If first impressions of the Kia EV5 are a touch underwhelming, it’s only because of the lofty expectations set by its predecessors.
This is a well-designed and well-rounded electric mid-size SUV with a good range that is competitively priced, decently equipped, comfortable and decent to drive. It should be near the front of an increasingly competitive class. It just doesn’t really change the game.
It was only four years ago that the EV6 SUV-coupé helped transform what Kia seemed capable of in design and technology. Since then, the large EV9 and small EV3 SUVs and the EV4 hatchback/saloon have all in their own ways pushed new boundaries. Heck, even the new Kia PV5 van is a bit of a game-changer.
The EV5, however, is exactly what you would expect it to be. Thing is, it’s not here to be revolutionary: it’s here so that Kia can sell loads of them.
The reason Kia has waited until now to launch it is so it can refine its EV technology in less critical classes. But the EV5 is the electric equivalent of the Sportage, the Korean brand’s biggest seller and the UK’s top-selling family SUV.
So while early estimates are modest (Kia UK expects to sell around 6000 EV5s next year, far below the 47,163 Sportages it shifted in 2024), this is a key model for growing EV sales in the future.
