Australia's cheapest electric vehicles are a "puddle" filled with Chinese challenger brands and "we don't want to go back there", says Kia

Kia has no interest in entering into the battle to deliver Australia's cheapest electric vehicle, instead vowing to deliver value to its customers, no matter the sticker price on its vehicles.

Australia's three cheapest electric vehicles are all from Chinese brands – the MG4, BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora – and all list at a hyper-competitive sub-$40k starting price for their entry-level models.

It's a price point that, so far, is yet to be matched by Australia's more established models. And it's a battle that Kia in Australia will look to avoid, suggesting its days of challenger-brand battles are long behind it.

Instead, Kia says its name recognition, brand values and legacy in Australia will combine to create value for consumers.

"We will always compete,” says Kia Australia CEO, Damien Meredith.

“But if you’re developing your brand – and we’ve put a lot of work into that – and getting great product, if you can easily translate that to the customer that this is still great value, like the EV9, then do you really want to play in the puddle that is $30,000, or $25,000?

At a recent EV Day, the brand unveiled the EV4 and EV3, which will further lower the cost of entry to a Kia electric vehicle.

"You just need to make those decisions if you want to play in that price point. If you can stay at $40k-$50k, $50k-$60k, and there’s still value, that’s what we’re looking at.

"If something becomes available, like a smaller EV that’s $40k, we’ll have our hand up for it. But you need to be cautious. We’ve worked hard on getting our brand up, and you need to keep looking at that."

Kia's EV portfolio currently spans three vehicles, the Niro, the EV6 and EV9. A Chinese-manufactured EV5 will launch in Australia next year, bringing the brand's tally in Australia to four.

A Chinese-manufactured EV5 will launch in Australia next year.

But with a plan to launch an electric vehicle at least per year, and a lot of numbers below '5', Kia insists it isn't leaving the affordable market behind, while making the distinction that value doesn't mean cheap.

At a recent EV Day, the brand unveiled the EV4 and EV3, which will further lower the cost of entry to a Kia electric vehicle.

"Kia Australia is heavily invested in the global strategy, and we’ve got out hand up for as many (EVs) as we can get our hands on," says the brand's product planning boss, Roland Rivero.