The wait is over, Van Reviewer is the first UK title to get behind the wheel of the new Kia PV5 Cargo, Kia’s electric van, and their first global light commercial vehicle.
We’ve had a very quick spin in an undisguised prototype during a trip to see the new Kia factory in South Korea.
We’ll get to our exclusive driving experience shortly but first let’s look at this new medium-sized electric van, due in the UK by the end of this year.
In January 2024, Kia revealed its ambitious plans to launch a range of electric vans.
It began with a display at CES in Las Vegas where a line-up of four new sizes of vans with multiple body types were unveiled.
The range was called Kia PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicles) with a compact concept for a tiny autonomous city van (Kia PV1) joined by a much larger van (Kia PV7), however, the new Kia van range was to start with the PV5, a medium-sized van available as a panel van, chassis and as a passenger version.
To build the new models, Kia broke ground on a new production facility, for the PBV range, at their AutoLand Hwaseong Plant, southwest of the South Korea capital Seoul.
The PV5 will be the first van to be built there, alongside the Kia Tasman pick-up truck, with the ultimate aim of selling up to 250,000 vans by 2030 which will include the PV7 and a much larger Kia PV9.
The new manufacturing site has been designed solely to produce PBVs (platform beyond vehicles) and will use a bespoke and more flexible manufacturing process that will eventually see production reach up to 300,000 units.
The electric Kia PV5 Cargo van will be available in two different sizes and two heights. There’ll be a choice of two batteries with a claimed range of up to 249 miles.
Load volumes will range from from 3.4m3 to 5.1m3, while the PV5 payload will be up to 770kg.
Vans will come with a choice of two trim levels, Essential and Plus.
The long-wheelbase L2H1 version will start from £27,645 (excluding VAT and the Government Plug In Van Grant). The Plug In Grant (currently set to run until April 2026) will reduce the price by the maximum amount, £5000 as despite being a small van, the PV5 Cargo has a GVW of 2,650kg which puts it in the higher category, receiving the maximum £5000 discount.
Pricing has only been revealed for the larger wheelbase van, so entry-level pricing will drop slightly from the £27,645 figure which is for the standard range 51.5kWh battery. The larger 71kWh battery will cost £2,500 with a starting price of £30,145.
The two trim levels, Essential and Plus, are expected to have a £1,000 price difference.
The PV5 Cargo Essential trim includes a host of kit as standard, but in true panel van tradition it comes with a standard Solid White paint job. There is a choice of five premium colours which include White Pearl, Midnight Black, Cityscape Green, Steel Grey and Mint Green. These optional paints will cost £625 (+VAT) at launch.
Essential trim will also include steel wheels, automatic LED headlights, electric mirrors and body coloured bumpers with black plastic moulding. There are automatic wipers, air conditioning, and a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard. Front and rear parking sensors are also included, along with a reversing camera.
The full specification for the Kia PV5 Cargo Essential is:
There’s surprisingly little in terms of features for the more costly Plus trim, which is an indication that there’s already quite a lot included as Standard on the Essential trim level van.
The most notable feature of the Plus trim PV5 is that it allows for charging of high-power devices from the load area. That means power tools or refrigeration units can be powered directly from the van.
There’s also heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. If you live in a cold country, or you’re particularly worried about range in the winter, there’s also the option of a heat pump on this trim - although it is a cost option and the price has yet to be set.
Plus trim includes:
Measuring up to 4.7m long, the PV5 will be launched in standard and high roof panel vans.
There will also be a six-seat people mover and an autonomous taxi, which has been developed through a collaboration with Uber.
The 4.7m length makes it slightly smaller than a Ford Transit Custom but it's perhaps more of a natural rival to the Volkswagen ID Buzz Cargo. Three body sizes will be available when it arrives in the UK later year.
There’s two lengths and two heights, but you’ll only get the PV5 long wheelbase model with a high roof. That means there’s L1H1, L2H1 and L2H2 models.
Load volumes for the Kia PV5 panel van range from 3.4m3 to 5.1m3.
For more information on all the important sizes of the PV5 read our size guides, there’s a PV5 Cargo dimensions article and a PV5 Passenger dimensions story.
There’s no word yet on the exact technical specification of the Kia PV5, we've got bits here and there, though, which is where the 249 miles range for the largest battery model comes from.
The motors and batteries in the PV5 range will be built on an adapted version of the E-GMP platform which is currently used by the Kia EV6 and Kia EV9 electric passenger cars.
However, the PV5 range will use a 400V electrical system, rather than 800V, which should make it more competitive on price.
Also in the model line-up is a larger van called the Kia PV7, as well as a proper large van called the Kia PV9.
The second phase of Kia vans will apparently be launched between 2027 and 2032 where the they will have level 4 autonomous capabilities. Kia also says they will have AI-based mobility functions.
The largest van will be the Kia PV9, added to the range to meet changing European market needs for higher gross vehicle weight vans.
As well as the Kia PV5, another city van model is scheduled which is set to be called Kia PV3.
Kia has confirmed that the PV7 is due for release in 2027. It will be available in front-wheel-drive and with an all-wheel-drive model.
The Kia PV9 is planned to come to market in 2029. It will be a 3.5 to 4.25 tonne van, and the largest in the Kia PBV range.
Further details of PV1 and PV3 are not yet available as neither has a planned on-sale date yet. The latter stages of the van range, however, aren't scheduled until early 2030.
The ambitious range of new Kia vans is also planned to continue to evolve beyond 2032 with more conceptual ideas around big data and connected cities.
There's no specific timeline but all new arrivals will depend on how the other models in the range are received.
The Kia PBV range looked remarkably futuristic when it was launched at CES, but amazingly not a great deal has changed from concept through to production.
It still has much of the same appearance and aside from the addition of proper bumpers rather than a digital screen at the front there’s not much of a difference.
The exterior images and the real version of Kia PV5 van were revealed in February when official pictures were released. We’ve since seen a few further models in addition to the Kia PV5 Passenger, there’s also the chassis variant which will be used for conversions which Kia will also build on the production line, and there’s a PV5 WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle).
Both the Kia PV5 Cargo and the PV5 Passenger get a shared design but their differences including the twin side-opening doors for the Cargo version.
Both models get slightly recessed looking, chunky door handles and there's squared off plastic trim around the wheel arches and additional trim running the length of the van.
Kia took the covers off the finished version of the PV5 at its Kia EV Day 2025 where we got a first look at the finished van.
The finalised production ready model of the van stays true to the concept van with its futuristic front end and bold LED headlights.
On the inside there is a 7-inch instrument cluster and a 12.9-inch navigation screen in the centre. The PV5 uses an Android Automotive OS-based infotainment system and will get over the air updates.
Kia will give its new van customers plenty of options when it comes to the important issue of range.
There's a choice of three battery packs with either a 43.3kWh, 51.5kWh or 71.2kWh battery, the largest of which should give the PV5 a range of 249 miles (400km).
However, the UK market won’t be getting the very smallest battery, that’s because customers tend to opt for the biggest range battery available, so the large battery will likely be the most popular, and the middle size battery will possibly be the default option for fleets or savvy buyers who know they won’t have to fork out for the bigger range battery.
Power comes from a front-wheel-drive electric motor, producing 120kW and 250Nm of torque.
Kia has already confirmed that the van will get a 7-year or 100,000-mile warranty as standard, the same as Kia's passenger car range.
It’s also recently announced the Kia van dealer network, which will start with 60 locations made up of existing Kia dealers as well as a few familiar names that already operate van franchises.
PV5 Cargo and PV5 Passenger will be available exclusively through this network of Kia van dealers.
Kia has also been upskilling its network, adding van specific learning to its apprenticeship programme at their Kia training college in Derby.
As previously mentioned, we’ve been lucky enough to be the first British title to get behind the wheel of the prototype Kia PV5 Cargo.
The vehicle itself was an early pre-production model, fitted with several plastics not representative of the finished van.
For that reason, we won’t comment on the overall appearance or fit and finish of the van, but during our visit we were able to see several more advanced versions of the van with examples of the finished interior.
The overall appearance was impressive, the materials of a high standard and the quality exactly what you would expect from a brand willing to slap a seven-year warranty on something.
Our test drive wasn’t exactly the immersive, hands-on experience we are used to when trying out a van for the first time. In fact, even as prototype drives go this was exceptionally brief.
If you could imagine maybe five football pitches end-to-end, that was the total distance of our test track. We managed a few up and downs, side to sides, swerving, heavy braking and of course a complete 360 rotation to test out the turning circle.
It was brief, but it was also informative. Calling on my many years of testing and of tests similar (albeit slightly longer than this one) it was possible to understand a few key points about how the Kia PV5 drives.
This one comes with a heavy caveat that the surface we were testing on wasn’t any ordinary stretch of carpark, runway or even test track. It was a mirror smooth surface so pristine that a Swiss watch maker would admire the finish.
It’s not therefore really appropriate or even possible to comment on the overall ride of the van more than to say that it was supremely soft and pleasantly smooth (naturally). Without a bump, pebble or leaf within half a mile of our bit of asphalt, there was very little to unsettle the suspension, but destabilising the van showed that there was a soft edge to the ride.
The steering was light, heavily assisted and perhaps leaning towards a fraction on the wallowy side at the fringes. Again, it’s hard to be overly critical or to have a precise opinion on it as without a corner to aim at, we really were just pitching it into a curve to see how it handles the extremes. It was direct, though, meaning that its initial turn in felt very purposeful. Then as the weight begins to shift and the body to roll it feels less pointed.
The driving position, however, is something we can comment upon and thanks to a fully adjustable steering wheel and a very forward seating position relative to the front axle it felt like quite a dynamic van to be in.
Because of the seating positioning the double A-pillar is also less of a problem than you might first worry about when sat in it when stationary or from looking at it in a photograph.
Because of that advanced seating position, the mirrors do feel very close to you, but overall visibility with them isn’t an issue.
Overall, it felt like an exceptionally well-balanced van with good weight distribution from the battery pack, neatly nestled inside the van’s skateboard architecture.
As for the turning circle, well it entirely lived up to expectations. The PV5 turns like a black cab in a London street.
In a word, yes. But it is not blisteringly quick either. Its 120kW motor is a sensible size and 250Nm of torque means that it’s pretty punchy right from the moment you floor the throttle. But it doesn’t feel like an excessive amount of power because the van feels bigger than it perhaps is.
Kia keeps mentioning that it’s actually a small van, comparing it to the likes of the Citroen e-Berlingo, when perhaps its height and width make it look more of a natural competitor to the Ford E-Transit Custom.
The 120kW motor puts its firmly in the middle of the E-Transit Custom’s power outputs and at the higher end of the small electric van segment. So it’s powerful, but only within the context of where it sits.
Pack it full of its 800kg max load, and that power will soon feel just about right.
We’re led to believe it’s an adaptation of the Kia EV3 driveline, which would mean it’s also not unduly stressed as the small electric car has more power on offer.
Even on our short stretch of test track we were able to reach the PV5’s 135kph maximum, so it’s definitely no slouch.
It most certainly does have regenerative braking with three differing levels.
Our prototype van happily ramped up the braking as we cycled through the levels. Regenerative braking is always something that takes getting used to in each individual model, so we need some more time behind the wheel to really give a verdict on its strengths and weaknesses.
That said, it seems like a better solution than the brake pedal which felt slightly spongey. Don’t get me wrong, the brakes certainly worked, but the initial feel was a little soft. Probably not a bad thing for smooth city driving.
Ride comfort as we’ve said is hard to judge, but everything else is a big tick.
Firstly the noise, or lack of noise. The PV5 is definitely a quiet van to be in. There’s some noticeable wind noise, as you might expect, but nothing distracting.
Cabin layout and its overall general feel are also positive. The cockpit feels spacious, with ample room for knees and elbows, while also having the important functions like heating and infotainment close enough to hand.
Without having to use them while actually on the move, it’s hard to judge the overall practicality of the layout and the cabin’s ergonomics, but first impressions are that Kia has done its homework to create an interior that’s very appropriate for the sector.
Kia’s reputation for making some top notch cars in recent years has really set the bar high for its PBV project.
This first drive of an early Kia PV5 Cargo van prototype has certainly left us wanting to get behind the wheel for longer, but we are in no doubt that the production ready van is going to continue the run of success and appreciation the brand has been getting for its passenger cars.
Finally, we’ll reserve judgment on giving it a score and star rating until we’ve spent some proper time with the van, but this is not a below average attempt at entering the van market, and competitors will be wise to be looking over their shoulders as the range expands.
