Kia EV5 News

The Denza B8 large plug-in hybrid off-roader and Hyundai’s Elexio mid-size EV SUV are the latest pair of vehicles to be awarded a maximum five ANCAP stars.

While several big name car makers walk back their all-electric plans, the suggestion that electric vehicles are yesterday’s news doesn’t tally with growing sales.Electric vehicle (EV) sales still only account for 8.3 per cent of the total market, but grew significantly in the key SUV and light commercial vehicle segments. Notably, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) have also grown significantly in recent years and combined EV and PHEV sales accounted for more than 13 per cent of the overall market.While there is still clearly a long way to go, there are also some clear signs that Australians are slowly starting to embrace EVs as they become more diverse in both price and type. Until last year, the market was dominated by Tesla, with the American brand often accounting for more than half the total EV sales.In 2025 the Tesla Model Y remained the best-selling EV, but the BYD Sealion 7 was its closest rival and the Kia EV5 and Geely EX5 also sold in good numbers. In total there were 10 EVs in the top 100 selling vehicles last year, underlining the increasing variety that is attracting new customers.BYD is the leading in this regard with four of the most popular EVs coming from the Chinese brand, and each very different propositions appealing to different buyers. These are the Sealion 7 mid-size SUV, Atto 3 small SUV, Seal sedan and Dolphin hatch.The arrival of the $23,990 Atto 1 will open up the EV market to even more customers too, as it will be amongst the most-affordable new cars on sale this year. In many respects, this is the moment the market has been waiting for, with EVs effectively achieving price parity with conventional petrol and diesel models. While not every EV is as price-competitive as the Atto 1, the increasing cost of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles only helps make EVs more appealing to buyers looking to save on their fuel bill.The growth of PHEVs will only further accelerate the electric future, as the long-touted ‘bridging technology’ will introduce more motorists to electric performance, while still allowing for the ICE back-up.PHEV sales have been on a sharp upward trajectory the past two years, growing more than 130 per cent in 2025 off the back of the BYD Shark 6, BYD Sealion 6, Mitsubishi Outlander and GWM Haval H6 GT. PHEV sales are expected to grow in 2026 and beyond, as more established brands, including market-leading Toyota, join the race. This will only accelerate the electrification on Australian roads, adding to the significant volume of hybrids already sold.While there is still some way to go before EVs become a majority on the roads, a reminder they account for less than 10 per cent at present, it’s clear that despite a slowing down of interest from manufacturers, electric cars are here to stay.Best selling electric cars 2025

Kia has tacked on an exciting announcement to the global reveal of its EV2 electric car — GT versions of three of its other EVs.The 2027 Kia EV3, EV4 Hatchback and EV5 will all have full-fledged GT variants by early 2027, with the brand confirming some headline specs and information along with the reveal of the new Kia EV2.With all three of those EV models (3, 4, 5) already or soon to be sold in Australia, and GT production to kick off in the second half of 2026, we could see the hot versions of those EVs land by the start of 2027, joining the Kia EV6 GT and EV9 GT.Full details of the three new GT models are light, with Kia only having revealed the drivetrain set-ups and some performance features of each, as well as the outputs of the EV3 and EV4 GTs.The smaller two of the trio will both use 215kW all-wheel drive dual-motor setups, while the EV5 GT will be AWD without a confirmed output just yet.The EV3 GT small SUV will score electronically controlled suspension, sporty ‘almost’ bucket seats, new ambient lighting and GT-specific design cues of course. It’ll run an 81.4-kWh battery, though Kia hasn’t confirmed a driving range yet.The EV4 GT looks to be getting more in terms of driver-focused additions, with a ‘GT’ driving mode, performance tyres, 20-inch wheels and a virtual gear shifter, likely similar to the system used in sibling brand Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and 6 N. It’ll use the same battery and drivetrain as the EV3 GT.While the increased outputs of the EV5 GT are yet to be confirmed, the mid-size SUV will gain GT-specific chassis tuning with electronically controlled suspension and a road-preview function, as well as GT-specific design elements inside and out. “Our new electric Kia GT models prove that electrification can be emotional and resolute,” said Soohang Chang, President and CEO of Kia Europe. “The EV3 GT, EV4 GT, and EV5 GT will deliver an engaging, confidence-inspiring drive, combining the instant responsiveness of electric power with sporty character and all-purpose capability.“These GTs are crafted for those who seek the best of both worlds: excitement while embracing a future of responsible mobility.”

Kia has shown off a tough version of its EV5 electric SUV.

Top EVs for first-time electric car buyers.

Kia has revealed its new path to global EV domination.The South Korean brand debuted several new models and hinted at even more at its recent EV Day.It took the covers off its Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal rivalling EV4 sedan, which also has the added bonus of being offered as a hatchback.Kia debuted the PV5 van and people mover alongside its European-focused EV2 small SUV.These cars are all due shortly and will join the EV3 compact SUV, EV5 mid-size SUV, EV6 coupe SUV and the EV9 seven-seat SUV in its global line-up.Kia Australia has committed to the EV4, and would like the PV5 but has not confirmed its availability yet. The EV2 is off the cards as it is built in Slovakia and the business case for an affordable European-sourced EV doesn’t stack up.The company’s president Ho Sung Song, also let slip that a micro EV1 electric car is essential to mass adoption of its EVs.“If we want to move to the late majority customer target group, definitely we need a lower size of model – or a lower-price model – and we are internally studying what will be our entry EV models, apart from our EV2,” said Song.“Maybe next EV Day, we’ll show you what we are planning.”This could mean an electric version of the pint-sized Picanto hatchback, which would be a direct rival to budget EVs such as the BYD Seagull that is sold overseas but not Australia.Kia would be targeting the sub-$30,000 range if it wanted to be competitive at the lower end of the market.This line-up, with the addition of the EV1, puts Kia well ahead of Tesla — currently the world largest EV maker — and would put it on a collision course with the surging BYD.Kia has a distinct advantage, though.Tesla has ruled out smaller and more affordable cars and BYD is locked out of the US market and is hamstrung by tariffs in Europe.

Kia has teased its incoming electric liftback sedan, the EV4, ahead of its official unveiling at Kia EV day in Spain on February 27.

A new world order is forming in the electric car segment in Australia.Tesla and BYD might not be the mighty forces they once were as two EV princes wait in the wings to snatch the crown.The Tesla Model Y, which was streets ahead of the rest in sales through 2024, has come back to the pack.Tesla sales were down 33 per cent in January, following a more than 16 per cent drop in 2024.It shifted just 465 Model Ys and 274 Model 3s. The Model Y was still the best selling electric car in Australia in January but it was down on its usual performance of more than 1500 a month in 2024.An updated version of the Model Y is due in coming months, but it will be significantly more expensive. The current version will likely be in short supply until that point meaning it could give others a head start in the EV sales race.BYD sales also fell off a cliff in January down almost 50 per cent. Sales of its plug-in hybrid Sealion 6 SUV kept the brand afloat but EV sales were down dramatically with the Atto 3 down 77.4 per cent, Dolphin down 66.8 per cent and Seal down 91.2 per cent.Recent port issues are likely to blame for part of the slow sales, but the brand has also announced new cheaper variants of the Dolphin and Atto 3 to boost sales.Surely it's just a blip on the radar and both brands will roar back in the coming months, but what if they don't reach the same EV heights as before?This could open the opportunity for the Kia EV5 and MG4 electric cars to have a crack at the Model Y’s crown.The MG4 was the second best selling EV in January with 440 sales and the EV5 was third with 289.A big selling point for the MG and Kia are their warranties: MG has a 10 year/250,000km guarantee and Kia has a seven year/unlimited km security blanket. Both easily trump Tesla’s four year/80,000km warranty.Both also sell through a conventional dealer model rather than a majority online portal like BYD and Tesla.Both the MG4 and EV5 are both built in China, same as the Australian delivered Teslas, which give them the same price, supply and short shipping advantage as the market leaders.Australians also now have far more choice in the electric car space compared to 12 months ago. A wave of new brands from China include Deepal, Geely, Leapmotor, XPeng and Zeekr, which all launched with Model Y sized alternatives cheaper than their big name rival.Those brands — with the exception of Leapmotor — don't yet report sales.Conventional car makers have started to bring their own EVs online to help dilute the market that was very concentrated on just a few brands a year ago.The chances are Tesla will rebound in the coming months from its January sales, in what is a traditionally slow month for the brand.Kia is unlikely to muster the 25,000 EV5 sales needed to claim the top spot with the brand predicting a run rate of 400 a month in 2025.MG on the other hand has shown it is willing to heavily discount the MG4 to boost sales.For a short period it was the cheapest electric car on sale during 2024, with the base model costing just a smidge more than $30,000 drive-away. The price cut saw MG4s fly off the lot, outselling both Tesla models combined in October 2024.This year will be a challenge for many of the large electric car sellers as cost of living pressures bite and the well has run dry of early adopters willing to pay overs for the zero-emissions tech.

Kia has confirmed its most affordable and compact electric car yet, the EV2, is on track for a global launch in January 2026.The date was confirmed during Kia’s Q4 investors announcement last week in which it also reported an 11.5 per cent rise in year-on-year profit, partly driven by a 10.9 per cent increase in global EV deliveries of its EV3, EV5, EV6 and EV9 models.But unlike its South Korean and Chinese-made siblings, production of the EV2 will take place in Slovakia, where it has already been spotted testing under heavy camouflage by The Korean Carblog.Few details of the EV2's design have been given away aside from the fact that it appears to be a boxy, shrunken down version of the Kia EV3.Like its larger sibling, the EV2 is poised to run on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform using 400-volt architecture. Kia’s EV5 and full-sized EV9 also run on the same platform, albeit with 800-volt architecture.Despite its shared underpinnings, the EV2 is expected to carry less driving range than the EV3’s maximum of 601km (WLTP-rated), with The Korean Carblog foreshadowing a figure close to 480km, likely thanks to a smaller battery than the EV3’s base 58.3kWh unit.The EV2 is still poised to be capable of charging from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in just 31 minutes, though, as is the case with the EV3 thanks to DC fast-charging ability.Kia’s global CEO, Ho-Sung Song, has already confirmed to Autocar UK that the EV2 will have a target price of about £25,000 ($50,140) in the UK, a fellow right-hand-drive market.Typically, Australian car prices are much cheaper than the UK’s, although the fact that the EV2 will be built in Slovakia rather than South Korea or China doesn’t do any favours for the Australian market.A lack of a free-trade agreement between Slovakia and Australia as well as longer transport distances could see it land locally at a price comparable to the UK or bypassing Australia altogether.If it does arrive its price is expected to sit between budget EVs like the GWM Ora, BYD Dolphin and MG4, which hover around the sub-$35,000 mark, and more upmarket models such as the Mini Cooper Electric ($53,990, before on-road costs) with which it is expected to be closer to in size.CarsGuide has contacted Kia Australia for an update on the brand's local plans for the EV2.

Kia set a sales record in Australia last year and the company’s boss has plans to smash that record again in 2025.