Following the departure of our Kia EV4 long-termer, editor Simon Harris jumps into the larger, more rugged EV5.

Kia EV5 GT Line S

P11D: £47,080  BiK: 4% £31 (20%)/ £63 (40%)  Range: 313 miles  On fleet range: 285 miles  Efficiency: 3.5mpkWh

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.