PV5 Adventures

A quick review of the Kia app for the PV5. I only have Google Pixel phone (Android) so can't comment on the iOS version, however I believe it's functionality identical. Look And Feel Here's what it looks like: Home Screen The Home screen has been recently redesigned and it's pretty neat. The visual of your vehicle is based on VIN number, so shows model and colour.  What's nice here is the immediate view on charge status, and the remote commands.  I regularly use the remote climate control. It's pretty hot here at the moment, so being able to turn on the air conditioning remotely 10mins before we get in, that's really handy. I also remotely locked the car when walked away and forgot (the app reminded me the car was unlocked as I wasnt nearby it). Widgets   You also get 3 desktop widgets you can add that allow quick access to the same things without needing to open the app.  I found these work well. So, what else is there in the app? Tr...

Something I didn't see any of the YouTube PV5 reviewers mention was the voice control on the PV5. I have already hinted at how poor these YouTube reviews generally are, and this is another key area pretty much all the reviewers skimped on. Often worse, they complained about the lack of physical controls when almost everything is just a reliable voice command away. What Kia have done is actually quite nice. A standard press on the steering wheel voice button gets you the Kia infotainment voice control. A long press gets you Android Auto (and I presume Apple CarPlay). So what can you do? It's not that easy to get a definitive list. I assume Kia don't publish one as it's likely to be extended over time as the system gets its over-the-air updates (yes, the vehicle has a 5G data SIM for over-the-air updates, valid for the duration of the warranty). However, here are a few I have tried that work well: Set the temperature to 17 degrees Turn off speed limit warning Turn on heat...

The main reason I went for the PV5 was the room inside, it was one of only two EVs on the UK market that had sufficient safe driving headroom for a tall driver. I looked at getting a short term camper in the past, but the market was quite messed up, the VW Transporters sold for a lot of money even with massive mileages on them, as a primary vehicle, there was no way I was spending over £20k for something that's already done over 100,000 miles, regardless of how well someone claims to have looked after it, so I put the idea of the camper away and moved on. With the PV5 Passenger, this is now absolutely back on the table, as whilst it wasn't the primary reason for my PV5 purchase, it costs so little to adapt, and no permanent modifications, it's a no-brainer not to.  I'm going to detail what I have done, and the costs (as of Summer 2026). The Game Changer Before I do so, there is a total game changer that is rarely spoken about with EV camper.  It's the air conditioni...

I have had my UK-spec Kia PV5 Passenger Plus (Long Range with Heat Pump, in Steel Grey) since April and have already put 2,000 miles on the clock. I've even taken it away a couple of times for overnight camping trips(more in a separate post). Impressions? I love it. It is one hell of a vehicle for £36k inc. VAT for my fully loaded model. At 6ft 8in (2.07m), basically every EV I tested failed comprehensively by offering insufficient headroom—even giants like the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9. I tried everything Skoda, Hyundai, Peugeot, Ford, BYD, Vauxhall and VW had to offer, but none were suitable. They all package their batteries in the floor at the expense of interior headroom, losing about five crucial inches of headroom space. Ultimately, the only two EVs on the UK market in 2026 that actually fit the bill were the VW ID.Buzz and the Kia PV5. I test-drove them both for a few hours within days of each other, on the exact same roads and in the same conditions. It was immediately c...