KIA PV5 PASSENGER

Bullish brand bursts onto van market with futuristic-looking electric MPV

- JAMES ATTWOOD

Even by the standards of a car maker that has radically transformed its product portfolio in recent years, the new PV5 is a hugely significant machine. Which is saying something for what is essentially a van.

Actually, Kia would rather you call it a Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV), a descriptor that will be applied to the Korean firm's new line of electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs). The PV5 is the first, and it will be joined by the larger PV7 and PV9 in 2027 and 2029 respectively - and there are more to come too.

Kia is plotting what it terms a “brazen journey” to become a leader in the eLCV segment: it’s targeting 250,000 PBV sales globally by 2030. And given Kia's record of growth in recent years, don't bet against that happening.

For now, let's focus on the PV5. It sits on the new E-GMP.S platform, a CV-focused variant of the bespoke electric car architecture that underpins Kia's EV and Hyundai's Ioniq ranges, and from launch will be offered in Cargo and, as tested here, Passenger forms. More variants will follow.

At 4695mm long, the PV5 Passenger is slightly shorter than the standard Volkswagen ID Buzz or the Citroën ë-Spacetourer and its various siblings. As the only other bespoke electric van-based MPV on the market, the ID Buzz is the obvious rival, but while that trades on retro design charm, the PV5 opts for cutting-edge futurism, particularly its distinctive vertical LED headlights.