2025 Kia EV5 Air Long Range Review

The weight of responsibility is especially high on this entry-level EV5 Air version as the competition heats up at the more affordable end of the spectrum.

In other words, if the base model doesn’t add up, it won’t stand a chance in today's electric SUV landscape.

It seems as though every day there's a new electric SUV hititng the market, many of which try to out-do the rivals on the value front, meaning the Kia EV5 Air really needs to impress to assert itself as a deserving, affordable electric midsize SUV package.

To find out just how compelling the value proposition is, we got behind the wheel of the entry-level Kia EV5 Air Long Range and we'll be breaking everything down in this review.

Kia EV5 Competition

How Much Does It Cost?

The Kia EV5 range is competitively priced, with Kia hoping it will make a dent in the more affordable end of the electric, midsize SUV segment.

Prices kick off from $56,770 for the entry-level EV5 Air Standard Range and top out at $71,770 for the flagship EV5 GT-Line AWD.

Our review vehicle, the EV5 Air Extended Range, is priced at $61,170, with the mid-range EV5 Earth priced at $64,770.

• EV5 Air Standard Range - $56,770

• EV5 Air Extended Range - $61,170 (tested)

• EV5 Earth AWD - $64,770

• EV5 GT-Line AWD - $71,770

Keep in mind these prices are subject to change and do not include on-road costs.

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Kia EV5 Air Extended Range Specifications

What Features Does the Kia EV5 Air Have?

While the EV5 Air sits at the bottom of the range, there’s a healthy amount of equipment on offer that doesn't make it feel like a spartan base model.

The EV5 Air comes riding on a set of 18-inch alloys and receives LED head & tail lights as well as LED daytime running lamps, adaptive cruise control, cloth and leatherette upholstery with heated and front seats, roof rails, dual-zone climate control and a massaging pilot's seat with power-adjustment and lumbar support.

You’ll also pick up a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster paired alongside a 5.0-inch climate control display, wheel-mounted paddle shifters for Kia's i-Pedal regenerative braking system, solar glass, satin silver exterior highlights for the rear windows and a lengthy stack of active safety tech.

All up, the EV5 Air ticks most, if not all the important equipment boxes for buyers looking for a well-equipped base model.

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Kia EV5 Air Connectivity & Infotainment Features

The Kia EV5 range boasts a particularly strong infotainment package.

There's a trio of displays topping the dashboard, with a 5.0-inch climate panel sandwiched between two 12.3-inch displays that make things feel particularly high-tech for an entry-level package.

The displays are great, offering crisp graphics, high brightness levels to compete with the midday sun and more than enough processing power to trawl through menus.

Kia's menu layout remains one of the most user-friendly in the segment and looks pretty shmick, too.

The EV5's 12.3-inch infotainment system is packaged with over-the-air software update functionality, satellite navigation, AM/FM & DAB+ digital radio and is paired with a six-speaker sound system.

The sound system isn't the best, but it gets the job done.

EV5 buyers here in Australia also pick up a seven-year subscription to the company’s connected services suite, Kia Connect, alongside ten-years' worth of updates and live-traffic updates for the sat-nav.

Does the Kia EV5 Have Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto?

Potential buyers will be pleased to know that all members of the EV5 range offer wireless smartphone mirroring for iOS and Android ecosystems.

The EV5's 12.3-inch infotainment system is packaged with both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

Connecting your phone wirelessly to the EV5 is quick and simple, with no drop-outs in connection over our week behind the wheel.

It’s also a super simple process to connect multiple devices and swap the wireless CarPlay or Android Auto connection between them, when you'd like your co-pilot to take control of the entertainment or navigation.

You also have the option to connect your phone to one of the two USB-C ports up front, with another two USB-C ports located on the seatback for rear passengers.

Is the Kia EV5 Air Comfortable to Drive?

The EV5 is a very strong performer behind the wheel.

While the base model is guilty of being a little underwhelming on the power front, it's a package that confidently ticks all the fundamentals for buyers looking for a comfortable, electric midsize SUV package.

It's also a versatile and confident midsize SUV when tested on rougher, country roads in a mighty impressive manner for the typically stiff-as-bricks EV segment.

Let's begin unpacking the driving experience with a quick look at what powers the EV5 Air.

There's a single electric motor throwing 160kW of power and 310Nm of torque to the front wheels which, combined with its 2,054kg heft from the larger battery pack, means that acceleration is pretty modest.

Floor it and you'll still get a healthy dose of immediate torque that throws you back into the seat, though the entry-level EV5 is far from a performer, with the dual-motor AWD range remaining the pick for buyers looking for more pace.

Around the urban jungle, the EV5 proves itself as a seriously impressive package for the daily grind.

The steering is light and manoeuvrable at low speeds and while you're parking which, combined with the 11.7 turning circle, makes it more agile in confined spaces than a Tesla Model Y.

Pick up the pace, and the EV5 offers a little bit more feedback through the steering wheel, though it’s a little vague if you're more of a driving enthusiast.

Still, it feels agile and super responsive thanks to its instant power delivery, making for a surprisingly zippy midsize SUV package that doesn’t feel too hefty as you're cruising around town.

The EV5's four-level regenerative braking system can be adjusted via the flappy paddles on the steering wheel, with one-pedal driving on offer for the most energy-efficient and user-friendly stop-start traffic experience.

Things can feel a little stiff on some of the sharper bumps you'll find around town, though this is pretty common for electric vehicles as their suspension is tasked with lugging around a massive, heavy battery pack.

All up, there's no area on the daily, urban grind that the EV5 falls short of its main rivals, which is a feat made more impressive by just how confident it feels on a mix of country roads.

While many of its electric midsize SUV rivals prefer to stay on silky-smooth city streets, Kia has given the EV5 range a local suspension tune for Australian roads that makes a massive difference for owners who frequent rough, tumbling country roads.

On a stretch of high-speed, curving country B-road, the EV5 remains well-planted and surprisingly adept while ironing out larger bumps on the road thanks to its bespoke suspension package.

This is arguably one of the EV5's trump cards that widens its appeal with buyers who live outside major cities and make it one of the more comfortable midsize electric SUVs on a mix of smooth and rough Aussie road conditions.

Is the Kia EV5 Energy Efficient?

We were quite impressed with the energy efficiency figures we managed to get after a week behind the wheel of the EV5.

Kia says on the box that you can expect energy efficiency figures of 18.0kWh per 100km which we were able to match.

After 891km of driving on the highway, through town and tackling some country B-roads, we averaged 17.9kWh per 100km.

This shows that it’s a relatively easy feat to match Kia’s claimed energy efficiency figures without much of a change of our driving style, since it's not exactly a powerhouse.

How Far Can the Kia EV5 Drive on a Single Charge?

While the entry-level EV5 Air Standard Range comes with a 64.2kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack offering up to 400km of range per charge, this Extended Range version picks up a larger 88.1kWh pack.

This increases range potential from 400km up to a claimed 555km per charge, making it the most energy efficient member of the EV5 range and the pick if you're looking for the most kilometres between trips to the charger.

• EV5 Air Standard Range - 400km

• EV5 Air Extended Range - 555km (tested)

• EV5 Earth AWD Range - 500km

• EV5 GT-Line AWD Range - 470km

How Fast Can the Kia EV5 Charge?

The EV5 range features Kia’s 400V architecture underneath, with the Extended Range's larger 88kWh battery pack offering faster charging speeds than the smaller Standard Range battery.

With access to a 350kW fast-charger, the EV5 can be DC fast-charged at peak rates of 140kW, resulting in a 0-80 per cent charge in a claimed 42 minutes, or 10-80 per cent in 36 minutes.

Using a 50kW DC charger, you’ll bring the EV5 Extended Range's battery from 10 - 80 per cent in 57 minutes.

With the help of an 11kW three-phase AC charger, available with the larger 88kWh battery, only, you’ll fully charge the EV5's battery in around nine hours.

• EV5 Extended Range 140kW DC Fast Charge 0 - 80 per cent - 42 minutes

• EV5 Extended Range 50kW DC Fast Charge 0 - 80 per cent - 80 minutes

• EV5 Extended Range 11kW AC Charge - 9 hours

• EV5 Extended Range Single Phase Home Outlet - 13.5 hours

Is the Kia EV5 Practical and Spacious?

The Kia EV5 has a seriously practical design that utilises a more conventional approach toward the cabin styling than you'll find in some of its new-era EV peers.

This will come as great news for those looking for a more familiar cabin design that picks up some added practical touches from the bespoke EV platform over the ultra-minimalist designs featuring little more than a tablet on the dashboard.

Climb aboard and the EV5's cabin greets you with a design reminiscent of its larger, flagship EV9 sibling, which makes things clean and approachable for those new to the battery-electric segment.

Headroom for tall drivers isn't an issue thanks to the power-adjustable front seat, while the steering wheel receives both reach and rake adjustment.

There are some nice soft finishes for your elbows and, thanks to the low-slung centre console, nowhere for your knees to bang up against, giving the EV5 strong marks for ergonomics.

The centre console is super practical, offering a pair of cupholders and a large rubber-lined tray for loose items, with an additional layer of storage for handbags sitting underneath.

One quirk of the EV5’s cabin is the strange arrangement between the driver and front passenger seats, which sees the passenger's seat stretch out across to the centre console.

It looks as though it could be a third seat, though it's just an added expanse of cloth and leatherette upholstery with a little storage pocket inside, topped by the folding armrest.

Tilt your head up and you'll see the dashboard is dominated by three displays and is accompanied by sharp, angular dashboard surrounds with a firm but rubberised texture that feels far more premium than your run-of-the-mill scratchy plastic.

The design itself screams out that this is a base model, due to the fact that almost everything inside the cabin is the same shade of grey, with some bronze highlights thrown.

Some elements of the cabin feel a little cheap, but everything feels packaged and tied down in a quality manner, with no squeaks or rattles even when tested on a rough country road.

Move to the second row of the cabin and the EV5 offers acres of legroom and excellent headroom accommodation.

The seating position is spot on and there's tonnes of space for adults to stretch out for a long journey, with a few inches of space between my knees and my 185cm driving position.

The EV5’s second row bench seat is able to recline and while there are some cheaper plastic trim elements, everything still feels pretty nice, with soft-touch finishes for the armrests and a considerable amount of storage inside the centre console's pull-out cubby.

Parents will be happy with the EV5's super-wide-aperture doors that make it a simple task to load up a large, bulky child seat via one of the two pairs of ISOFIX anchors and three top tether mounts on the seatbacks.

All up, the EV5 knocks it out of the park when it comes to family-friendly practicality in the electric midsize SUV segment.

How Big is the Kia EV5's Boot?

The Kia EV5 rounds out an impressively practical cabin layout with a nice, family-friendly boot.

With the rear seats standing, there’s 513L of space in the EV5's boot, expanding to 1,714L with the rear seats folded.

You'll also find an additional 67L worth of storage inside the front boot, plus two storage areas underneath the boot floor.

This gives the EV5 more boot space than the Geely EX5 and Toyota bZ4X, but less than the Tesla Model Y, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Xpeng G6.

Kia's clever design for the second row seats means that as they fold forward, they also drop down considerably and give you a completely flat surface to load up bulky items, surfboards and sports gear and a near-flat load lift that makes it easy to unload heavy cargo.

The EV5's boot also features four neat little storage cut-outs, two that drop below the boot floor and two sitting above, as well as some adjustable bag hooks to secure loose items.

You'll also find a vehicle-to-load interior outlet to power appliances on the go, with an exterior V2L port reserved for more premium variants in the range.

Is it Safe?

Kia has thrown in a long list of safety equipment to sweeten the deal for buyers, though a few features are reserved for the higher-ranking GT-Line version.

As standard, the EV5 Air picks up AEB with vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist detection as well as junction turning and crossing assist and direct, oncoming lane change detection.

Buyers also pick up adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assistance, rear cross-traffic alerts, lane-keep assist with lane-centring, a rear-view camera with parking sensors, driver attention monitoring, lead vehicle departure alerts, safe exit warnings and seven airbags inside the cabin.

If you’re after a surround-view monitor, a parking collision avoidance system or a blind-spot view monitor, you'll need to upgrade to the EV5 GT-Line.

While well-equipped, the calibration of Kia's active safety tech remains overly conservative and a little bit paranoid at times, though all the beeps and bongs can be silenced via the vehicle settings menu.

Does the Kia EV5 Have an ANCAP Safety Rating?

The Kia EV5 range wears a five-star ANCAP safety rating after testing in 2024 saw it score the following marks.

• Adult Occupant Protection: 88%

• Child Occupant Protection: 86%

• Vulnerable Road User Protection: 74%

• Safety Assist: 82%

What Warranty Does the Kia EV5 Come With?

Kia offers the EV5 range with two separate warranties - one for the vehicle and another for all the high-voltage electric wizardry beneath.

As usual, there's a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty on offer, alongside an eight-year/150,000-kilometre vehicle battery warranty.

The company offers prepaid service packages for the EV5 range, stretching from three to seven years in total.

• Three-Year EV5 Servicing Costs: $980

• Five-Year EV5 Servicing Costs: $1,535

• Seven-Year EV5 Servicing Costs: $2,431

Service intervals stand at 12 months or 15,000 kilometres, whichever elapses first.

Our Verdict: Is the Kia EV5 Air Long Range Worth it?

The Kia EV5, especially in this more affordable Air variant, presents an extremely strong value proposition in the burgeoning world of electric midsize SUVs.

It's a well-equipped base model that rides well in town and on a country road and offers tonnes of space and a heap of practical touches that make it a formidable SUV package for growing families.

In fact, we'd argue the Air Extended Range is actually one of the best variants in the EV5 stables.

While it's priced precariously close to the more powerful, better-equipped and all-wheel drive EV5 Earth, upgrading for the sake of equipment means your driving range takes a considerable hit, though the added torque will be welcomed by many buyers.

With solid energy efficiency figures, buyers can expect to get close to Kia's claimed 550km of range which, combined with its confident suspension package, makes the EV5 a great option for Aussies living outside the city thinking of making the switch.

If you're thinking of making the switch to an EV or just want the best price possible on your next car, be sure to reach out to one of our car-buying experts.

Five Kia EV5 Air Extended Range Specs You Need to Know

1. Seven-year/unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty

2. Eight-year/150,000-kilometre battery warranty

3. 550km range from 88.1kWh battery pack

4. 513 - 1,714L boot space (plus 67L under bonnet)

5. Five-star ANCAP safety rating (tested 2024)