Driving Kia’s electric mid-sized EV5 SUV – similar in size to Kia’s petrol Sportage, although boxier and the first Kia to be made in China for this market. Three trim grades Air, Earth, and GT- Line – I’m driving the mid-grade EV5 Earth at $68,990 drive-away, a dual motor all-wheel drive with a long-range 88.1kWh battery providing a quoted 500km range.

I must admit the Kia EV5 Earth SUV grew on me the more I drove it – the styling subjective, I personally find it a little too boxy, but I got used to it in time, certainly the interior a highpoint, great seats, the test cars Nougat Beige interior colours appealing in a dashboard design that is intuitive and different.



Features include synthetic leather seats, dual 12.3-inch interior screens,19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a power tailgate, dual zone climate control and a five-inch climate control display which frustratingly is partly hidden by the rim of the steering wheel. The interior roomy and very accommodating in both seat rows with excellent cargo space but disappointingly there’s no wireless phone charging or 360-degree camera.

For a family vehicle it lacks a front console storage box but for rear passengers provides a pull-out storage draw under. The Kia EV5 grew on me the more I drove it - the drive experience with four drive modes very satisfying, quiet in a well-insulated cabin, and in Sport mode the acceleration exhilarating to say the least.



My consumption with mainly around town motoring running at 18.6 kWh/100km providing a range of 473km, fairly close to Kia’s claimed figure – the charging process rather effortless - charge time on my 11kW home charger from 10 to 100 percent just over 8 hours or overnight. Biggest gripe, the overly active and intrusive lane keep assist, speed limit recognition and drive attention warnings which become an annoyance rather than a driver benefit.

Another frustration, the design of the flip-out door handles that require two hand operation – a design element that is of no real benefit to a more conventional door handle that can be operated by one hand. Warranty seven years/unlimited km with battery warranty only seven years/150,000km, less than some rivals

Warranty: seven years/unlimited km with battery warranty only seven years/150,000km, less than some rivals.

Also arriving in Kia dealerships this week the new compact electric Kia EV3 SUV, prices running from $47,600 to $63,950 - three trim grades, Air, Earth and GT-line, the Air with a choice of standard and long-range batteries, the Earth and GT- Line both long range. Standard range rated for 436km, Earth and GT-Line rated for 563km.



The compact Kia EV3 SUV arriving in dealerships this week