Hyundai Staria EV could make its debut at Brussels Motor Show
Eye-catching Korean MPV could be set for pure-electric power
The MPV market is in a bit of a renaissance right now with Mercedes, Volkswagen and Kia all launching new, pure-electric models and it seems like Hyundai could be getting in on the action with a Staria EV.
‘Staria’ is a name we’re not familiar with in the UK because although the current, first-generation model has been available in Europe since its launch in 2021, it’s never been sold here.
In December 2025, the Staria received a mid-life facelift which brought some larger screens for the dash, a slightly revised exterior look and tweaks to the chassis – but the biggest change could be electrification.
Hyundai says the upcoming 2026 Brussels Motor Show will play host to the “world premiere of its biggest EV yet”, which will supplement the “brand’s existing line-up from Inster to Ioniq 9.” The current, combustion-engined Staria is comfortably larger than Hyundai’s largest EV to date (the Ioniq 9) at 5,253mm long, 1,997mm wide and 1,990mm tall. Further evidence pointing to the Staria EV’s imminent reveal came with a teaser image showcasing what looks like the regular MPV’s lightbar and upright front end.
Hyundai’s sister company Kia has already moved into the electric MPV market with the new PV5 Passenger, which uses the E-GMP.S electric platform. However, instead of sharing these underpinnings, we expect an all-electric version of the Staria to come with a modified version of the ICE model’s N3 platform – already used by the Tucson and Santa Fe.
In effect, we’ve already seen the Staria EV in the form of the ST1 – a van that uses the same platform, cabin and interior as the Staria, but with a boxy rear body and pure-electric powertrain. The ST1 has a 76.1kWh battery that enables up to 197 miles of range and features an ultra-rapid 350kW charging capacity. Given the wheelbase of the Staria EV and Hyundai’s claim of 800V architecture, we may well see the Ioniq 9’s whopping 110.3kWh battery fitted to the MPV for a much longer range.
The design of the Staria EV isn’t likely to deviate too much from the recently facelifted model and the interior should be pretty similar too, with a set of twin 12.3-inch displays and a plethora of physical buttons on the central stack. We also expect the same amount of practicality as the ICE Staria with seating for up to 11.
If Hyundai decides to bring a Staria EV to the UK market, it’ll face competition from Volkswagen’s seven-seat ID. Buzz, the upcoming Mercedes VLE and the Kia PV5, which will expand its range with an additional seven-seat variant in 2026.
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