Kia's first electric van looks even better in person [Video]
Kia is launching its first electric van, the PV5, later this year. If you liked how it looked in pictures,...
![Kia's first electric van looks even better in person [Video]](https://lemmings.world/pictrs/image/f69cad2d-c33f-4e72-98e8-469aef9bc473.jpeg?format=webp)
I hope so cuz it looks terrible in pictures
idk I'm tracking with it.
Yeah it looks like shit
Yeah it looks like shit
As a piece of shit I'm vibin..
Kia will launch sales in Korea and Europe later this year, followed by other global markets in 2026. Pre-orders will open soon, so check back for prices.
Once again, US policies stifles competition
That looks more than a little bit like the Mahir Supron FS3 from Cyberpunk 2077.
Barn doors on the back is a good sign, but I have to wonder how seriously they're taking the cargo van part with that weird stepped floor at the rear - I'm not sure you'd even get a Euro pallet in that gap and a standard Australian pallet definitely would not sit on the floor (might awkwardly sit on the step between the floor and wheel arch, but you lose height that way).
The height looks a bit tight for my recreational use too - I didn't see an door height measurement but to get a dirt bike in the back I like close on 1300mm to work with. They should have been able to make a pretty low floor though with an electric design so it might just squeak in. Not that I'm going to be looking for an electric van to replace my Transporter any time soon (way too expensive to justify) but it'd be nice to have options in 10 years or so when the secondhand market might be affordable.
I"m really excited about this. I had a deposit down on a Canoo, which was really a bummer because I loved their design, and I really, really wanted one of their adventure variants. But honestly, it was a bit of a gamble to begin with. I liked the skate board concept, didn't like the drive by wire, and loved the full body moon roof. We've been putting off replacing our leaf which is like, its getting real bad in terms of range. I mean its a 2011 with almost 180k miles. Its done its duty.
Kia seems like a good alternative. I really wanted the full moon roof, but I'll get a surf rack instead.
That front windshield reminds me of a Pontiac Trans Sport from the 1980s.
It's the Cadillac of minivans.
Like the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, Kia’s PV5 looks more like a minibus. At 4,695 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, and 1,899 mm tall, Kia’s passenger electric van is slightly smaller than the European ID.Buzz model (4,712 mm long, 1,985 mm wide, 1,937 mm tall).
Its a pity the only EVs that are getting announced are small, and aimed purely at the people mover market. I guess because service vans are usually bought based on price, and BEV is just not enough available power to cart a tonne of gear around over long distances.
I'm looking to replace our diesel service vans (mix of Toyota HiAces and Hyundai iLoads) and I want to go up a little in size, not down to the tune of 500mm or more.
Come on BYD, take that Shark 6 idea and make a van out of it. The Whale 6. I'll take half a dozen.
`
Toyota Hiace LWB
5265 (L) x 1990 (H) x 1950 (W)
Hyundai iLoad
5125 (L) x 1935 (H) x 1920 (W)
vs
Volkswagen ID.Buzz
4712 (L) x 1936 (H) x 1985 (W)
Kia PV5
4695 (L) x 1899 (H) x 1895 (W)
`
Electric vehicles have power to spare. What they lack is energy (and therefore range).
PV7 will supposedly be 5270mm (L) x 2065 mm (W) x 2120 mm (H)
Now that's more like it!
What about the electric Stellantis vans? ESpacetourer etc.. Short version is 4.983, long version 5.333 m.
Mercedes offers the electric Vito, 5.14 or 5.37m.
I could write a book on the disastrous experience with our fleet of Vitos. Suffice to say we will never consider any Mercedes product again.
At 4,695 mm long, 1,895 mm wide, and 1,899 mm tall, Kia’s passenger electric van is slightly smaller than the European ID.Buzz model
So... I'm biased. We've been driving an electric Mercedes Vito for a few years. Got the L3 version with 9 seats (of which I usually don't have 2 in there to have more space in the back). The Kia is almost a meter shorter. I was already anticipating that the buzz would make my car obsolete, but it turned out that instead of a proper van they just released an overpriced lifestyle vehicle with about half the volume of the eqv or the Stellantis van. Now that seems to repeat.
With a van, I'm looking for utility. Why would I get this one if I could as well grab a > 5.3m van? Even the short eSpacetourer is 4.983m long, illustrating just how oddly small the Kia is. It's obviously a hypothetical argument because I'll probably be happily driving my Vito for the next 10 years at least, but the size alone would be a deal breaker for me.
Have an ev, but what I really want is an ev replacement for my ancient honda element. let me haul a few sheets of ply, or bikes, or dogs, or whatever in a compact form.
Telo MT1 might be it. I don't need hella range for this purpose, just utility.
Used to own an orange pop-top VW Camper bus. Have been drooling after the VW ID.Buzz since the announcement. Would make an amazing roving office.
This Kia ups the stakes. One configuration is as a camper. Waiting to see it in action.
I really want a PHEV Odyssey. The current e-CVT tech on Honda is really good and would be perfect for their van.
I'm going to test drive the IDBuzz at some point but I can't risk my family in a Kia or Chrysler.