Kandi K27 First Drive & Review: Is This Chinese EV Worthy Of Hitting US Highways?

Kyle is in Dallas as the first auto journalist to review the Kandi K27. We first take a tour of the Kandi's interior and exterior, then we get it out on the streets to see what it's like to drive.

[robertchow]

Charging gun? Obviously, the owner's manual was written for the US market.

[Miata]

What have we always said that we needed to move the EV revolution forward? Affordable electric cars! If this isn't affordable no new car is.

[hjehje]

Very nice. When I went to university I purchased a new 1978 Honda Civic. Option choice was almost nothing back in those days but I absolutely loved the car. It was cheap, fun to drive., and pretty good in the snow as well. It came with cheap tires which were hard and rough riding, so that was easily remedied by a trip to my local Michelin tire dealership. This little car feels like the electric reincarnation of my little Honda. I can't wait to see more of these type of vehicles on the market.

[billsmith]

This satisfied my curiosity as to what kind of product it is. Seems like a good starter EV/errand car not just for city folks but retirees too. Pleasantly surprised on how decent it appears to be.

[afterburner]

THis really remind me of kei cars in Japan. That'd be so perfect for commuting or getting around in the burbs. I mean the price is a steal after federal tax credit. I just wish Kandy would sell them here in Europe as well and directly compete against the Dacia Spring (which has still no pricetag yet, as of Nov 2020). The battle of the cheap Chinese EVs would be awesome.

[CNCBuddy]

I'm firmly in the high school / college student camp on this car. It's not something I would want to drive but the negatives for it are positives for that scenario. Car doesn't go real fast: I never wanted my kids to drive at 90 anyways. Short range/Slow Charging: Long enough to get around town but frankly they aren't road tripping in the car anyway. The straight positives for young people are low maintenance costs (convincing my kids to get oil changes was always a struggle), low operating costs (electric versus gas), super easy to park and if it gets a few little fender benders, oh well. The true negative for me is how would it do in a crash when Doug DeMuro runs them over with an electric hummer. I wonder if in the first production runs they've put in larger battery packs for reviews or excellent initial word of mouth. Not normally used to hearing 50ish EPA range converting to 100ish real world range. The other option could be they oversized the battery and instead of hiding the over provision. I think Kyle should have the Inside EV team buy him one in bright yellow and put a bud vase since this sure looks like a modern VW bug.

[PilotEJ]

We need cars like this to pressure other manufacturers to start rolling out AFFORDABLE EVs soon, not in 20 years!! Good review 👍

[waltersgasolinemuseum]

I love the honesty in this.. makes me much more confident in the product. the fact the guy WILL POINT OUT FLAWS.. tells me its quality

[pinkelephants]

I disagree that this is probably only going to be an 'accessory' car for most people. If you want to drive electric, don't have a large budget, who's average commute is only around 35 miles per day (round trip), then why do you need more? Why buy a big long range EV who's battery pack capacity you'll only take advantage say, 1-2 times a year? Why not buy a Kandi if it fits most of your needs and hire a longer ranger EV for road trips? You'd save an enormous amount of money on purchase price and insurance costs and not have the headache of high monthly car loan repayments. People need to get over the idea that we need to drive a big heavy tank to pick up the kids, the groceries or the daily commute. Our urban conurbations are becoming evermore crowded so smaller vehicles that meet our *true* needs makes sense.

[tonys]

Nice video, Kyle! This is the perfect running errands, second car; you don’t even need a level 2 EVSE.

[grubermotorcompany]

Kyle - As always, highly informative, great scoop - We are all waiting for this game changer EV, and while I am at it - watch the stock - KNDI go through the roof.
Pete

[rtfazeberdee]

Good to see it demolishes the bad quality claims

[madbad]

This is a nice review uno, unbiased and so natural. Great presentation!

[TallPaul]

Could you do a similar review of the K23 model? I would love to hear your impressions.

[wcg]

Kyle, I love your enthusiasm for EVs and open mindedness. For EVs to take off, we need luxury cruisers, family vehicles and low priced options.

[loktom]

Make a pickup truck version of this for the urban flower garden ladies and small wood workshop for the gentleman.

[NotFinancialAdvice]

Never have to worry about flat tires caz it comes with 4 spares already on it.

[markcornwall]

The 2020s successor to the imiev has arrived, and thats a good thing.

[guanda]

Got to get an anti-glare screen protector. Hopefully will solve the glare issue.
I totally agree that we should have more practical yet nice designs, low cost EV.
Less stress for the environment and my wallet too. Makes me feel great.

[denniss.mowers]

This is great. I am a Chevy Spark owner and I love my no-frills tiny car. My biggest criticism with EVs is many of them try too hard to be all fancy and premium to the point where the price of a normal car ends up being around $40, 000. I’m glad to see that there’s options for EV cars for younger people and people who are just looking for a cheap, local driving car.