Kia Carens Clavis EV 5000 Km Review: The Final Pros & Cons

The Kia Carens Clavis is the one car which I’ve spent the most amount of time with. First it was two months with the diesel, then two months with the turbo-petrol, and the final three months were with the Kia Carens Clavis EV. 

After spending that much time with it and driving it for over 5000 km, which included both city and highway runs along with a few small trips, I can easily say that the electric is the best version of the MPV, but it is not perfect.

PRO 1 - A Practical Family Car

Out of all the things that are required of a good family car, space and practicality are one of the most important aspects. The Carens Clavis makes sure that you get the most of it. I’ve used the Clavis on solo drives as well as with my family and friends. I took it to Mumbai on multiple occasions, where my entire family sat in the car, occupying all seats. Me and my father in the front, my mother, aunt and uncle in the second row, and my sisters in the last row. All of them had enough space to sit comfortably, no one complained about headroom and legroom, and even my sisters in the last row had enough space to sit comfortably for an hour or two of city commutes.

On the practicality front, there were no complaints either. Enough storage spaces for everyone in the car, and two type-C charging ports in every row, made life easier for everyone. I only with the second row had cupholders in the centre armrest.

Lastly, dropping my parents off to the airport required me to carry their suitcases in the car. Since they visit Mumbai once a year, they bring a lot of stuff for me and my sisters, and do a lot of shopping while in Mumbai. This means they carry one large and one cabin-sized suitcase each, along with small bags. Thankfully, with the Clavis EV, I didn’t have to worry about that. I folded the third row, got a large flat bed, and loaded their suitcases.

The boot lip being slightly high did require me to put more effort into loading the suitcases, but there was more than enough space left even after putting four suitcases in the boot. There’s a small frunk as well which I used to keep the charger.

PRO 2 - Enough Performance, Good Comfort

Today, most EVs give you the feeling of driving a really fun sports car simply because of the instant torque and the amount of power you get with electric motors. The Kia Carens Clavis EV, on the other hand, is a little different. Yes it does have instant torque and yes there is more than enough power for your commutes, but that power and torque are there to support a very heavy car. When I used to drive the Clavis EV in the city, the instant torque did help me with quick overtakes, but the power delivery was always linear. It was never sudden or surprising. 

This removes any fun or exciting behavior you associate with electric cars, but at the same time, it makes Clavis EV easier to drive. Because there is no surprising acceleration it also becomes friendlier for somebody who's new to electric cars. During my experience, the Clavis EV never felt dull or sluggish. I always had enough power. I never had to think twice before performing an overtake and getting to triple-digit speeds was never an issue. 

The performance you get with the Clavis EV is more than enough for your regular commutes, whether it's in the city or on the highway. But if you want a little more fun, you can use the sports mode for a slightly better throttle response. 

The other important aspect of a family car is ride comfort and the Clavis EV makes sure that you are not left disappointed. While driving on pothole-filled roads of Mumbai and Pune, with a full load, it made sure that the movement inside the cabin remained limited. Even on sharper bumps the suspensions absorbed the impact very well and gave a cushioned blow rather than any sudden movement. This made sure that all the passengers I had in the car remained comfortable regardless of the terrain. Yes there is some side-to-side since it is a big car, but because the battery is placed on the floor, the lower center of gravity reduces the body roll even more.

This makes the Clavis EV a very comfortable family commuter, and that’s one of the reasons why my family likes the MPV so much. This, and the other reason, is its low running cost.

PRO 3 - Low Running Cost

When you buy an EV over its petrol or diesel counterpart, you have to pay a price premium since EVs are more expensive compared to their ICE versions. But if you have a high running, you drive on the highways a lot, then it does not take you a lot of time to recover that premium and that is where the low running cost comes into play. When I used to charge the Clavis EV in the office, a full charge would cost me around Rs 700, which would bring my running cost to Rs 1.70 per km. At fast charging stations where the cost of electricity is higher, the running cost would be around Rs 3.5 - 4, depending on where you're charging; but this is still significantly lower than what you get with diesel or petrol. 

When I had the diesel Clavis, my running cost was around Rs 6 - 6.50 and with turbo petrol, since the fuel efficiency is much lower, the running cost would go up to Rs 9  - 10 per km. This difference in running cost adds up over time and helps you recover the extra price premium you paid for the electric version and it also makes your daily commutes more affordable. 

But if there is one thing that I would have wanted the Clavis EV to have, it is a bigger battery pack, and this leads me to the first and maybe the only major Con. 

CON 1 - Needs More Range

When we had the Clavis EV, we also had the Creta Electric. Since both these EVs have the same battery packs and electric motors, we decided to do a range test, and here is what we found out. After driving both EVs from 100% to 0%, the Creta Electric managed to do 416 km while the Clavis EV only did 373 km. The reason for the difference of around 40 km is the additional weight of the Clavis EV since it is longer and has two additional seats. And this is why I think that the Clavis EV should have gotten a bigger battery pack. 

During the course of my long-term period with the Clavis EV, I had to do a road trip from Pune to Goa and back, and initially I wanted to take the Clavis EV. But after the results of this range test I decided to take the Creta Electric instead, simply because of the 40 additional km I'm getting. 

This difference of 40 km might not seem like a lot, but it adds to range anxiety, it makes you stop for another charge, it increases the cost of your trip compared to the Creta Electric since both have the same battery pack, and it increases the time you spend on the road because you have to stop for an additional charge. 

A car which is meant to be a people mover should get a battery pack big enough to offer a real world range of over 400 km, and I hope Kia adds a bigger battery pack later.

CON 2 - Small Issues

Apart from this there are no major cons with the Clavis EV but there are two small issues which I found to be a tad bit irritating. First is the touchscreen. See, there is nothing wrong with the screen itself. It runs smoothly, the icons are large enough for you to understand, and the user interface also looks pretty neat, but at this price point Android Auto and Apple CarPlay should have been wireless, not wired. 

Because it is wired I had to purchase a USB-A to USB-C cable, which had to be kept in the car at all times. There was always an additional wire dangling in my center console, and if you have used wired Android Auto, you know that even the smallest bump can move the wire and disconnect it. Also, Kia does offer a wired to wireless adaptor, which I have used in my personal car. And after a few days, it started giving me connection issues, so I had to stop using it.

The second con comes in the rear seat, where the rear seat passengers do get a center armrest but the armrest does not have any cup holders. There is a tray behind the front passenger seat which has a single cup holder, but that also does not have a base so you cannot keep anything that is cylindrical. You can only keep conical coffee cups, but that's not something you will always be carrying. 

So, cup holders in the center armrest or a base for the cup holder in the tray would have been a nice addition. Also, the tray is only behind the front passenger seat and it should have been behind the driver's seat as well. 

Verdict

If you want to buy a comfortable, modern, feature-rich, and spacious seven-seater that is electric rather than petrol or diesel, then the Kia Carens Clavis EV is truly a product which can take care of most of your needs. 

Yes, it does have a little less range, a few issues which I’ve pointed out, and the performance is not fun and exciting like most EVs, but other than that, it will make sure it offers the best space and comfort you and your family can get the price, and won’t give you any hassles in the long run.

Date of arrival: March 7, 2026

Kilometers on arrival: 4233 km

Kilometers till date: 9449 km

Positives: Spacious, Practical, Comfortable, Low Running Cost

Negative: Slightly Less Range, Only Relaxed Driving Experience