The Kia EV5 has been spotted in Australia for the first time, with the South Korean brand’s Chinese-made electric vehicle (EV) nearing its local launch in mid-2024.
CarExpert reader Jono submitted these photos of an Kia EV5 driving around Kensington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, finished in a blue hue which is different to the lighter hero colour previously seen in press shots.
A check of the New South Wales registration database shows this is an evaluation vehicle, with Jono reporting it was undertaking U-turns, three-point turns and multiple rotations around a roundabout in the time he saw it.
Despite being just a handful of months away from its official mid-year launch, Kia is yet to detail how much the mid-sized EV5 will cost.
Previous reports have suggested a price close to the Kia Niro EV, which is smaller but made in South Korea, and starts from $66,590 before on-road costs in its most basic guise.
If it wears a price tag of around $55,000-$60,000 in entry-level guise and around $75,000-$80,000 in flagship grade, it will be right in the mix with the best-selling Tesla Model Y.
Overseas, the Kia EV5 is sold in three grades, offering two 160kW front-wheel drive variants with either a 64kWh or 88kWh battery, plus a flagship 200kW all-wheel drive version with a 70kWh battery pack.
A flagship EV5 GT is due at a later date.
All Kia EV5 models use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs sourced from Chinese EV specialist BYD, capable of charging from 30 to 80 per cent in a claimed 27 minutes.
While the Kia EV5 is underpinned by a derivative of the Hyundai Group’s E-GMP platform, it is on a more basic 400V version of the architecture, rather than the 800V system in the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6.
Official pricing and specifications will be revealed closer to the Kia EV5’s Australian launch.
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