Kia unveils PV5 electric van complete with ultra-fast charging, high-tech cabins and hands-free cargo loading

TA-DAH. We told you Kia would make VANS – and here they are.

Mid-size panel vans, dubbed PV5, will hit the road from early 2026.

Small PV3 city vans and large PV7 cargo vans follow later.

They will be electric, of course, with ultra-fast charging, high-tech cabins and hands-free cargo loading from one van to another.

They will also be sensibly priced, from £34k.

Kia UK boss Paul Philpott promised: “We are very real about our future in the electric van market. To break through we need to have competitively priced products.”

Ford won’t be worried by the news. Transit is untouchable.

But for others, Kia’s arrival in the van space will go down like a cup of cold sick.

The Koreans will start small with 40 to 60 dealers across the UK and a modest first-year sales target of around 5,000 vans.

That’s what I reckon anyway.

They’ll earn their stripes and then grow, step by step, just as they have with cars.

Philpott added: “It’s a big opportunity for us over a period of time.

“But we have to establish the foundations first.

“If you think you are going to come in with some really good electric van product and go from zero to No1 within three years you’re mad.

“We have to build relationships with fleet customers, business customers, establish the expertise and grow it over time.

“The strength of the Kia brand will help us. People know us.”

Right, let’s talk PV5.

The standard panel van is 4.5 metres long and front-wheel drive.
There will be longer ones (4.7 metres), high-roof versions (allowing drivers to stand up in the cargo area), people movers and a chassis cab for conversions. Think tippers and so on.

One concept shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was a Robotaxi called PV5-R.

That won’t be happening any time soon. Nor will PV1, a self-driving delivery van. But we like PV5.

The cockpit has desk-like vibes. By that I mean a big flat surface, full-width display screens and a steering wheel that folds up for use as a LAMP.

Over-the-air software updates will keep you ahead of the curve.

Fresh thinking

Satnav location, contacts, charge status and other data can be shared van-to-van and back at base.

If you’re running low on juice, another PV5 can stop and top you up.

Integrated rail systems in the cargo area allow for cabinets or frames full of stuff to be switched from one van to another, using a tablet.

Fresh thinking, innit. Assuming you can park back-to-back perfectly.

The vans will come in three battery sizes, including a low-cost option, with rapid charging to 80 per cent in less than 30 minutes.

This next bit is pure fantasyland but I’ll share it with you anyway.

Someone at Kia reckons that, within ten years, we’ll be able to buy a van with swappable electromagnetic modules on the back.

So you can have, say, a delivery van by day, a food truck at night and a camper at the weekend.

I’ll believe it when I see it.

The wider Hyundai Motors Group is working on delivery robots and air taxis.

Just give us the basic van, please.