The all-electric Kia e-Niro SUV line-up has been boosted in the UK with the arrival of a new-look three car line-up, incorporating a cheaper version featuring a smaller 39kWh battery and less powerful electric motor for the first time.

Up to now, the e-Niro has only been offered in one specification and with a 64kWh battery, but the new three car line-up follows the trim structure of the hybrid Niro, with ‘2’, ‘3’ and ‘4+’ grade cars to choose from.

The new e-Niro 2 features a new electric drivetrain using a 39kWh battery and a 134bhp electric motor, good for a claimed range of 180 miles on a single charge according to WLTP rules. 0-62mph takes 9.5 seconds and top speed is 96mph. Hooked up to a 100kW charger, a 0-80 per cent recharged takes 54 minutes, while at 50kW, Kia claims a 57 minute recharge to the same level.

It brings the starting price of the model down to £29,595 after the government plug-in car grant. Standard equipment on the e-Niro 2 builds includes an eight-inch central touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, a seven-inch digital instrument panel, a reversing camera, adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors and automatic climate control. 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights, plus black cloth and leather are also included.

The e-Niro 3 is not available with the smaller battery pack, and instead uses a 64kWh set-up feeding a more powerful electric motor rated at 201bhp. 0-62mph is slashed to 7.5 seconds, while top speed increases to 104mph and range jumps up to 282 miles on one charge.