Discussion
After dipping my toe into the world of EVs from an MX5 ND to a BMW i3s a year or so ago, I decided I need yet more space. I looked at a VW ID5 and it was a bit meh so back to the drawing board. My wife still misses our old T5, and reminded me I like those Kia vans, so I went and had a look and now its mine!
It is the 5 seater mid spec plus one with heat pump, and it is ace!
It is the 5 seater mid spec plus one with heat pump, and it is ace!
Edited by ADogg on Wednesday 14th October 10:04
It feels like they've knocked it out the park with these. A starting price just over £30k in 2026 is bloody good for that amount of metal.
They're stupidly priced by Tusker, annoyingly. They want £26200 for 3 years with a car with a list price of £33k. Yes it includes a couple of grands worth of insurance and a service but it's a little too much to stomach otherwise I'd have one on order already.
Edit. Or £35k on the top spec £42k list price one, madness.
They're stupidly priced by Tusker, annoyingly. They want £26200 for 3 years with a car with a list price of £33k. Yes it includes a couple of grands worth of insurance and a service but it's a little too much to stomach otherwise I'd have one on order already.
Edit. Or £35k on the top spec £42k list price one, madness.
Edited by _Rodders_ on Wednesday 14th October 09:05
I posted in the thread on the Kia subforum that I’ve just bought one that is currently being converted into a campervan. I should be able to pick it up in January.
I wanted a campervan and it made no sense to me to go for a diesel after having a Tesla Model Y as a family car for the last three years. As far as I can gather, they’re selling really well. It’s actually smaller (length and width) than my Tesla so should be easy to park compared to the latest VW T7s which are really quite long and wide.
I wanted a campervan and it made no sense to me to go for a diesel after having a Tesla Model Y as a family car for the last three years. As far as I can gather, they’re selling really well. It’s actually smaller (length and width) than my Tesla so should be easy to park compared to the latest VW T7s which are really quite long and wide.
What's the real world motorway range on these?
I'm currently doing a ~160mile round trip from the West Country, up the M4 to Heathrow every couple of weeks in a 25 year old TD5 defender, which isn't really the ideal vehicle for such a commute.
I was considering swapping the defender for either one of these or an ID.Buzz, but I am not sure if there would be a lot of contingency range left after running up the motorway and back at 70mph! There's nowhere at Heathrow to charge, and I wouldn't want to stop on the way so it would need to make it there and back with enough charge to cope with cold weather, motorway closures etc
I know it's not the ideal vehicle for on the motorway, but it's main duty would be running round with a couple of mountain bikes stood up in the back, which rules out most of the smaller EVs!
I'm currently doing a ~160mile round trip from the West Country, up the M4 to Heathrow every couple of weeks in a 25 year old TD5 defender, which isn't really the ideal vehicle for such a commute.
I was considering swapping the defender for either one of these or an ID.Buzz, but I am not sure if there would be a lot of contingency range left after running up the motorway and back at 70mph! There's nowhere at Heathrow to charge, and I wouldn't want to stop on the way so it would need to make it there and back with enough charge to cope with cold weather, motorway closures etc
I know it's not the ideal vehicle for on the motorway, but it's main duty would be running round with a couple of mountain bikes stood up in the back, which rules out most of the smaller EVs!
The site here: https://ev-database.org/uk/car/3289/Kia-PV5-Passen... will give you a good indication. It looks as though most of the time you would be OK, although without much margin, but in cold winter conditions you probably wouldn't risk it. But if you would accept a 15 minute charging stop you should manage.
Following with interest as I think these are a really interesting proposition, as is the larger PV7 when that eventually arrives.
I've leased cars for years, but depending on deals and second hand prices, I might actually look at buying one in around 18 months when our current lease ends.
I'd be particularly interested to hear how versatile the load area is. We currently have a T7 California and, while the camping side of things might turn out to be a bit of a novelty, I don't think I could go back to a conventional car. Having twin sliding doors and all that space to chuck the kids, dog, bikes and everything else in is fantastic. Ideally I'd like something I could just roll the bikes into without having to remove wheels.
I've never bothered investing in a bike rack, partly because we change vehicles regularly and partly because I don't really have anywhere convenient to store one when it's not being used. Does the PV5 come with a towbar as standard, or is that an option?
The price point is another massive attraction, particularly being under the £40k expensive car supplement threshold. Looking at what you get for the money, I do wonder how anyone can justify spending nearly £30k more on an ID. Buzz. I'm sure the VW has its advantages, but that's an enormous premium for what is fundamentally a similar proposition.
We've actually gone from an EV back to diesel, but for 99% of our journeys the range of the PV5 would be more than adequate. The only real complication is visiting my other half's family in NW Scotland. Motorway rapid charging isn't an issue, it's the lack of charging infrastructure once you get there. You generally need to find accommodation with a charger, which is surprisingly difficult, or somewhere you can granny charge.
Anyway, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it, particularly the practicality and real world range.
I've leased cars for years, but depending on deals and second hand prices, I might actually look at buying one in around 18 months when our current lease ends.
I'd be particularly interested to hear how versatile the load area is. We currently have a T7 California and, while the camping side of things might turn out to be a bit of a novelty, I don't think I could go back to a conventional car. Having twin sliding doors and all that space to chuck the kids, dog, bikes and everything else in is fantastic. Ideally I'd like something I could just roll the bikes into without having to remove wheels.
I've never bothered investing in a bike rack, partly because we change vehicles regularly and partly because I don't really have anywhere convenient to store one when it's not being used. Does the PV5 come with a towbar as standard, or is that an option?
The price point is another massive attraction, particularly being under the £40k expensive car supplement threshold. Looking at what you get for the money, I do wonder how anyone can justify spending nearly £30k more on an ID. Buzz. I'm sure the VW has its advantages, but that's an enormous premium for what is fundamentally a similar proposition.
We've actually gone from an EV back to diesel, but for 99% of our journeys the range of the PV5 would be more than adequate. The only real complication is visiting my other half's family in NW Scotland. Motorway rapid charging isn't an issue, it's the lack of charging infrastructure once you get there. You generally need to find accommodation with a charger, which is surprisingly difficult, or somewhere you can granny charge.
Anyway, I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it, particularly the practicality and real world range.
_Rodders_ said:
It feels like they've knocked it out the park with these. A starting price just over £30k in 2026 is bloody good for that amount of metal.
They're stupidly priced by Tusker, annoyingly. They want £26200 for 3 years with a car with a list price of £33k. Yes it includes a couple of grands worth of insurance and a service but it's a little too much to stomach otherwise I'd have one on order already.
Edit. Or £35k on the top spec £42k list price one, madness.
On my Tusker is comes out at £673 gross for the long range version which isn't nearly as terrible, ~£16K for three years netThey're stupidly priced by Tusker, annoyingly. They want £26200 for 3 years with a car with a list price of £33k. Yes it includes a couple of grands worth of insurance and a service but it's a little too much to stomach otherwise I'd have one on order already.
Edit. Or £35k on the top spec £42k list price one, madness.
Edited by _Rodders_ on Wednesday 14th October 09:05
barian said:
The site here: https://ev-database.org/uk/car/3289/Kia-PV5-Passen... will give you a good indication. It looks as though most of the time you would be OK, although without much margin, but in cold winter conditions you probably wouldn't risk it. But if you would accept a 15 minute charging stop you should manage.
Thanks for that - looks like that site estimates 150 - 190miles on the motorway for the PV5, 170 - 215 for the LWB Buzz which is a little more of a margin...random_username said:
barian said:
The site here: https://ev-database.org/uk/car/3289/Kia-PV5-Passen... will give you a good indication. It looks as though most of the time you would be OK, although without much margin, but in cold winter conditions you probably wouldn't risk it. But if you would accept a 15 minute charging stop you should manage.
Thanks for that - looks like that site estimates 150 - 190miles on the motorway for the PV5, 170 - 215 for the LWB Buzz which is a little more of a margin...Having previously had an ID.7 Tourer, I found that poor weather could absolutely hammer the range, despite it being a very aerodynamic car.
The only time I ever got caught out was coming home from the airport. It was August, but a couple of hours driving into a strong headwind and heavy rain absolutely killed the battery. I was amazed how much difference it made.
a311 said:
I'd be interested to see how both the PV5 and ID. Buzz cope with poor weather on longer motorway runs, given their fairly boxy shapes.
Having previously had an ID.7 Tourer, I found that poor weather could absolutely hammer the range, despite it being a very aerodynamic car.
The only time I ever got caught out was coming home from the airport. It was August, but a couple of hours driving into a strong headwind and heavy rain absolutely killed the battery. I was amazed how much difference it made.
This is what I'm trying to figure out - the cars I have at the moment either aren't suitable for winter use, or aren't well suited to long motorway trips so I was thinking of having a changearound - an EV MPV ticks a lot of boxes because I can put the bikes in the back easily, it's cheap to run around etc, but it looks like I am right at the limits of being able to cope with the airport run - I'd not really thought about headwinds but it is a very good point! Having previously had an ID.7 Tourer, I found that poor weather could absolutely hammer the range, despite it being a very aerodynamic car.
The only time I ever got caught out was coming home from the airport. It was August, but a couple of hours driving into a strong headwind and heavy rain absolutely killed the battery. I was amazed how much difference it made.
random_username said:
a311 said:
I'd be interested to see how both the PV5 and ID. Buzz cope with poor weather on longer motorway runs, given their fairly boxy shapes.
Having previously had an ID.7 Tourer, I found that poor weather could absolutely hammer the range, despite it being a very aerodynamic car.
The only time I ever got caught out was coming home from the airport. It was August, but a couple of hours driving into a strong headwind and heavy rain absolutely killed the battery. I was amazed how much difference it made.
This is what I'm trying to figure out - the cars I have at the moment either aren't suitable for winter use, or aren't well suited to long motorway trips so I was thinking of having a changearound - an EV MPV ticks a lot of boxes because I can put the bikes in the back easily, it's cheap to run around etc, but it looks like I am right at the limits of being able to cope with the airport run - I'd not really thought about headwinds but it is a very good point! Having previously had an ID.7 Tourer, I found that poor weather could absolutely hammer the range, despite it being a very aerodynamic car.
The only time I ever got caught out was coming home from the airport. It was August, but a couple of hours driving into a strong headwind and heavy rain absolutely killed the battery. I was amazed how much difference it made.
I've noticed a few airport parking deals now offer EV charging while you're away, so you can come back to a fully charged car, which is handy.
It looks like these are already going to be popular with camper converters too. It'll be interesting to see how they get on with all the extra weight though, especially when it comes to range.
a311 said:
How far is your airport run? Newcastle is our nearest at about 100 miles each way, but Glasgow, Edinburgh and Manchester are all pretty similar for us.
I've noticed a few airport parking deals now offer EV charging while you're away, so you can come back to a fully charged car, which is handy.
It's about 80 miles each way, mainly motorway. It looks like Heathrow doesn't have any on-airport EV charging. I actually spotted what looked like some slow chargers in T2 short stay last week, but it didn't look like they were active, and the website says there are no facilities within the airport itself. I wonder if they got cold feet after the airport fire a few years ago?I've noticed a few airport parking deals now offer EV charging while you're away, so you can come back to a fully charged car, which is handy.
random_username said:
It's about 80 miles each way, mainly motorway. It looks like Heathrow doesn't have any on-airport EV charging. I actually spotted what looked like some slow chargers in T2 short stay last week, but it didn't look like they were active, and the website says there are no facilities within the airport itself. I wonder if they got cold feet after the airport fire a few years ago?
It was Edinburgh Park and Fly where I'd seen it offered. You'd think with more EVs on the road it's the sort of thing airports will increasingly need to offer.In your case you might be fine, but I'd maybe factor in a short coffee stop and a quick top up on the way to the airport, just to take away any range anxiety for the return journey. With rapid chargers it's not really a big deal these days, although when I get off a flight I just want to crack on and get home ASAP!
The time I got caught out in the ID.7 I ended up pulling into the services at 2am for a 15 minute charge. At least there were plenty of chargers available!
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