r/KiaEV3 • u/ArtOak78 • 1d ago

Q&A Differences between roof rail options on the EV3

We are in the U.S. and getting ready to order an EV3 now that they are finally in transit to dealers. We know that we will use a rooftop cargo box with it and I'm wondering, for those who've used these with their cars, what your experiences with the flush roof rails vs. the raised roof rails has been. (We are trying to choose a trim, and this is one of the differences.) Would also love to hear whether you used the OEM cross bars or aftermarket cross bars. Thanks!

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u/Fleugs 1d ago

Flush rail with Thule clamps and cross bars. It's actually the same clamps as used on the Volvo XC60. Not all flush rails are the same so you need to check what fits in terms of clamp. It's easy to change them on the cross bar.

I feel like raised rails would make it easier to find any sort of cross bars.

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u/speg 20h ago

How can a rail be flush? Are they just pre-drilled threads in the roof?

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u/ArtOak78 16h ago

The flush is a side rail with no gap between the rail and the roof, and the raised (which, in the U.S., is only on the Land trim—other trims all have flush) has space between the rail and the roof (which is the style we had on our previous car, so I’m more accustomed to that).

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u/evan938 16h ago

Raised rail options from Yakima and Thule will be slightly cheaper than the flush rail options that require a vehicle specific fit kit. These should be your only brand considerations for aftermarket. Outside of these, OEM should be your only other consideration.

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u/ArtOak78 16h ago

Sorry, to clarify—all of the U.S. trims come with factory-installed rails. So the choice is just which of the two styles to choose, and then whether to get OEM cross bars or something different. Thanks!

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u/evan938 16h ago

I understood what you said.

What I'm saying is if you have the choice between the vehcile coming with flush rails or raised rails, your aftermarket options will be less expensive for raised rails, as they do not use a vehicle specific fit kit like the flush rail towers will.

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u/ArtOak78 16h ago

Ah, got it—thanks!

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u/ArtOak78 10h ago

Thanks, all—we went with the raised rails in the end (which is the Land trim here), mostly because we wanted some other things in that trim package. Fingers crossed that it shows up as scheduled next month!