouette — accented by LED lighting, ice-cube-shaped LED headlamps, and 17-inch alloy wheels — gives it a distinctly modern, if somewhat unconventional, stance. It is a design that will likely split opinion, but there is no denying its road presence.
Inside, there is enough space to play football. The high seating position offers a commanding view, headroom is massive, and ingress/egress is effortless, making it remarkably friendly for elderly passengers. Cabin practicality is complemented by a 16-litre frunk (front trunk).
The top-spec HTX+ Extended Range variant that I tested on highways around Bengaluru is loaded to the brim:
30-inch display panel combining dual 12.3-inch HD screens.
All five ventilated seats.
Smart dashcam with dual cameras, live AQI air purifier, and rear window sunshades.
360-degree camera, Level 2 ADAS, and side parking sensors.
But this feature abundance comes at a cost — the variant I tested touches Rs 19.49 lakh.
Driving dynamics
On the highway, the 51.4-kWh variant impresses with its engineering refinement. Delivering a class-leading 171 PS of power, it propels from 0-100 km/h in just 8.1 seconds, making it arguably one of the punchiest small crossovers on Indian roads.
The driver’s ergonomics are spot-on, with the steering falling naturally to hand. Body roll is well controlled despite the upright stance, and cabin NVH levels are low. It also inherits paddle-shifter-operated regenerative braking with an i-Pedal mode for single-pedal city driving.
Its claimed range is 526 km, and my test model showed a real-world range of 410 km.
The ICE legacy
The Syros EV is solid, but enters the market carrying significant brand baggage. The sales data for the ICE Syros paints a stark picture: after launching in early 2025, sales plummeted from 24,371 units in H1-2025 (January-June) to a meagre 3,301 units in H1-2026, which is a staggering 86.4% drop.
Whether Indian buyers can look past the sharp market decline of the petrol/diesel Syros and evaluate this EV purely on its technical merits is possibly the single biggest hurdle for Kia’s marketing team.
Verdict
The Kia Syros EV is a quick, well-packaged, and feature-packed electric car paired with aggressive ownership plans. It has all the hardware to succeed, but its ultimate market performance will depend on whether buyers can separate this impressive EV from the slow-selling ICE model it shares a name with.
