Kia EV5 160kW GT-Line 81.4kWh 5dr Auto

Ten Second Review

Kia gets more serious about the mid-sized part of the electric SUV market with this car, the EV5. This five-seat EV model is visually striking, practically configured and ready to impress you with some clever interior design touches.

Background

It's about time that Kia brought us a conventionally-shaped electric mid-sized family SUV. The Korean brand's had a car in this segment since 2022, the EV6, but it's a bit of a stretch to classify that as an 'SUV' and it's clearly not a car for the kind of adventurous lifestyle a 'Sport Utility Vehicle' is supposed to epitomise. Which is where this car, the EV5, comes in. Visually, it's clearly related to Kia's largest electric vehicle, the EV9, but unlike that car and the EV6, it uses a less sophisticated 400V architecture. Globally, Kia produces two kinds of EV5, a Chinese model and a slightly differently-engineered Korean design - which is the one Europe gets. The brand reckons this car will 'redefine its genre' with some clever design touches. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Spec

Does anyone really much care how a mid-sized electric SUV like this EV5 drives, as long as it's comfortable, responsive and quiet? Kia obviously thought so with the EV6 because we were always quite favourably impressed by the drive dynamics of that car. You can't expect an EV5 to feel quite as assured through the turns because of its high-sided stance and slightly higher centre of gravity. Europe gets the Korean-built version of this model, which has a different battery package to the alternative Chinese-built EV5. That sees a front-mounted 214bhp motor with 295Nm of torque matched to a large 81.4kWh battery. 0-62mph takes 8.4s. EV range is WLTP-rated at 329 miles for the base 'Air' model - or up to 314 miles for the 'GT-Line' version. A dual motor top GT version is planned for the future. As you'd expect, all EV5s have a regenerative braking system, including a 'one pedal' driving mode. It's operated by paddles behind the steering wheel. And there's all Kia's latest drive assist features, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2.0, Highway Driving Assist 2.0 with Hands-On Detection, lane-keep assist and smart cruise control. plus the brand's 'Remote Smart Parking Assist 2' set-up where you can stand outside the car and park it with the keyfob. You wouldn't expect to go very far off road in a lifestyle-orientated electric mid-sized electric SUV of this type - and thanks to just 167mm of ground clearance, you won't go very far off piste in this one. But the 1,200kg braked towing capacity figure is better than you might expect.

Design and Build

Unlike the EV6, this EV5 has a traditional two-box SUV profile and looks very much like an EV9 shrunk in the wash. You'll recognise the quite aggressive 'Tiger Face' front end from its larger sibling and the evolved 'Opposites United' chunky design language. The wide stance and broad shoulder line might be familiar too and Kia reckons the pushed-back D-pillars with their angular character lines emphasise this EV5's 'family-friendly practicality'. The wheels are pushed right to the corners to maximise interior space and there's an extended rear roof spoiler to aid aerodynamic efficiency. Particularly eye-catching at the front is the three-dimensional 'Signature Star Map Lighting' formed by the daytime running light signature. Wheel sizes are between 18 and 19-inches. The interior design approach is based around Kia research findings suggesting that modern millennial families view the interior of their electric SUV not only as a travelling place but also as an extra 'room' to live their life in. Hence the spacious up-front vibe with its carefully chosen materials and 64-colour variable mood lighting that co-ordinates with the drive modes, dims in low-light conditions and alerts the driver if the speed limit is exceeded. As usual with modern Kias, there's a twin 12.3-inch front screen set-up, plus a separate 5-inch climate control panel. Physical buttons have largely been banished from the fascia but there are four hard keys concealed in the dashboard below the infotainment monitor. Kia offers a selection of seat options clad in recycled PET and bio-leather fabrics - with cooled relaxation functions fitted to the top model. It's a pity that two signature EV5 interior features haven't made it here; the front bench-style seat you get on versions of this car sold in China; and the clever swivelling seats of the original concept model. But quite a lot of clever stuff is in evidence. The rear seat can fold fully flat, allowing the rear of the car to be used for camping. And there's a rear storage area that can keep your food hot or cold. Plus there's a 'Multi Table luggage board' that can be folded out into a table for impromptu picnics. Rear seat space is generous for two adults, particularly when it comes to headroom. And out back, there's a 566-litre boot with the seats up, which can be expanded to 1,650-litres when the 60:40-split fold rear seats are flattened. In addition, there's a 44-litre under-bonnet 'frunk'.

Market and Model

Expect EV5 prices to start from around £39,000 for the entry-level 'Air' model, but think over £42,500 for mid-range 'GT-Line' trim and around £47,000 for the highest 'GT-Line S' spec. At least you'll get plenty of kit for that. The 'GT-Line' trim most will choose comes with power-adjustable front seats, heated rear seats, a wireless charging pad, a smart powered tailgate and Vehicle-2-Load capability (allowing you to charge external devices from the car's drive battery). If you can stretch to top 'GT-Line S'-spec, then you get the real niceties; 'Premium Relaxtion' front seats that recline fully backwards and are ventilated; a Harmon Kardon premium sound system; a 360-degree parking camera; an openable panoramic sunroof; and a Blind-Spot View Monitor camera system on the instrument screen. Unfortunately, you'll need 'GT-Line S' trim to be able to pay Kia extra for a heat pump - to preserve EV range in cold conditions. Across the line-up, convenience and safety are further enhanced with features like the 'Kia Digital Key 2' set-up and advanced parking assistance systems. Advanced driver assistance features like 'Highway Driving Assist 2' and 'Remote Smart Parking Assist 2' (where you can stand outside the car and park it remotely) add an extra layer of technology to the ownership proposition.

Cost of Ownership

This EV5 model's EV6 stablemate was the Kia EV to offer the ultra-fast-charging 800V infrastructure that larger Hyundai Motor Group E-GMP-based models helped to pioneer. Disappointingly, that set-up's not fitted to the EV5, but thanks to a new generation battery management system, Kia claims a 10-80% DC charge time of around 30 minutes. The fast-charging AC home charging time (0-100%) is 7 hours 20 minutes. The battery is warmed by a clever thermally-efficient sheath heater with multiple maps for low and high temperature charges. Kia says that because this enables the battery to self-heat at temperatures down to minus-35-degrees C, charge times are significantly lowered and efficiency-killing precipitation of the battery's lithium-ion cathodes is avoided. There's also a Battery Conditioning Mode that can optimise battery temperature when heading to a fast-charging station. This can be manually activated or can work automatically linked to GPS data. We gave you the EV range figures in our 'Driving' section - 329 miles for the base 'Air' model - or up to 314 miles for the 'GT-Line' version. Unfortunately, only the top 'GT-Line S' derivative gets a heat pump to maintain these mileage figures during winter, a clever fourth generation multi-valve system that not only draws in ambient heat from outside air to aid the climate system but also combines this with recovered waste heat from the electric motor. Kia claims this is a world first. As with other recent Kia EVs, there's vehicle-to-load functionality (allowing you to power devices from the car's battery). And vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capability (allowing you to return un-needed charge energy for use in your home or back to the National Grid).

Summary

There are so many cars on sale in this segment that any fresh class entrant simply has to set itself apart with clever design. It will be interesting to see whether the market thinks there's quite enough of that in evidence here to make this EV5 really stand out. The auspices are good in that the larger EV9 has sold quite well for Kia; being able to distil the essence of that car into this more affordable segment can only be a good thing. It does all leave you wondering where all this leaves Kia's EV6, which from launch was always marketed as a mid-sized SUV crossover. We're disappointed that the EV5 doesn't feature the super-rapid charging-capable 800V system from that car. But otherwise, it's probably a better all-round family choice. And yet another very impressive Kia.