Kia EV5 review

The figure you’ll see advertised and in showrooms is £39,295. That’s for the base spec Air. It’s then a small (ish) jump to £42,595 for the mid-line GT-Line, before a bigger jump to £47,095 for the GT-Line S. 

All EV5s get the same 214bhp electric motor mated to an 81.4kWh battery for between 314 and 329 miles of range, remember. So the only real difference between trims is what’s on the kit list.

Rivals? In similar specification, a Nissan Ariya, Toyota bZ4x and VW ID.4 will set you back a couple of grand less, a Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volvo EX40 a couple of grand extra. So on that basis, it feels fairly pitched.

What’s the difference between kit then?

Base spec ‘Air’ models also get 18in alloys, front and rear LEDs, heated steering wheel and front seats, Kia’s familiar three-screen dash layout compromising dual 12.3in driver and infotainment screens split by a 5.3in climate control screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ChatGPT (that if you’re anything like us, you’ll never use) and Kia’s usual suite of driver assist gizmos.

One up ‘GT-Line’, expected to be the bestselling trim, adds a sportier look and starts from £42,595. It gets the same motor and battery but only manages a claimed 313 miles of range on account of, for one thing, the bigger 19in wheels. But for the extra cash you do get adaptive LED headlights, heated door mirrors and outer rear seats, powered tailgate, wireless charger and vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability.

Want the full works? Range topping ‘GT-Line S’ is priced from £47,095. It gets the same powertrain as the lesser trims, but throws in a sunroof, head-up display, eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, ventilated front seats, digital key, fingerprint recognition, and the full repertoire of parking cameras/sensors. But not a heat pump. That’ll cost you an additional £900. A little stingy, no?

What would you choose?

We hate to be the sheep, but GT-Line would probably be our choice too – if only for the extra colour and ambient lighting it brings in the cabin. The rest are 'nice to haves'.

Oh, and all versions get Kia’s usual generous seven year/100,000 mile warranty, with the battery pack covered for eight years/100,000 miles. Lovely.