- Industry Recognition: Autocar names the Kia PV5 Passenger ‘Best Large Car’ at the prestigious 2026 Autocar Awards.
- Innovative Design: Judges praise the PV5 Passenger for redefining the capabilities of an all-electric MPV and LCV.
- Core Values: Recognition highlights the vehicle’s progressive design, clever packaging, exceptional value, and expanding versatility.
- Strategic Milestone: The PV5 Passenger demonstrates Kia’s PBV strategy by offering modular electric mobility across diverse transport applications.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – June 18, 2026: Kia Corporation (Kia) today announced that the Kia PV5 Passenger has been named ‘Best Large Car’ at the 2026 Autocar Awards.
The Autocar Awards judging panel praised the PV5 Passenger as a standout example of how electric commercial vehicles can be reimagined, citing its progressive design, clever packaging, and exceptional value. Judges also highlighted the model’s forward-thinking styling, refined driving dynamics, and efficient interior layout.
Autocar further recognized the PV5 Passenger’s strong performance and driving range, made possible by Kia’s dedicated PBV E-GMP.S platform. The publication noted its attractive positioning as a new benchmark for both electric light commercial vehicles (LCVs) and multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs). With versatile 7-seater and wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV) versions planned, Autocar concluded that the PV5 represents one of the smartest, most imaginative, and accessible all-electric LCV and MPV propositions on the market today.
“The Autocar Award for the Kia PV5 Passenger is strong recognition of our commitment to redefining the electric vehicle experience for customers,” said Sang Dae Kim, Executive Vice President and Head of PBV Division at Kia Corporation. “With its flexible interior, dedicated EV platform, and expanding range of passenger, cargo, and conversion variants, the PV5 shows how Kia’s PBV strategy can create new value across personal mobility, business use, and specialized transportation. This award is a meaningful milestone as we continue to build a global PBV lineup designed around real customer needs.”
Mark Tisshaw, Editor of Autocar, commented: > “Besides looking so wonderfully progressive, fresh, and unusual, the Kia PV5 is very cleverly packaged, appealing to travel in, really well-mannered to drive – and it’s outstanding value for money. With clever seven-seat and wheelchair-accessible conversion versions due soon, the PV5 looks set to be one of the smartest ways you could spend a modest budget on a big family car for some considerable time to come – and we like it a lot.”
Redefining the Large Car Category
The 2026 Autocar Awards recognize the PV5 Passenger as a vehicle that brings entirely new thinking to its segment. By combining MPV practicality with the flexibility of a modular platform, the PV5 Passenger offers a fresh approach to passenger mobility for families, businesses, and specialized transport users.
Autocar’s recognition reflects the vehicle’s unique ability to combine everyday usability, passenger comfort, and electric efficiency in a model designed from the outset to support a broad range of customer needs. The PV5 Passenger is a core member of the Kia PV5 family, sitting alongside the Cargo model, with WAV, Crew, and Chassis Cab variants expected to join the global lineup in due course.
A Compelling All-Electric MPV Layout
Ushering in a new era for Kia, the all-electric PV5 Passenger MPV has been engineered to offer highly flexible passenger mobility. The model is currently available as a 5-seater with a choice of two battery options:
- Standard Range: 51.5 kWh
- Long Range: 71.2 kWh
A 7-seater version has also joined the lineup, offering a distinct 2-2-3 layout that provides generous seating for seven adults, along with 350 liters of luggage space behind the third row of seats.
All PV5 Passenger models come equipped with a premium suite of features, including a 12.9-inch touchscreen with navigation, Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay®, a 7.5-inch digital cluster, and front and rear parking sensors paired with a rear camera.
The PV5 Passenger has also received updates for the 2027 model year, featuring a new antenna design that reduces overall vehicle height to below 1.9 meters, a height-adjustable driver’s armrest, and a walk-away automatic locking system.
Driving Kia’s Global PBV Strategy
The PV5 Passenger plays a central role in Kia’s global Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) strategy, which aims to provide flexible mobility solutions built around diverse customer use cases.
Based on Kia’s dedicated PBV platform, the PV5 family has been developed to support multiple body types and usage scenarios—from passenger transport and cargo movement to wheelchair-accessible mobility and chassis-based conversion applications. It showcases how Kia’s PBV approach successfully brings together electric mobility, modular design, and customer-focused packaging to serve both personal and commercial mobility sectors.
An Award-Winning Track Record
The Kia PV5 has quickly established itself as a key player in the electric van and MPV market, earning a series of major global accolades. The PV5 was recently named the 2026 ‘International Van of the Year,’ alongside recognition from several leading UK media titles. Additionally, the PV5 Passenger was named ‘Family Car of the Year’ at the BBC TopGear.com Awards 2026.
Kia also continues to build a strong legacy at the Autocar Awards. Recent honors include Ho Sung Song receiving the prestigious ‘Issigonis Trophy,’ the Kia EV3 being named ‘Best Electric Car’ in 2025, and the Kia EV4 securing ‘Best Large Car’ in 2024—the exact same category won by the PV5 this year.
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