Kia Carens Clavis EV Long Term Report: Month 3 - Space, Stress & Scrutiny

January turned out to be the busiest month yet for the Kia Carens Clavis EV. After covering roughly 500km over the previous two months, the odometer jumped by nearly 2,000km in January alone. This spike came from long highway runs over the Republic Day weekend and frequent use by colleagues who borrowed the car for its space and ease of use.

That space — especially in the third row — remains the Clavis EV’s standout strength. The rearmost seats were used extensively by adult occupants, and there were no complaints about knee room, headroom, or comfort. This was also evident during our comparison test with the Mahindra XEV 9S, featured elsewhere in this issue.

However, the month also raised a genuine concern. Braking performance feels weaker than before, with noticeable brake fade under harder use. Given the heavy reliance on regenerative braking, pad or disc wear seems unlikely, but the issue needs investigation and will be checked by Kia. For now, it’s a concern worth flagging.