2026 Kia PV5 revealed as electric Carnival alternative, Volkswagen ID. Buzz rival
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The Kia PV5 is an all-electric alternative to the Carnival with a boxier, upright shape. It is on the radar for an Australian launch.
The 2026 Kia PV5 electric van has debuted ahead of its full reveal later this month as a rival to the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and a battery-powered alternative to its Carnival people mover.
It will be available in people-carrying Passenger and load-carrying Cargo styles – like the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and the combustion-engined Hyundai Staria – as the first ‘Platform Beyond Vehicle’ from Kia.
First previewed by the Concept PV5 revealed 12 months ago at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show, the production model will debut in full at the next Kia EV Day in Tarragona, Spain on February 27, 2025, with the brand showing its exterior design ahead of the event next week.
A Kia Australia spokesperson said the local division has its hand up for the PV5, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet.
“Kia Australia is keen to receive as many new EV models as we can, including PV5,” they said.
The mid-size PV5 – also a rival to the Ford E-Transit Custom – will be followed by the smaller PV1 and larger PV7 vans, which were also shown as concept vehicles at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show. A Kia PV3 slotting between PV1 and PV5 is also expected.
MORE: Kia unveils electric van concepts, showroom versions due from 2025
Kia says the PV5 will be offered in “several configurations to meet a wide range of usage needs”, with additional variants – including specialised conversion options – to appear at its EV Day later this month.
The design of the PV5 looks closer to a Hyundai Staria than a Kia Carnival with a boxier, upright profile, along with short front and rear overhangs and a larger window area.
Hyundai is expected to unveil an electric version of the Staria soon, but it is unclear if it will be based on the current petrol and diesel model or if the electric model could be a twin-under-the-skin to the Kia PV5.
Kia has not provided any technical details for the PV5 ahead of its full reveal, but it is expected to use a modified version of the front-wheel-drive E-GMP electric-car platform found in the EV3 and EV5 SUVs, with a 400-volt electrical architecture.
The brand’s ‘Opposites United’ design language continues for the electric van to “give continuity with Kia’s SUV line-up”, with headlights integrated into the lower grille, plastic body cladding, and off-centre logos.
Passenger-carrying versions of the PV5 will have a lift-up tailgate, while the cargo version has side-opening barn doors.
More details on the 2026 Kia PV5 will be confirmed on Thursday February 27, 2025, when it makes its full debut at the Kia EV Day in Spain, alongside the EV4 hatch and sedan and a concept previewing the EV2 city SUV.
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