As electric vehicles with improved product quality, such as battery capacity, continue to emerge, compact models lead overall sales. While small internal combustion engine vehicles are noted for their weak output and relative noise, electric vehicles are becoming popular for being quiet and having good output.

According to the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA), 73,511 eco-friendly vehicles were sold domestically last month, an increase of 39% compared to the same period last year. This represents 51.8% of total sales (141,865 units). Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) drove sales with 50,614 units sold last month, while electric vehicles also saw an increase of 62.7% with 21,727 units sold compared to April.

The small sports utility vehicle (SUV) EV3 from Kia. /Courtesy of Kim Ji-hwan.

From January to May, 71,957 electric vehicles were sold domestically. This figure is an increase of 44.7% compared to the same period last year (49,738 units) and marks the highest sales volume in the past five years.

The growth of electric vehicles is driven by the compact car segment. Kia's compact electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) EV3 recorded the highest sales in the passenger vehicle segment, with 10,641 units sold from January to May this year. Since EV statistics have been tallied since last July, direct comparisons to last year are challenging. Hyundai Motor's Casper Electric registered 3,902 units, while Kia's Ray EV saw 3,229 new registrations from January to May.

The small electric vehicle Casper Electric sold by Hyundai in Japan. /Courtesy of News1.

The EV3 and Casper Electric are strategic models launched by Hyundai Motor Group aimed at popularizing electric vehicles. The EV3 long-range model has a driving range of 501 km, and despite its enhanced features, it is priced at 42 million won. The Casper Electric, which includes new functions such as pedal misoperation prevention, starts selling from 29.9 million won.

According to Hyundai Motor, it takes at least 13 months for the new car to be delivered due to its growing popularity both domestically and internationally. With government subsidies and local government subsidies factored in, the actual purchase price of the EV3 falls in the mid-30 million won range, while the Casper Electric is in the 20 million won range.

In the imported electric vehicle market, Tesla's medium SUV Model Y (9,270 units) leads in sales, supported by compact electric vehicles from other brands. BYD's compact SUV Atto 3 sold 1,066 units as of May this year. The actual purchase price of this vehicle, which has been tracked since March, is in the high-20 million won range. Volvo's compact SUV EX30 also sold 807 units from January to May this year.

The new all-electric MINI Countryman. /Courtesy of Kwon Yu-jung.

BMW Group's compact car brand Mini launched three electric vehicles this year: Mini Aceman, Mini Countryman E, and Mini Cooper SE. The three vehicles sold a total of 363 units as of May this year. The actual purchase price of the Mini Aceman E is in the mid-40 million won range. Peugeot's E2008 sold 150 units, making it the best-selling model among Peugeot's offerings.

An industry insider in the imported car sector noted, "Compact electric vehicles are popular because they offset the shortcomings of small internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of output and noise."