Kia PV5 Passenger Review & Prices

The Kia PV5 Passenger is here to make you fall in love with MPVs again. SUVs might have taken over as the family car of choice, but there’s still a lot to love about a good, old-fashioned people carrier – especially one as futuristic as this.

Where you would typically buy an MPV for practical reasons, the PV5’s ultra-modern looks make it genuinely desirable. A bit like if Apple decided to bring out a range of washing machines.

The Volkswagen ID Buzz is just about the only natural alternative to the PV5, but it costs considerably more. Like, almost twice as much. You could also look at large SUVs, such as the Peugeot E-5008 and Hyundai Ioniq 9, though again, neither gets anywhere near the Kia’s starting price of about £32,000 or even the circa-£38k top-spec model.

Despite being a van-based MPV – the PV5 Cargo is one of our favourite small vans – the PV5 Passenger looks fantastic. Those slim, vertical daytime running lights, mirrored at the rear, and the sleek body panels make it look like a minibus from I, Robot.

Kia PV5 Passenger: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 183 miles / 256 miles
Efficiency: 3.2mi/kWh
Battery size: 51.5kWh / 71.2kWh
Max charge speed: 150kW
Charge time AC: 7hrs, 10-100% @ 7kW
Charge time DC: 30mins, 10-80% @ 150kW
Charge port location: Front
Power outputs: 120hp / 160hp

The interior isn’t quite as eye-catching, with a chunky look full of dark plastics, but it’s certainly functional with loads of storage options in the front. The infotainment system works well, but unlike Kia’s cars the temperature controls are in the touchscreen, and they’re quite fiddly to use even at a standstill.

Eventually you should be able to get a seven-seat version in the UK, but for now there’s just the five-seat model we tested. Unless you really need the third row, that’s not a problem, because the rear seats are really spacious and you get a massive boot. Really massive – at 1,330 litres it has more capacity than many hatchbacks do with the rear seats folded. There’s loads of underfloor storage, too, proving nothing can touch a van-based MPV for practicality.

Where the PV5 Passenger does fall behind alternatives is the range. There are two battery options, the cheapest of which does just 183 miles between charges. Useful, perhaps, if you’re running a business shuttling people from the car park to the airport, but for everyone else the big battery’s 256-mile range will be much more appropriate.

However, you can get an ID Buzz that’ll go nearly 300 miles between charges and long-range versions of the Peugeot E-5008 promise over 400 miles.

On the road, the PV5 Passenger lacks the posh refinement of the Peugeot, too, but when you look at the space and practicality for the price, it’s hard to complain. It’s smooth and comfortable over bumps, with light steering that makes tight manoeuvres easy.

It’s also surprisingly good fun on a twisty road, even if the upright seating position isn’t exactly ideal for spirited driving, though it is a touch noisy at higher speeds where the road noise echoes around the boxy cabin.

If you’re looking for a spacious SUV but want something really affordable and don’t like to go the obvious route, give the Kia PV5 Passenger a look. It’s got a charm that most modern SUVs can’t touch, and it has all the practicality your family could ever need.

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