Kia PV5 Passenger Review & Prices

The Kia PV5 Passenger is the car that’s going to make you fall back in love with the MPV. While SUVs have slowly but surely taken over as the family car of choice, the Kia PV5 hits back with a truly vast interior that shows exactly why a big box is the most efficient shape for carrying both people and things. Plus, it’s super-futuristic to look at and good to drive - even if the range and performance isn’t anything to write home about.

Based on the PV5 Cargo panel van, the PV5 Passenger is a bit like a Dyson home appliance - inherently practical, but super-cool and genuinely desirable in a futuristic kind of way.

That makes it stylistically the opposite to the uber-retro Volkswagen ID Buzz, but it’s otherwise the closest alternative - albeit at nearly twice the price. Other options depend on which way you want to go. The Citroen e-Spacetourer or Ford E-Tourneo Custom offer boxy dimensions and EV power, but are very much van-based, while large SUVs such as the Peugeot E-5008 and Mercedes GLB offer more stylish bases but less room inside.

The PV5 is available with five or seven seats, but both versions share the same dimensions and exterior styling. It looks fantastic, in our eyes. The sleek, upright LED daytime running lights flank a standard two-tone paint finish with a black bonnet. The actual headlights are hidden in the bumper, while round the sides you get a cool sculpted window line, big chunky door handles, eye-catching wheel designs and a vast glass area.

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

It’s not exactly sleek - it’s hard to accomplish that with what’s essentially a big box - but it does look cool, which is almost as important.

The interior is a bit more hardwearing, reflecting its commercial van roots. There’s a lot of dark plastic about, with a design that’s more computer science degree than fashion course. There’s bags of storage, though - a big glovebox, a capacious centre console, multi-level door bins and even a pullout drawer perfect for snacks on the move.

There’s also a huge 12.9-inch touchscreen, which sadly doesn’t have much in the way of physical controls backing it up - usually something you can count on with Kia. It works okay, but it’s a bit of a pain having to go through the menu system just to change the temperature.

As a five-seater, the Kia PV5 is almost unparalleled. The front seats have loads of room to stretch out but the rear row is truly palatial. It’s set lower than the front, so you have enough headroom for your very biggest hat, and there’s enough leg space to really stretch.

The five-seater model gets a 1,330-litre boot, which should be enough for even the most demanding families and is actually a bit larger than the VW ID Buzz. It doesn’t get the clever multi-level floor of the Buzz though, which would be a nice addition.

The seven-seater model takes an old-fashioned approach, with two seats in the centre offset to allow a passage through to a three-person third row. Space is reasonable back there too, though the boot is naturally a bit smaller than in the five-seater.

There are two versions of the PV5 available. The smaller-battery model gets just 183 miles between charges, though the big-battery’s 256-mile range is a lot more useful. On paper that’s less than the ID Buzz, but the PV5 gets a lot closer to its claimed range in the real world than the VW does. Even so, the ultra-long range Peugeot E-5008 or Hyundai Ioniq 9 will be better bets for big-distance family buyers.

The PV5 Passenger isn’t quite as impressive as those cars on the road, either. It’s great around town, thanks to superb visibility and light controls, with smooth suspension that irons out bumps.

However at higher speeds it’s a bit noisy thanks to the boxy cabin, and if you get it out onto a twisty road you’ll find it comes a little unstuck - but that’s not surprising, as you can tell just by looking that this isn’t a sporty EV.

Verdict

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.

Check out the latest Kia PV5 Passenger deals and Kia PV5 Passenger lease deals available through Carwow. You can also browse used Kias from our network of trusted dealers, and when it’s time to sell your car, Carwow can help with that, too.

With a starting price of less than £33,000, the Kia PV5 is truly fantastic value - especially when you put it next to the near-£60,000 Volkswagen ID Buzz. In fact, the very cheapest Buzz and the most expensive PV5 are still separated by nearly £20,000.

It’s not like you’re totally lacking for equipment, either. All versions get tinted rear windows, full LED lights, climate control, dual sliding doors, keyless entry, wireless smartphone connectivity and 16-inch steel wheels with stylish covers.

‘Plus’ trim adds alloy wheels, heated front and rear seats, power-adjustable front seats, a powered tailgate, mobile phone charger, and a three-pin power socket for domestic power supply. There’s also an ‘Elite’ grade with electric sliding doors, ventilated front seats, a 360-degree camera and artificial leather upholstery. From July 2026, all new models come with a heat pump as standard for better heating efficiency in cold weather. Even the ID Buzz doesn’t get that unless you spend £1,000 as an extra.

Put simply, there’s nothing outside the world of pure commercial vehicles that offers so much space and comfort for such little money.

Superb to drive around town and not bad everywhere else - but the Kia PV5 Passenger doesn’t have the rocketship performance of many EV alternatives

In town

You might think the Kia PV5 Passenger is too huge to be easy to drive round town, but the vehicle’s footprint is actually smaller than it looks - it’s just taller and boxier than most alternatives. As a result it’s really not intimidating to drive at all.

In fact, with fantastic visibility all-round - especially over your shoulder or out of the massive rear window - plus a standard reversing camera and sensors, it’s easier to drive than most conventional family SUVs. Add to this the light, easy controls, responsive electric motor and well-judged safety tech and the Kia PV5 Passenger is an absolute joy to drive in a crowded city. Just bear in mind if you’re trying to juice it up in a tight bay that the nose-mounted charge port isn’t the most conveniently sited.

On the motorway

The PV5 Passenger doesn’t have the rapid performance of a lot of large electric cars - it’s notably less powerful than even the leanest Volkswagen ID Buzz - so it’s not especially quick at getting up to speed. It gets there, though, and once you’re doing 70mph it’s relaxed enough.

The assisted driving tech works well and the suspension irons out most of the bumps, but the PV5’s bluff sides mean it can be blown about it a bit by passing traffic, and there’s also quite a lot of wind noise.

On a twisty road

The PV5 Passenger might look like it should lean like a ship on a twisting back road, but with all the weight of the battery and motors effectively in the floor the centre of gravity is very low. It’s still not much fun to drive, though, as the steering is too light and remote-feeling and the eco-focused tyres don’t have tons of grip. It’s also front-wheel drive, unlike the ID Buzz, so you don’t get the pleasant sensation of being pushed out of a corner when you accelerate.

Palatial space and a great view out, but the PV5’s rear seat area is a little Spartan

The front seats of the Kia PV5 feel quite van-like thanks to the high driving position and low window line. Your knees actually sit higher than the windowsill, which is an unusual sensation for those coming from a high-riding SUV.

It’s perfectly comfortable, though. The seats and steering wheel have plenty of adjustment and thanks to the huge windows, massive windscreen and an extra glass area in the A-pillar you get a fantastic view out the front. The only criticism is that the seats are a little flat and don’t support you too well in the corners, but twin armrests give you somewhere to rest your elbows on long drives.

There’s also loads of storage available. The door bins are multi-layered with a handy spot at the very top that’s great for keeping snacks - as long as the windows are up - while in the centre there’s a spot for your phone, plus a pair of cupholders, centre console storage and even a drawer.

Space in the back seats

You sit much lower in the rear of the PV5 than you do in the front - it almost feels like you’re stepping down - but this means that the space on offer, particularly the headroom, is vast. There’s also a lot of legroom, but those with particularly lanky limbs might be sad that you can’t stretch your feet out underneath the seat in front - there’s actually a bulkhead that prevents this.

Storage in the rear is also distinctly lacking, with no cupholders, door bins or even armrests. You can use the space in the rear of the centre console, provided you can reach it, but that’s about it. There are two ISOFIX child seat mounting points, but given the width of the cabin it's a pity Kia couldn't have squeezed one in the middle too.

Seven-seat models have a 2-3-3 arrangement with the two middle seats shunted over to give a walkway through to the third row - an old-fashioned arrangement that’s undeniably easier than clambering over a folded seat, but less flexible as you can only get in and out on one side.

Boot space

The PV5 Passenger has a vast boot that’s entirely square, so if you need to carry a washing machine or fridge you’ll be laughing. The load floor is really low so you can easily hoick heavy items in, and even the oldest of long-suffering pooches won’t find it a problem to step inside for a ride in the car. You will need to make sure you have adequate space to open the vast tailgate, which can be a pain in tight parking spots.

At 1,333 litres in the five-seat model, the PV5’s boot eclipses even the Volkswagen ID Buzz’s space. Seven-seater models are more limited, with 318 litres of space with all three rows in place and 758 litres with the third row down. You get a couple of underfloor storage compartments for cables, but nothing as neat as the multi-level floor in the ID Buzz - and the rear seats leave a notable hump in the floor when you lower them, too.

Lots of hard plastics betray the PV5 Passenger’s van roots, but the touchscreen is quite easy to use

It’s quite apparent that the Kia PV5 Passenger is based on a commercial van when you sit in the cab. The design is quite plain and strait-laced, while the materials used are all hard and unyielding.

However, for a family buyer, that might not be a bad thing - all the surfaces feel very hardwearing, moreso than the squishy soft-touch plastic in many SUVs, and everything’s wipe-clean should it need to be.

The PV5 bucks the user-friendly Kia trend and dispenses with most of the physical switchgear, which is a shame. It means you have to use the touchscreen for simple functions like adjusting the climate control. There’s a row of shortcut buttons underneath it, but it’s a shame Kia couldn’t find space for a couple of temperature and fan dials.

The steering wheel has quite a cool aesthetic to it and is loaded with controls, while the drive selector is mounted on the column stalk, saving space in the centre.

The infotainment screen itself is quite easy to use. Most of the functions are where you want them to be, and there’s a shortcut bar across the bottom with some climate controls as well as quick links to your most-used apps. It’s certainly more straightforward than the screens in the VW ID Buzz or the Peugeot E-5008, but the displays in other Kia models - like the Sportage or EV5 - are better still.

You do get wireless smartphone connectivity as standard, and Plus models have a wireless phone charging pad in the centre console.

There are two battery options for the Kia PV5 Passenger. The smaller of the two, at 51.5kWh in capacity, gets you up to 183 miles of range, and has a 120hp motor making for sedate performance. The larger battery is a 71.2kWh unit and has an official range of up to 256 miles, with a more powerful 160hp motor.

Those numbers look quite modest compared to the Volkswagen ID Buzz, which can do up to 293 miles in its longest-range form. But in the real world, we found the gap isn’t that big. During a week with the biggest-battery versions of both cars we achieved a range of 200 miles over a mixture of town, country and motorway driving. Neither is very efficient on the motorway thanks to their blocky shapes - it’d be unfair to expect them to slip through the air like a Tesla Model 3.

The PV5’s range might be enough for some buyers, though if you need more you’ll have to dispense with the idea of an electric van and go for an SUV instead. The longest-range Peugeot E-5008 can manage over 400 miles to a charge in official tests.

At least the PV5 Passenger will be cheap to run elsewhere - with a relatively efficient electric motor keeping costs down, the lowest level of road tax and Benefit-in-Kind rates for company car users, and a list price which gets nowhere near the £50,000 threshold for the expensive car tax supplement. Every version of the ID Buzz pays this, adding over £2,000 to the first six years of ownership.

Charging the Kia PV5 is moderately fast. It has a max rate of 150kW, so 10-80% should take around 30 minutes - about the same as the ID Buzz, which has a faster charge rate but a bigger battery.

Kia PV5 Passenger Euro NCAP score (2025): 4/5

Adult occupant: 83%
Child occupant: 85%
Vulnerable road users: 64%
Safety assist: 65%

The Kia PV5 Passenger scored a four-star Euro NCAP safety rating, which isn’t bad for something based on a commercial vehicle. It’s the same score as the Ford Tourneo Custom, Volkswagen Multivan, and Peugeot 5008, and though the ID Buzz has a full five-star score it was last tested in 2022 so is not directly comparable.

All versions of the PV5 Passenger get plenty of safety kit, though only top-spec models get a surround-view camera and blind-spot monitoring, both of which are quite useful.

Kia’s standard warranty remains one of the best in the business, and unlike the coverage on the Peugeot E-5008 (which looks longer) it’s not linked to servicing at a Kia main dealer or limited on the parts it covers.

Kia’s electric cars have proved very reliable so far, but the brand as a whole came a lowly 25 out of 30 in the 2026 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey.