Simon Harris reports back on our Kia EV5 long-termer.

Kia EV5 GT Line S

P11D: £47,080  BiK: 4% £31 (20%)/ £63 (40%)  Range: 313 miles  On fleet range: 270 miles  Efficiency: 3.5mpkWh

Report 4:

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Kia recently announced an expansion to its range of medium cars, with GT versions of the EV3, EV4 and EV5.

These add an additional motor to the rear of the car, sending drive through both axles, and giving them the capability of handling the extra power. This is welcome news for driving enthusiasts, but they might also be charging enthusiasts, as the extra performance comes at the expense of range. All of the GT variants have the same battery capacity as their front-wheel-drive alter egos.

In any case, I doubt many fleets would green-light GT variants of these cars if the only benefit is extra acceleration. I typically drive every EV in ‘eco’ mode, as the performance tends to be more than adequate, and I have yet to find justification to change my mind.

During previous ‘ownership’ stints with the EV3 and EV4, I found energy efficiency to be exceptional, with a near-guaranteed 300 miles on a full charge. It hasn’t been the case with the larger EV5, although relatively speaking, its aerodynamics are far superior to what we expected of an SUV just a few years ago. The weather is still mild, but it’s typically showing a maximum range of around 280 miles, although it always turns out to be lower on a long, high-speed run.

Something I’ve been experimenting with recently is turning off energy recuperation on long routes. Another journalist I was speaking to mentioned an engineer at a car manufacturer told them that freewheeling is more energy efficient than recuperation, and perhaps the theory has a point.

In urban environments with frequent stops, there’s a better chance of putting recaptured energy to good use, but on a motorway, with steady speeds, recuperation and one-pedal driving could lead to fatigue in the right heel!

Report 3:

One of the things I had not discovered on the EV5 until recently – and standard on the GT Line S – is a massage function for the driver.

Passengers are not deserving of such luxuries at this price point – which is understandable – but as most of my trips have carried me alone, I was delighted to find a massage function button next to the seat memory controls, and within the touchscreen menu for the seats.

There are three functions – lumbar, pelvic and whole body (the latter, a combination of the two former). As well as requesting a massage on demand, the system can also be programmed to begin a massage during a journey, and mine is currently set to kick in with a 10-minute massage after an hour.

On premium-badge cars, massage seats are often an option, even on the higher grades, so Kia ought to be commended for having it as standard on the GT Line S. However, there are also a number of Chinese car brands that make massage seats more accessible than we have been used to.

Another noteworthy factor at the moment is as the hot weather has subsided, the range prediction in the car has become less optimistic. One of the things I miss moving from the smaller EV3 and EV4 hatchback into the EV5 is that, as they all use the same 81kWh battery, the heavier and less aerodynamic EV5 rarely gets close to 300 miles in real-world driving, whereas the smaller models were guaranteed to beat 300 miles in warm weather and get very close to it even in winter.

Most of my charging is still done at home at 5.5p per kWh, but the need to top up on the road in the EV5 is a little more common.

Report 2:

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Our opening report on the Kia EV5 focused on initial impressions: its distinctive styling, generous cabin space and how its real-world range stacks up for high-mileage drivers.

With the odometer climbing, this second update looks at the daily realities of living with Kia’s latest Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (CCNC).

As manufacturers reduce physical dashboard switchgear, drivers must increasingly rely on digital menus or voice control. The EV5 leans heavily into the latter, utilising an always-listening personal assistant designed to handle climate, navigation and media requests via the standard “Hey Kia” wake phrase.

In theory, this keeps a driver’s eyes securely on the road. In practice, the microphone system can be a little too eager to join in on everyday cabin conversations. While navigating a busy motorway route past a well-known Swedish furniture retailer recently, my passenger casually muttered, “I hate Ikea.” Within a split second, the infotainment system muted our audio, sprang to life like the genie of the lamp and politely asked how it could assist.

It was a textbook phonetic false positive. As the vehicle’s software is tuned to catch low-volume phrasing over ambient road noise, the phonetic overlap between “I hate Ikea” and “Hey Kia” tricked the system into active listening mode.

While amusing, accidental triggers are a needless distraction. If a system repeatedly interrupts hands-free business calls, drivers will simply disable the technology entirely.

Fortunately, a quick dive into Setup > Voice Recognition allows you to toggle off the active wake-up word completely. Crucially, this doesn’t mean losing functionality; a single press of the steering wheel microphone button instantly wakes the native Kia system, restoring complete cabin serenity.

First Report:

Kia is one of a handful of brands with an enviable strike rate for its EVs. I’ve driven most of them, and a couple in the current Kia line-up have won Great British Fleet Awards.

Joining the range at the end of 2025 was the EV5 – as an SUV, it uses some of the chunky styling cues of the smaller EV3 and larger EV9.

It’s basically the same size as a Sportage, but a fully electric vehicle. Being electric, it’s a little more spacious than a Sportage, despite having similar external dimensions.

 And with the battery pack sitting under the floor, raising the driving position slightly, you certainly feel a cut above most others on the road.

 The EV5 uses the larger of the two battery packs available on the EV4 and EV3, with 81.4kWh total capacity. While that’s still substantial for a medium SUV, its extra weight and inferior aerodynamics over its smaller siblings mean it won’t travel quite as far on a full charge.

The official WLTP combined range is 329 miles on the entry-level Air grade and 313 miles for our GT Line S test car – mainly down to the larger 19-inch alloy wheels. Maximum power is 214hp with 295Nm of torque. 

Orders opened for the EV5 in September 2025, with the familiar Air, GT Line and GT Line S range structure, but Kia recently announced new AWD variants, plus a Storm grade that sits between the medium and top versions. 

Our front-wheel-drive GT Line S is priced at £47,080 P11D, sitting comfortably below the £50,000 ‘expensive car tax’ threshold for VED on electric vehicles.

The range-topper has an opening glass sunroof and sun-blind, heated front and outer rear seats, ventilated front seats (relief from these few weeks of high temperatures!), a Harman Kardon eight-speaker audio system, and the full suite of available ADAS safety features. 

We look forward to evaluating its blend of comfort and practicality over the next few months.