Kia PV5 Passenger review

Our opinion on the Kia PV5 Passenger

While the Kia PV5 Passenger has roots in the commercial vehicle sector, Kia’s clean-sheet design has also been turned into an impressive electric family car. While it currently only comes as a five-seater, in every other respect it’s a great people carrier that looks futuristic, offers acres of space and has a driving experience that’s more car-like than any other van-derived MPV. 

The PV5 has price on its side when compared with the similarly sized Volkswagen ID. Buzz, while it offers more space than many family-focused SUVs. The boxy Kia offers great value for money and is efficient, although a relatively small battery means its official range isn’t amazing. But if you can live with that, this is a very impressive family car.

About the Kia PV5 Passenger

While Kia has plenty of SUVs to choose from, it has diversified its line-up with the arrival of the PV5 Passenger. It’s a highly practical and (much) more affordable alternative to the retro-styled ID. Buzz, and we think it can also be taken seriously as an alternative to plenty of electric family SUVs.

The PV5 uses Kia’s E-GMP.S platform, which has a couple of intricacies that may be of benefit in the real world. The first is its Cell-to-Pack (CTP) tech which, with increased battery density, should offer tangible efficiency gains. The second is its front-driven layout; with all the hardware mounted low and ahead of the driver, this MPV can do what MPVs do best – concentrate on functionality above all else.

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Measuring 4,695mm long, the PV5 is 17mm shorter than the base ID. Buzz, and while a choice of five and seven-seat layouts will be available (the latter arriving by mid-2026), there’s no long-wheelbase version, as offered on the VW. In addition to being a little more compact, the Kia is also down on power, range and charging speed when compared with the VW, but is ahead of the larger Vauxhall Vivaro Life and the other Stellantis mid-sized van-based MPVs.

Speaking of the Vivaro Life, we’ve tested the Kia PV5 against it in a twin test. We have also driven the PV5 in South Korea on the international launch, and in the UK as part of the national launch. We have also tested the Kia PV5 Cargo van, which you can read about in a separate review.

Kia PV5 prices and latest deals

The Kia PV5 is priced from around £33,000 as a passenger carrier, rising to £38,500 for the bigger-battery model in the top trim. That’s a lot more affordable than the VW ID. Buzz, and the PV5 Passenger also qualifies for the Government’s £1,500 Band 2 Electric Car Grant (ECG), helping to make it even better value. A seven-seater is expected to join the range by the middle of summer 2026. 

If you're interested in purchasing a Kia PV5 Passenger, we can help. Configure your ideal Kia PV5 now to get top offers from local dealers, and check out the latest Kia PV5 leasing deals with our Find A Car service. You can even sell your existing car for a great price with Auto Express Sell My Car.

Given how strong the PV5 is for practicality, the way it drives is virtually inconsequential. However, it delivers a decent experience overall, with a responsive electric powertrain, a comfortable ride and useful manoeuvrability. It feels remarkably car-like for something that shares its platform and body with a panel van.

You could reasonably expect the 161bhp e-motor to struggle on the open road, yet the PV5 has enough low-down torque to keep pace with other traffic, even in its energy-efficient Eco mode.

The steering is light, and the suspension does a great job of soaking up lumps and bumps, whether we tried it on countless sections of rough or rutted highway west of Seoul in Korea or on the deeply potholed country lanes around Bedford back in the UK. We think refinement is excellent for something so bluff-fronted, too, with just a little wind noise around the door mirrors.

The brakes are also worth mentioning. While the pedal feels smooth and progressive, Kia’s intuitive multi-stage regenerative braking set-up is so good that you’ll soon find yourself barely using the pedal at all. The system is easily adjusted via paddles on the steering wheel and can switch from friction-free coasting to forceful one-pedal driving at the flick of a switch.

Electric motors, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed

Even though the Standard Range PV5 has only a 120bhp motor, it does a better job of getting up to speed than its 12.8-second 0-62mph time would suggest, and can even handle the odd cross-country dash without holding up traffic. It's a great option for those doing mostly urban journeys that don't need the extra battery capacity of the pricier Long Range model.

However, the Long Range is the one we’d choose. Its more powerful 160bhp motor is responsive, and its 0-62mph sprint time of 10.7 seconds is considerably faster than the 14.3 seconds it takes the equivalent 75kWh version of the Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric. Acceleration for both cars is linear and consistent all the way up to the national limit.

The top speed of both versions of the PV5 is pegged at 84mph.

Town driving, visibility and parking

A short front end, high driving position and large door mirrors help when driving in town and when parking, although with very little bonnet ahead of you, it takes a little while to adjust to where exactly the front of the PV5 is in relation to your seating position. Thankfully there are front parking sensors fitted as standard, although we found that they didn’t necessarily activate when moving forwards into a parking space at low speed – a quick flick of the drive selector from park and into reverse woke them up, though. 

While you sit tall in the PV5, the dashboard is set quite high, plus the thick A-pillars, especially on the driver’s side, create large blind spots that mean you have to crane your neck when approaching a roundabout or T junction. A flat rear end, large window and standard reversing camera and parking sensors make it fairly easy to back the PV5 into a space – a grid on the reversing camera display helps you leave extra room to open the huge tailgate.

Country road driving and handling

The PV5 handles neatly for a boxy MPV. All of the car’s weight is set low in the chassis, so body lean isn't as great as you might imagine for something so tall, and overall, the PV5 feels more like a car to drive than a commercial vehicle. The heavy battery also helps the suspension to smooth out the ride on bumpy roads. Bigger potholes thump through the car’s frame, but it’s far less of an issue here than in rival van-derived MPVs. 

The Long Range model has quick responses that help you to keep pace with faster-moving traffic, although the light steering can feel a little wayward if you send full power to the front wheels on an uneven surface. The steering itself is light but accurate, which means you’re always confident in knowing where the front wheels are pointing. 

Motorway driving and long-distance comfort

We found the PV5 to be decent on the motorway, despite its bluff shape. There’s very little road noise, plus the electric motor is well insulated and far quieter than the grumbly diesel typically found in a vehicle such as this.

You might hear a small amount of wind noise around the chunky door mirrors, but that can easily be drowned out by turning the radio volume up. Its car-like ride and handling mean it's no chore to drive the PV5 over long distances. 

It’s not all plain sailing, though. The Kia’s flat sides mean crosswinds can have an impact (the electronic stability control can mitigate against this), while the relatively small 16-inch wheels combined with the quick steering rack mean it feels as if you need to apply constant small corrections to the wheel to keep the PV5 in its lane when travelling at the national limit.

“The PV5 is a car that looks bigger than it actually is. While it’s taller than a Vauxhall Vivaro, it’s narrower and shorter, and since you’re seated almost directly above the front wheels, it feels as if you have a super-tight turning circle to work with. At 10.8 metres, it is pretty small, matching the Kia K4 hatchback, among others.” – Dean Gibson, senior test editor   

There are two battery options in the Kia PV5 Passenger. They are rated at 52kWh and 71.2kWh in total capacity and are called Standard Range and Long Range, respectively.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

The Standard Range has 51.5kWh of usable capacity and can cover a WLTP-tested distance of 183 miles, but for an extra £3k you can upgrade to the Long Range version. This has 67kWh of usable capacity and has an official range that tops out at a much more usable 256 miles.

On our first encounter with the PV5 in Korea, we averaged around 4.1 miles per kWh over 120 miles on a mix of roads that included plenty of motorway and stop-start urban work, and with temperatures around 22 degrees Celsius. 

Back in the UK, in 10 degrees Celsius weather, the Standard Range returned 3.3mi/kWh, which equates to 170 miles on a full charge, while the larger battery delivered an economy of 2.7mi/kWh in the freezing cold of winter. This isn’t helped by the fact a heat pump isn’t fitted (it’s only offered as an option on the top-spec version), but it’s worth noting that the Vauxhall Vivaro Life managed an even poorer return of 2.0mi/kWh in the same conditions on a similar mix of roads.

While Kia adds 800-volt electrical architecture to its premium EVs, the PV5 makes do with the more affordable 400V set-up. That means a maximum charging speed of 150kW is on offer, which is slower than the 200kW available with the ID. Buzz, but better than the 100kW offered on the Vauxhall Vivaro Life. 

The PV5’s charge port is located on the nose, so you might have to do a bit of planning around some connectors, but once plugged in, the battery can go from 10-80 per cent capacity in around half an hour. 

Charge at home using a standard 7.4kW wallbox, and it’ll take around seven hours to fully recharge the Standard Range battery, while the Long Range model will take around 10 hours. And if you need to charge items from the PV5’s battery, the higher-spec Plus model comes with vehicle-to-load capability and a three-pin plug socket between the front seats.

Insurance groups

Car insurance groups for the Kia PV5 are decent when compared with its rivals. The Kia starts in group 25, whereas the Vauxhall Vivaro Life is in Group 33 and the VW ID. Buzz starts in group 37. The PV5 Long Range Plus is in group 30, while the top-spec ID. Buzz GTX tops out in group 42.

Tax

The most expensive PV5 is priced at £38,295, so the whole range avoids the revised £50,000 expensive car supplement (or luxury car tax). That’s in contrast with the VW ID. Buzz that starts at over £60,000. Owners of the PV5 will only have to pay the standard rate of vehicle excise duty (VED), which is presently £195 per year.

Having zero tailpipe emissions means the PV5 has a very low Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax bill. It’s currently at three per cent, but it will rise to four per cent for the 2026/27 tax year, and five per cent for 2027/28. 

One thing to keep in mind is that EVs might be subject to an eVED pay-per-mile fee if that comes into force from April 2028 onwards.

Depreciation

While depreciation, in percentage terms, is poorer than the equivalent ID. Buzz, the fact that the PV5 costs so much less at the point of purchase means you could save in the long run. Our data specialists suggest the PV5 will retain around 50 per cent of its value after three years and 36,000 miles, with the strongest RVs apparently for the mid-range PV5 Essential fitted with the bigger of the two batteries. The ID. Buzz is expected to retain around 60 per cent of its original value over the same period.

There are two trims to choose from on the PV5, Essential and Plus, although the latter is available only with the larger of the two batteries. There’s little to differentiate the two specs from the outside, because both models feature the same futuristic look, with clean lines and vertical daytime running lights up front - the biggest visual clue is that the Essential car has 16-inch wheels with plastic trims featuring a three-spoke design, while the Plus has alloys with four spokes and square centre caps.

Entry-level Essential models are decently equipped, with a large central infotainment screen and smaller driver’s display, and standard kit that includes a built-in reversing camera, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a six-speaker stereo, automatic climate control and LED headlights.

We think it’s worth upgrading to Plus trim, because it adds:

• A powered tailgate
• Four heated seats 
• A heated steering wheel
• Wireless phone charging
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Adaptive cruise control

Interior and dashboard design

The PV5’s interior is best described as functional, but that doesn’t mean it’s totally devoid of design flair. The dash comprises a large 12.9-inch touchscreen and a 7.5-inch driver’s display – the latter nestled behind a quirky two-spoke steering wheel with familiar buttons, a drive-mode control in the centre and the drive selector on a stalk on the right of the steering column.

The front seats give a commanding view of the road, but only feature a fold-down armrest for the driver, so it can feel as if you’re sitting a little lopsided at times. The seats themselves are mounted closer into the centre of the car than you’ll find in most van-derived MPVs (The PV5 Cargo van is a two-seater) so Kia has added a padded extension to the door card to give an elbow rest that’s closer than the window sill. 

Materials and build quality

The PV5 doesn’t feel as if it’s built to a price, but it won’t be winning any awards for its luxury materials or high-end features. The areas you’re in constant contact with, such as the steering wheel and seats, are covered in plush materials that feel soft to the touch and add a bit of upmarket quality, while the blue tint to the plastics gives a different look to the usual relentless black plastic found in rivals. 

Ultimately, the Kia PV5 is a people mover designed to withstand the abuse of family life, and it should be up to the task. However, we did find that the plastics lower down in the cabin were very prone to scuff marks from your feet, and started to look rather scruffy even after a few hundred miles of use.

Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo

The infotainment system in the PV5 is completely different to the set-up found in its passenger cars. The rectangular screen is nice and large for ease of use, though, and features crisp graphics with easy-to-read fonts.

A lack of physical controls might be frustrating, but the menu system isn’t quite as complicated as the one found in the Kia Sportage, with the six last-used functions remaining as shortcuts across the bottom on the display. But the home button in the bottom right corner might be obscured by the steering wheel for some drivers.

A modest 7.5-inch readout puts vital information in front of the driver, and this is controlled via buttons on the left-hand steering wheel spoke. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, although you’ll need to step up to the Plus trim for wireless phone charging. 

There’s no physical volume knob on the PV5’s dashboard. The only button for that is the scroll wheel on the steering wheel, so if a passenger wants to adjust the volume, they must swipe down on the touchscreen and select one of three volume bars - the other two are for nav instructions and phone call volume.

“I found that when using Apple CarPlay, the system locks out all of the functions of the native touchscreen bar the climate controls, so you can’t sweep down and change the volume via the screen at all.” – Dean Gibson, senior test editor 

The PV5 Passenger is unashamedly based on the van with the same name, so it’s no surprise it gets full marks for practicality. It’s massive inside, whether you’re looking to carry people, luggage or both.

One small annoyance is that the front windows don’t lower completely, while the sliding doors only feature sliding porthole windows that are fiddly to use and only come with top-spec Plus trim.

Dimensions and size

At just under 4.7 metres long, the PV5 isn’t as cumbersome as you might expect. It’s a similar size to the Volkswagen ID. Buzz, which means it’s larger than small van-derived people carriers such as the Citroen Berlingo and Ford Tourneo Connect, but smaller than medium-sized models such as the Vauxhall Vivaro Life.  

Seats and passenger space

Those up front sit slightly higher than those in the back, and the seats are positioned higher than in most SUVs for a great view out. The side windows are lower than the base of the windscreen, so you can see the kerb more easily when parallel parking, although those thick A-pillars do limit your view slightly. Aside from that, you get plenty of seat and steering wheel adjustment, but only the Plus trim includes lumbar adjustment. Electric front seat adjustment is also only available on Plus trim.

Storage up front is great, with a lidded cubby featuring a USB socket above the driver’s display, an open tray between the front seats, multiple bins in the doors and a large drawer at the base of the centre console. There are two more USB sockets just above the storage drawer, and a wireless charging tray on Plus trim.

There is more leg and headroom in the back than a six-foot adult will know what to do with, although those with longer legs might like a bit more cushion to sit on. A flat floor means even those in the middle will be happy with the amount of foot room on offer. There’s a lack of storage in the back, though, with just a pair of air vents and USB sockets set into the backs of the front seats, but no cup holders. Kia has fitted a slot to the rear of the centre console that can be used to mount accessories. Ahead of this is a three-pin plug socket that can power accessories directly from the drive battery.

Unlike most van-derived MPVs that have three individual chairs in the back that slide and can be removed independently of each other, the PV5 has a fixed bench. The rear seat backs can be moved from upright to reclined in multiple stages to boost comfort for passengers, though. The seats fold in a 60:40 split in one motion, with the seat base dropping as the back tumbles forward. It’s worth noting that there are only two sets of Isofix child seat mounts in the PV5, because some rivals offer more options for baby carriers.

Boot space

The vast tailgate offers clear access to the load area, although the electrically operated door fitted to Plus trim is rather slow to operate. The space inside is huge and square, while a low lip makes loading heavy items a cinch. Load volume is 1,320 litres to the parcel shelf, while the back seats fold to create 2,300 litres of space, albeit with a kerb-style step in the floor where the seats are located.

The sides of the load area are uniform in shape with a couple of smaller storage compartments, while the floorboards lift to reveal hidden storage areas under the floor that are big enough to fit charging cables and a tyre repair kit.

Towing

The Kia PV5 is officially rated to tow up to 750kg for the Standard Range and 1,500kg for the Long Range model. That's better than rear-wheel-drive versions of the ID. Buzz, but a little less than the 1,800kg capacity of a four-wheel-drive ID. Buzz GTX manages.

“I appreciate that Kia has added pieces of fabric trim to the seatbelt buckles so they don’t rattle against the plastic interior when they’re not in use” – Dean Gibson, senior test editor

The Kia PV5 was awarded a four-star out of five rating by safety experts Euro NCAP. That’s on par with the likes of the Peugeot E-5008, but the Hyundai Ioniq 9, Kia EV9, and Volkswagen ID. Buzz managed to get the maximum five-star rating.

Every model gets forward-collision-avoidance assist, highway-driving assist, intelligent-speed-limit assist and smart cruise control with stop/go. You’ll need to step up to the Plus trim to add rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist and safe-exit warning.

Due to the PV5 being so new, we don’t yet have any data on the vehicle’s reliability, but it is backed up by the same seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty as the brand's regular passenger cars. However, the brand only finished 18th (out of 31 brands) in our 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey.

Overall, the PV5 feels like it’s built to last and should stand the test of time, while its simple electric drivetrain with fewer moving parts than a combustion engine will help to reduce running costs. 

Best buy: Kia PV5 Long Range Plus

Given the great value that the PV5 offers, we’d recommend stepping up to the best-equipped model you can afford. We’ve not yet driven the base car with the low-power motor and smaller battery, but given the Long Range version is only £3,000 more, and the flashier trim another £2,300 on top, if you can stretch the monthly budget slightly, we would.

Kia PV5 Passenger alternatives

The Kia PV5’s main rivals include van-based MPVs such as the Peugeot Traveller, Citroen SpaceTourer, and Vauxhall Vivaro Life Electric, as well as the altogether more expensive Volkswagen ID. Buzz. Buyers could quite reasonably be cross-shopping with seven-seat SUVs such as the Peugeot E-5008, or even the Hyundai Ioniq 9, too.

Deals on the Kia PV5 and alternatives

Volkswagen ID. Buzz

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Hyundai Ioniq 9

New in-stock Hyundai Ioniq 9Cash £56,432Avg. savings £9,527

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Kia PV5 Passenger pictures

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