Kia EV4 GT Teased as the Golf R’s Upcoming All-Electric Rival

Kia has published the first official images of its upcoming all-electric hot-hatch, the Kia EV4 GT.

Korean automaker Kia has just published the first official images of its upcoming all-electric hot-hatch, the Kia EV4 GT. Set to debut later in 2026, the performance version of the EV4 was shown with a special camouflage wrap while hiding a more potent underpinning than its non-GT twin.

Truth be told, the grey and neon green camouflage wrap does not really hide much of its appearance, as we can see that the EV4 GT stays close in shape to the existing EV4 GT-Line, plus some subtle changes.

This includes the vertical intake slits on the lower front bumper, new diamond-cut alloy wheels with neon-painted brake callipers, a more aggressive GT rear diffuser with an F1-style central vertical LED light cluster, and many more. That said, Kia has yet to publish any interior photos of the new EV4 GT, but reports have suggested that it will get sporty bucket front seats with contrasting neon accents.

Beyond the visual updates, the most important upgrades for the EV4 GT lie beneath its sharp exterior design, as it is expected to pack a peppier dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) setup that will reportedly produce up to 400 hp. Previous rumours also suggested that the EV4 GT will adopt the same simulated manual shifts and an artificial rev limiter used on its hotter cousin, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

That said, power is said to be drawn from the same 81.4 kWh battery pack used on the long-range FWD variant of the standard EV4, but no range figures were given, at least for now.

To go with its peppier motor setup, the EV4 GT will also receive a sportier chassis tuning, including a stiffer suspension and a quicker steering ratio for a livelier response and improved driving dynamics. Again, not many details were shared regarding this, but it is good to see Kia taking the development of its GT model seriously, rather than just doing a badging exercise.

As mentioned earlier, the new Kia EV4 GT is set to make its market debut later in 2026, where it is set to be the all-electric alternative to other popular AWD hot-hatches like the Volkswagen Golf R, Toyota GR Corolla, and Audi RS3 Sportback. Once it debuts, the EV4 GT will be part of Kia’s new performance all-electric GT lineup, which currently includes both the EV6 and EV9 GT.