Kia EV5 review: practical electric SUV that ticks every box for families

Sometimes it feels like reviewing electric cars just becomes a bit of a box-ticking exercise. With a few notable exceptions, they're all good at what they do, but it's rare you get one that's genuinely interesting.

The new Kia EV5 conforms to this rule of thumb perfectly. The styling might be a bit bold, but we're getting quite used to it now, and the quirky interior no longer feels unconventional. Or even that interesting.

The thing is, if this was a petrol-powered car you might apply these observations as criticisms, but even some of the best EVs are inherently function-over-form anyway, so picking out a good one is more about how many vital functions they perform, rather than how they make you feel. It's the same emotionally-detached decision you make when you buy a new dishwasher.

Anyway, back to ticking boxes on the EV5. It's comfortable and spacious - tick.

It has decent range, with 329 WLTP miles up for grabs in the lower-spec models - tick.

It charges quickly, with 150kW peak charging, taking it from 10-80% in half an hour.

It has a token smattering of physical controls - tick, and it can be bought for a smidgen under £40,000 if you're not fussy about trim - tick.

Think of this as the electric equivalent to the Kia Sportage, perhaps. It's a similar size, and will appeal to similar buyers. There are some decent improvements over the Sportage, and a more versatile floorplan offering more usable space, thanks to the relatively simple EV architecture it sits on.

This makes the cabin feel more spacious and practical, with neat storage solutions, but a bit of a lack of any real flair.

It feels pretty dark in the cabin, especially in lowlier versions, and there's little in the way of any interesting aesthetics, but a clever use of its flat floor, nonetheless.

It means that the boot is great, with 566 litres seats up, and 1,650 litres with them folded down. And there's also a small boot up-front, which is another increasingly important EV box ticked.

The EV5 drives as well as any current EV should, if not a bit better. It's surprisingly quick off the line, and the response from the throttle and steering are very well judged. The brakes don't feel jabby, and the ride is soft rather than fun in any way, but if you want a sporty car, don't buy an EV. As a family workhorse, the EV5 is going to serve you very well indeed, and that really is the greatest praise you can give an EV.

That said, there are other highlights. Efficiency is strong, with the EV5 nudging 4 miles per kWh on my mixed testing routes, and I found the driving safety systems refreshingly subtle, with shortcut buttons to turn the warnings off. We need to see more of this, please, so I'm ticking another box.

You might think the sub-£40,000 would be another strong attribute here, and it's certainly competitive, but the truth is, this is a car that suits a bit of luxury being added. All versions get the same powertrain, and the bigger wheels of the posher versions do make a dent on range, but you'll get nice things like head-up display, a beefy stereo, premium seats, remote parking, and vehicle-to-load in the plush GT-Line S.

The trouble is, the GT-line S costs at least £47,000 - and at that benchmark the EV5 starts to feel a bit pricey.

But it brings me back to my page of boxes, with pretty much all the ticks you can apply. Here's another car Kia has absolutely got spot on. It suits its brief perfectly, and it might be a modernised, full-electric version of the Sportage, but the Sportage is a firm favourite in the UK, and one of the best small SUVs out there.

In the end, choosing an EV5 will come down to whether you like its styling, and whether its shape or size will fit your requirements.

Because when all's said and done, there really isn't a lot to dislike about it. In fact, as with seemingly every new Kia that launches these days, it's really very good.