2025 (26) Kia PV5 120kW Essential Long Range 71kWh 5dr Auto

Kia's PV5 Passenger aims to shake up the market for big five or seven-seat MPVs. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

It's about time a brand took a completely fresh look at the market for big van-derived five or seven-seat people carrying MPVs. Which is exactly what Kia has done with this all-electric PV5 Passenger model. Turns out that EVs of this sort can be cheaper, more spacious and cleverer.

Background

If you want big full-electric MPV with five or seven seats, you can either have something very van-like (most models in this segment are clearly LCV-derived). Or pay more for something quite avant-garde in the form of the Volkswagen ID.Buzz. But what if you could get a bit of both - and at a very affordable price? That's the thinking behind this car, Kia PV5 Passenger Sure (like the ID.Buzz) it shares its design with a van, but a very trendy-looking one, the PV5 Cargo. And it's been created in every way for passenger practicality. Mindful of the target audience, Kia even turned to Uber for help in its design. Sounds intriguing. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

The PV5 Passenger sits on a 'commercialised' version of the E-GMP.S electric platform the Korean brand uses for its family EVs. Drive comes from a single front-mounted electric motor with 161bhp and there's a choice of two battery packs. Things kick off with the standard range 51.5kWh unit we tried, which offers up to 183 miles. You might though, want to stretch to the larger more usable 71.2kWh long range battery pack, which is capable of taking the PV5 up to 256 miles. The steering's light but refinement's excellent. You'll feel pot holes and speed humps, but not as much as in most rival van-based MPVs. Manoeuvrability around town is easy thanks to the glassy cabin. On the open road, performance is adequate, this standard range 51.5kWh version making 62mph in 12.8s, a figure the long range 71.2kWh model improves to 10.7s. Maximum speed for both versions though, is limited to just 84mph. Once you locate the drive mode button (it's at the base of the curiously-shaped two-spoke wheel), you can activate three different drive mode settings (Eco, Normal and Snow); and there are four brake regen options. Towing capacity is rated at 750kg for the standard-range version or 1,500kg for the long-range model.

Design and Build

This PV5 Passenger model has a slightly boxier profile than its PV5 Cargo van counterpart - and obviously a huge amount more glassware has been added to the sides of the vehicle. Equally obviously, the Cargo's side-hinged rear doors have been replaced on the MPV by a top-hinged tailgate. This model is clearly LCV-derived, but the commercial version's quite fashionable design means you might not mind that so much. This Passenger model is based on the long body / low roof L2/H1 PV5 body shape. Inside up-front, there's quite a utilitarian feel, but you'd expect that in a practical MPV and all versions are well equipped with part-synthetic leather upholstery, LED cabin lighting and a reversing camera. The driver's instrument display you view through the thin-rimmed steering wheel is quite small (7.5-inches) with the centre screen decently large (12.9-inches), the latter running an Android operating system. The seat beside the driver can be removed to create an extra multi-storage area. The second row seats are spacious and there's generous elbow space, leg room and head room. The second row has USB ports and can be fitted with foot rests and heated seats. Plus there's cupholders in the floor console, as well as coat hooks. Both five and seven-seat variants are being offered. With the five-seat version, up to 1,320-litres of boot space is available, rising to 2,315-litres with the second row folded. It's the seven-seat version that forms the basis for the factory-produced Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle model. This differs from a lot of its rivals with a side-entry approach (lots of other WAVs force you to wheel chairs in from the back, which is very inconvenient in tight parking spaces). The side-entry format works via a third row tip-up seat, with the chair then placed in the area in the middle of the vehicle where the second row would normally be. There's also a 300kg-rated access ramp and a bespoke belt-fastening system to help keep the wheelchair firmly secured on the move.

Market and Model

The PV5 Passenger was launched in the five-seat form we tested but can also be had in seven-seat form. Pricing from launch and at the time of our test in Spring 2026 started from just £33,000 for a five-door model with the standard range 51.5kWh battery, five seats and base 'Essential' trim - but you can deduct an available £1,500 government Electric Car Grant from that figure. For reference, that's about £4,000 less than the cheapest Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric; and it's almost half the cost of a similarly-sized Volkswagen ID.Buzz. There's also a plusher 'Plus' version of this Kia if you want more kit, which is the version you have to have to get the optional heat pump. Kia also offers a factory-made WAV wheelchair accessible variant based on the seven-seat model with side entry and a ramp. If you want some of the cargo-carrying capacity of the alternative PV5 Cargo van but still need to be able to carry up to five people, bear in mind that the brand also offers a PV5 Crew model - basically the Cargo van in L2/H1 form with a fold-out second seating row that reduces cargo space from 3.7 to 2.4 cubic metres. Across the PV5 Passenger range, the Korean maker includes lots of standard kit; auto LED headlights, rain sensing wipers, all-round parking sensors, heated mirrors, a reversing camera and twin sliding doors. Inside, there's part-synthetic leather upholstery, automatic air conditioning, LED cabin lighting, a 7.5-inch driver's display and a 12.9-inch touchscreen navigation system running an Android Automotive operating set up with wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. A base 'Essential' model comes with 16-inch steel wheels, but the plusher 'Plus' version adds alloy rims, along with heated seats, a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate, powered front seats, a wireless 'phone charger and 'Utility Mode' vehicle-to-load charging so you can power external devices from the vehicle's drive battery. The PV5 achieved a four-star Euro NCAP rating. Safety features fitted as standard across the line-up include a Forward safety autonomous braking system, Driver Attention Warning and lane assist. The 'Plus' version adds adaptive cruise control and Blind Spot Monitoring, the latter useful on a car this large. PV5 Passenger is sold by Kia's new network of commercial vehicle dealers - there are currently around 50 of these in the UK, with 60% of them being new stand-alone outlets.

Cost of Ownership

Unlike Kia's mid-sized car EVs, there's no 800V electrical infrastructure, so this van can't use the very fastest ultra-rapid chargers springing up around Europe. Connect up to the charge port in the nose (thoughtfully illuminated at night) and it DC-charges at up to 150kW which, to give you some perspective, is better than the feeble 100kW of a Vauxhall Vivaro Electric but some way off the 200kW figure you'd get from a much pricier Volkswagen ID.Buzz. At a reasonably fast DC public charger, battery replenishment in this Kia can be completed from 10-80% in under 30 minutes. What about AC charging at home? Well if you've only a single-phase 7.4kW wallbox, a full charge will need about 7 hours with the standard range battery - or about 10 hours for the long range version. If you've an 11kW wallbox with a three-phase supply, a full charge will need about 5 hours with the standard range battery - or about 7 hours for the long range version. The PV5 Passenger comes with a standard seven year/100,000 mile warranty, matching other models in Kia's passenger car line-up. In addition, a separate eight year warranty covers the high voltage batteries. The front and rear bumpers are each divided into three segments so that they can be replaced more cheaply. Insurance is rated at group 25 for the standard range model - or group 29 for the long range version. Residual value predictions suggest a depreciation rate of about 50% after three years and 36,000 miles, which is class-competitive. As usual with an EV, Benefit-in-Kind tax is rated low - at 4% until Spring 2027 and 5% thereafter.

Summary

The PV5 Passenger is a welcome arrival in the full-EV large MPV segment. Previously, contenders in this class were either very LCV-like or very expensive - or both. This Kia is clearly van-derived but styled confidently, plus it's practically configured and priced to undercut all its main rivals. As a second car for a large family or an Uber driver's dream, you could certainly see a market for it. And it's going to make the other players in the segment up their game.