Kia PV5: The potential to be VANtastic?

With the PV5 on its way to market and Kia targeting 250,000 sales of its new van line by 2030, the company has already confirmed it will launch two new models over the next four years – PV7 in 2027 and the PV9 in 2029. But all eyes are on the PV5 as the car manufacturer’s first foray into vans.
Kia is promising up to 16 variants of the PV5 across the Passenger, Cargo and High-Roof configurations, providing ranges of up to 258 miles and 30-minute fast-charging capability. As for price, the Cargo version starts from just £27,645 plus VAT (before the plug-in van grant is applied) and the Passenger version from £32,995, both undercutting the prices of similarly specified vehicles from competing brands. As yet, UK specification is still unconfirmed with many of the reviews you’ll see already online based on European versions. They highlight the spacious interiors and eyebrow-raising pricing, balanced with mixed feelings about driving performance, some aspects of the interior build quality, and the vehicle’s ability to handle different road surfaces. Of course, we’ll reserve our judgement on how the vans actually perform until we get the chance to drive and test them filled with passengers and cargo, and on various types of road. Until then, let’s peruse the new information.

The Passenger model of the PV5 will be available with a 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh battery, the largest of these providing up to 256 miles of range, and fitted with a motor capable of outputting up to 120 kW and 250 Nm of torque.
The Cargo version, meanwhile, will be available with a 43.3 kWh, 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh battery, the largest of these providing up to 258 miles of range, and fitted with the same motor as the Passenger version.

The Passenger version features what Kia is claiming to be the lowest floor in its class, a sidestep height at the sliding doors of 399 mm and, with the second-row seats folded down, up to 3,615 litres of cargo volume.
The Cargo version has a rear step height of just 419 mm, and a cargo volume ranging from four cubic metres in the ‘Standard’ (L1H1) model up to 5.2 cubic metres in the ‘High Roof’ (L2H2) model with enough room for two Euro pallets. A Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) variant of the PV5 has also been developed.

PV5s feature a 7.5-inch instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and a 12.9-inch central screen. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity is almost certainly included.

At present, the PV5s will feature Motorway Driving Assist, Smart Cruise Control, High Beam Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist and Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist, among other systems not yet confirmed.

The truth is… we don’t know. The company has said that mass production of the PV5 Passenger and Cargo (Long) models is already underway in Korea, with additional variants already scheduled to roll out.

With a potential range of 258 miles, the PV5 will eventually be sitting pretty near the top of our best electric vans by range article. You can find more like this in our vans content section alongside our huge range of reviews, news, guides and advice articles.