- The Kia PV5 Passenger mannequin honored as BBC TopGear.com’s ‘Household Automotive of the 12 months’ for 2026
- First PBV mannequin to be acknowledged in a significant shopper automobile class, constructing on Kia’s long-standing heritage in family-oriented mobility
- Excellent area, sensible versatility and refined effectivity set a brand new benchmark for contemporary household mobility
Kia immediately introduced that the Kia PV5 Passenger has been honored as ‘Household Automotive of the 12 months’ on the 2026 BBC TopGear.com Awards, one of many world’s most influential automotive recognitions offered yearly by BBC Prime Gear. Hosted at London’s White Metropolis Home, the awards rejoice essentially the most revolutionary and impactful autos launched annually throughout numerous segments.
BBC TopGear.com’s recognition underscores Kia’s rising energy in electrified mobility and builds on the model’s current success on the BBC TopGear.com Awards. The PV5 Passenger follows within the footsteps of Kia’s earlier wins – being awarded as ‘Producer of the 12 months’ in 2022 adopted by a sequence of accolades for its EV fashions, the EV6 (2021), EV9 (2023) and EV3 (2024) – every celebrated for advancing sensible, future-ready mobility. Constructing on its win because the ‘2026 Worldwide Van of the 12 months’, this newest award additional demonstrates the PV5’s means to resonate throughout each business and private-use segments.
Setting new expectations for electrified household mobility
This 12 months’s consequence highlights how Kia’s PBV lineup is redefining what trendy households can anticipate from an electrical automobile — delivering area, effectivity, flexibility and worth in ways in which set up a brand new benchmark for the section.
“The PV5 Passenger represents a brand new chapter for accessible and sensible electrified mobility in Europe. Its spacious design, modular versatility and refined driving expertise present how PBVs can genuinely improve on a regular basis household life. This recognition from Prime Gear validates our route and strengthens our momentum as we develop Kia’s PBV lineup throughout the area.” – Marc Hedrich, President & CEO, Kia Europe
Why PV5 gained: Excellent area, refinement and worth
“The PV5 gives an unusual mix of beneficiant area, refined consolation and spectacular effectivity, all delivered with standout worth. Its design is considerate, family-focused and executed with actual readability and function.” – Jack Scarlett, Contributor, BBC Prime Gear, from the PV5 Overview 2025
Prime Gear editors highlighted the PV5 Passenger for its:
- Exceptionally spacious and versatile inside, delivering MPV-level practicality inside a compact footprint
- Easy, refined driving character, unusual in autos of comparable measurement or form
- Excessive effectivity and real-world drivability, supported by Kia’s PBV-dedicated platform
- Exceptional value to efficiency ratio, providing considerably larger worth than key rivals
Collectively, these strengths place the PV5 as a compelling new choice for households searching for sensible and accessible electrical mobility.
PV5: A brand new strategy to household mobility
Constructed on Kia’s scalable Platform Past Car (PBV) structure, the PV5 introduces a brand new idea of modular, electrified mobility designed to adapt to a variety of buyer life.
Drawing on Kia’s heritage in household autos — from the practicality and on a regular basis usability of the Bongo to the spaciousness and performance of the Carnival — the PV5 carries this lineage ahead with a future-oriented interpretation.
The PV5 Passenger variant is obtainable as a five-seat mannequin, offering beneficiant cabin and cargo area with the refinement anticipated from Kia’s newest EVs. Six- and seven-seat configurations will observe, increasing flexibility for households of various sizes and desires.
Key strengths that elevate PV5[1] as a household automobile embrace:
- Adaptable area: Reclining and folding operate utilized to the second-row seats and a number of storage options — together with a baggage tray, Kia AddGear accent system, and roof-rack compatibility — assist all the pieces from each day errands to picnics and car-camping.
- Quiet, assured drive: A cabin praised as “quiet even by EV requirements,” paired with superior driver-assistance options equivalent to ahead collision-avoidance help, lane holding help and parking collision-avoidance help.
- Related expertise: A PBV-dedicated IVI system and App Market present real-time navigation and a wide range of downloadable apps, whereas inside and exterior V2L permits straightforward use of electronics outside or on the go.
Aligned with Kia’s long-term PBV technique, the PV5 can be adopted by bigger fashions equivalent to PV7 and PV9, contributing to Kia’s purpose of promoting 250,000 electrical PBV items yearly by 2030.
Concerning the BBC TopGear.com Awards
Organized by BBC TopGear.com, one of many world’s most influential automotive media manufacturers, the BBC TopGear.com Awards consider the 12 months’s most distinctive autos throughout classes equivalent to Efficiency Automotive of the 12 months, Producer of the 12 months, Tremendous GT of the 12 months, Design of the 12 months and Automotive of the 12 months. Winners are chosen by the Prime Gear editorial group based mostly on innovation, engagement, worth and real-world efficiency.
[1] Primarily based on the European mannequin. Specification might differ by market.
