Kia targets families with this mid-sized electric SUV, the EV5. Jonathan Crouch drives it.
Ten Second Review
Kia gets more serious about the mid-sized part of the electric SUV market with this car, the EV5. This five-seat EV model is visually striking, practically configured and ready to impress you with some clever interior design touches.
Background
It's about time that Kia brought us a conventionally-shaped electric mid-sized family SUV. The Korean brand's had a car in this segment since 2022, the EV6, but it's a bit of a stretch to classify that as an 'SUV' and it's clearly not a car for the kind of adventurous lifestyle a 'Sport Utility Vehicle' is supposed to epitomise. Which is where this car, the EV5, comes in.
Visually, it's clearly related to Kia's largest electric vehicle, the EV9, but unlike that car and the EV6, it uses a less sophisticated 400V architecture. Globally, Kia produces two kinds of EV5, a Chinese model and a slightly differently-engineered Korean design - which is the one Europe gets. The brand reckons this car will 'redefine its genre' with some clever design touches. Let's take a closer look.
Driving Experience
Europe gets the Korean-built variant of this model, which has a different battery package to the alternative Chinese-built EV5. Our version sees a front-mounted 214bhp motor with 295Nm of torque matched to a large 81.4kWh battery, the only one on offer. Performance feels right for the kind of family SUV this is and can be brisk when you need it to be. Select the sharpest of the provided drive modes - Sport (the others are Eco, Normal, MyDrive and Snow) - and 0-62mph takes 8.4s en route to the modest 102mph maximum. Drive like that though and of course you'll never get anywhere near the quoted EV range, rated at 329 miles.
As you'd expect, all EV5s have a regenerative braking system, operated by steering wheel paddles and including a 'one pedal' driving setting, which notably slows the car off-throttle, though not as fiercely as the similar systems employed by some rivals. You'll be using this primarily in town, where the light steering, supple suspension and glassy body make the EV5 a pleasant companion.
Beyond the city limits, you will of course appreciate the lack of steering feedback rather less, but you can still place the car precisely, there's plenty of traction and the red-themed 'Sport' mode even tightens the seat bolsters to better hold you in place through the turns. Despite that, as we've already suggested, this Kia doesn't take particularly kindly to being thrown about, so we can't really see much point in considering the top dual motor GT version, which has 302bhp and makes 62mph in 6.0s. You can have a de-tuned version of the same powertrain in a 261bhp AWD model.
Rather than speed though, it's better to concentrate on the things this EV5 does well - and one of them is noise suppression. As a result, highway refinement is impressive and long distances are further aided by the standard semi-autonomous Highway Driving Assist tech.
You wouldn't expect to go very far off road in a lifestyle-orientated electric mid-sized electric SUV of this type - and thanks to just 167mm of ground clearance, you won't go very far off piste in this one. But the 1,200kg braked towing capacity figure is better than you might expect.
Design and Build
Unlike the EV6, this EV5 has a traditional two-box SUV profile and looks very much like an EV9 shrunk in the wash. You'll recognise the quite aggressive 'Tiger Face' front end from its larger sibling and the evolved 'Opposites United' chunky design language. The wide stance and broad shoulder line might be familiar too and Kia reckons the pushed-back D-pillars with their angular character lines emphasise this EV5's 'family-friendly practicality'. The wheels are pushed right to the corners to maximise interior space and there's an extended rear roof spoiler to aid aerodynamic efficiency. Particularly eye-catching at the front is the three-dimensional 'Signature Star Map Lighting' formed by the daytime running light signature. Wheel sizes are between 18 and 19-inches.
The interior design approach is based around Kia research findings suggesting that modern millennial families view the interior of their electric SUV not only as a travelling place but also as an extra 'room' to live their life in. Hence the spacious up-front vibe with its carefully chosen materials and 64-colour variable mood lighting that co-ordinates with the drive modes, dims in low-light conditions and alerts the driver if the speed limit is exceeded.
As usual with modern Kias, there's a twin 12.3-inch front screen set-up, plus a separate 5-inch climate control panel. Physical buttons have largely been banished from the fascia but there are four hard keys concealed in the dashboard below the infotainment monitor. Kia offers a selection of seat options clad in recycled PET and bio-leather fabrics - with cooled relaxation functions fitted to the top model.
It's a pity that two signature EV5 interior features haven't made it here; the front bench-style seat you get on versions of this car sold in China; and the clever swivelling seats of the original concept model. But quite a lot of clever stuff is in evidence. The rear seat can fold fully flat, allowing the rear of the car to be used for camping. And there's a rear storage area that can keep your food hot or cold. Plus there's a 'Multi Table luggage board' that can be folded out into a table for impromptu picnics.
Rear seat space is generous for two adults, particularly when it comes to headroom. And out back, there's a 566-litre boot with the seats up, which can be expanded to 1,650-litres when the 60:40-split fold rear seats are flattened. In addition, there's a 44-litre under-bonnet 'frunk'.
Market and Model
Expect EV5 prices to start from around £39,000 for the entry-level 'Air' model, but think over £42,500 for mid-range 'GT-Line' trim and around £47,000 for the highest 'GT-Line S' spec. At least you'll get plenty of kit for that. The 'GT-Line' trim most will choose comes with power-adjustable front seats, heated rear seats, a wireless charging pad, a smart powered tailgate and Vehicle-2-Load capability (allowing you to charge external devices from the car's drive battery).
If you can stretch to top 'GT-Line S'-spec, then you get the real niceties; 'Premium Relaxtion' front seats that recline fully backwards and are ventilated; a Harmon Kardon premium sound system; a 360-degree parking camera; an openable panoramic sunroof; and a Blind-Spot View Monitor camera system on the instrument screen. Unfortunately, you'll need 'GT-Line S' trim to be able to pay Kia extra for a heat pump - to preserve EV range in cold conditions.
Across the line-up, convenience and safety are further enhanced with features like the 'Kia Digital Key 2' set-up and advanced parking assistance systems. Advanced driver assistance features like 'Highway Driving Assist 2' and 'Remote Smart Parking Assist 2' (where you can stand outside the car and park it remotely) add an extra layer of technology to the ownership proposition.
Cost of Ownership
What about charging? Well this EV5 model's EV6 stablemate was the Kia EV to offer the ultra-fast-charging 800V infrastructure that larger Hyundai Motor Group E-GMP-based models helped to pioneer. Disappointingly, that set-up's not been fitted to the EV5, so there's no chance for this Kia to replicate the kind of really quick DC charging speeds we're now starting to see in this segment. The 400V architecture delivers an unremarkable 150kW DC charging speed figure, which means that the 10-80% DC charge time will take the class-normal 30 minutes. There's a Battery Conditioning Mode that can optimise battery temperature when heading to a fast-charging station. This can be manually activated or can work automatically linked to GPS data.
Kia says you can AC charge to home from 10-100% in 7 hours 15 minutes, but that's only if you've an 11kW wallbox using a three-phase supply. A more normal 7.4kW single-phase AC wallbox needs 11-13 hours to do the same thing. Unfortunately, only the top 'GT-Line S' derivative gets the option of a heat pump to maintain these mileage figures during winter, a clever fourth generation multi-valve system that not only draws in ambient heat from outside air to aid the climate system but also combines this with recovered waste heat from the electric motor. Kia claims this is a world first. As with other recent Kia EVs, there's vehicle-to-load functionality (allowing you to power devices from the car's battery). And vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capability (allowing you to return un-needed charge energy for use in your home or back to the National Grid).
Summary
There are so many cars on sale in this segment that any fresh class entrant simply has to set itself apart with clever design. It will be interesting to see whether the market thinks there's quite enough of that in evidence here to make this EV5 really stand out. The auspices are good in that the larger EV9 has sold quite well for Kia; being able to distil the essence of that car into this more affordable segment can only be a good thing.
It does all leave you wondering where all this leaves Kia's EV6, which from launch was always marketed as a mid-sized SUV crossover. We're disappointed that the EV5 doesn't feature the super-rapid charging-capable 800V system from that car. But otherwise, it's probably a better all-round family choice. And yet another very impressive Kia.
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