Kia EV5 with a lot of plastic bought indoors..Is it better than Tesla Model Y
Jun 02, 2025
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However, Tesla's new Model Y (code-named Juniper) is still performing well, ranking third in sales of imported cars. It shows that electric vehicles can also record high sales if they have good marketability for their price. Among domestic electric vehicles, Kia EV3 is the most popular. It is receiving relatively good responses as it is highly practical in the form of an SUV and the actual purchase is in the range of 30 million won to 40 million won.
There is a domestic electric car that many people are waiting for. It is the Kia EV5. The reason is that it is a preferred segment because it has the size and space of the popular SUV Sportage class. It was already released last year in China and Australia. Domestic specifications are expected to be released as early as the second half of this year by changing the battery and some designs. We first met Kia EV5, which was launched in Australia, at Cas Coups, an overseas automobile media outlet.
If there is a car manufacturer that has decided to go all-in on an electric car, one of them is Kia.Few existing brands have mass-produced such remarkable electric vehicles in such a short period of time.Kia has made it clear that it will not just jump into the electric vehicle market.Kia's goal is to sell 1.6 million electric vehicles annually by 2030.Depending on the region, a variety of sophisticated electric vehicle options are already available.
EV6 is the first of Kia's next-generation electric vehicles.It quickly proved to be a strong contender for Tesla.Then came the larger seven-seater EV9, and more recently the smaller EV3 and EV5.Among them, EV5 is likely to be the most important model. Why is that. Although EV6 is a solid product, there are some likes and dislikes because it does not follow the traditional SUV framework. Rather, it has a more coupe-like style and is located halfway between the crossover and the hatchback.
That's where EV5 appears.The EV5 is a pure electric SUV with a traditional design. It is more price-competitive than the best-selling Tesla Model Y in several markets.To find out the EV5's daily driving performance, we tried the entry-level EV5 air standard range model directly for a week.
The most important thing about the new EV5 is probably the price.For a long time, existing brands could not compete with Tesla in terms of price.Then, new Chinese competitors began to drive down Tesla's product prices.
EV5 took the same strategy. EV5 prices in Australia start at A$56,770 (about W50.2 million), including all costs. This is much cheaper than the entry-level Model Y rear-wheel drive, which costs A$64,347 (about W56.9 million).In addition, the EV5 is cheaper than the EV6, which starts at 78,564 Australian dollars (about 69.4 million won).It seems inevitable that EV5 will eat into the sales of its sibling model.
There are three configurations of the powertrain.The basic model tested was equipped with an electric motor that generated 215 horsepower of 310Nm of torque on the axle of the front wheel.The motor is powered by a 64.2kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. The WLTP standard range is 400 kilometers. The cheapest Model Y has a range of 466 kilometers.
If you are not satisfied with the 400km range, you can choose the 2WD long range version.The model uses a 215 horsepower motor as it is, but uses an 88.1 kWh large capacity battery.It is still cheaper than Tesla at a price of 63,990 Australian dollars (about 56.6 million won) while increasing the mileage to 555 kilometers.
When you ride EV5 for the first time, you can easily see that it is an entry-level model.For most people, this sense of luxury will be more than enough. Sharp lines and surfaces make up the interior design.This is most noticeable on the dashboard and very impressive.Unfortunately, the dashboard is almost entirely solid black plastic.The soft-touch material is not visible even 1cm.The same goes for door panels.
The entire door is solid black plastic, except for the material near the small armrest and the door handle. Fortunately, the sheet gives a luxurious feeling by neatly combining soft leather and cloth points.It is soft, flexible and supports the body well.It also comes with a nice headrest similar to the one on the EV9. It borrowed several parts from EV9, including a 4 spoke steering wheel, volume slider, and physical switches for fan speed and temperature control.
All EV5 models have a panoramic display that combines a 12.3-inch digital cluster and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen.Between the two 12-inch displays, there is also a 5-inch screen for the air conditioning system. The EV5's center console is one of the biggest talking points.Kia used extended materials from the passenger's seat to the center of the room instead of fitting normal parts to make it look like there are three seats in front of the hatch.
Below the console is a large armrest and a few storage areas.It looks pretty cool, but it doesn't have much merit over a regular console. It is more inconvenient because there is no cover in the storage space. Fortunately, the front seat space is ample and both screens work well. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are also supported.There is also plenty of space in the second row.Unlike EV6, which has limited headroom due to sedan and crossover body style, EV5 is much higher, which is advantageous for rear seat riders.
It is also much wider than Model Y.EV5 is enough for family members to ride together.The filler has individual vents and USB-C ports on both sides of the front seat. The advantages do not end there.Like Honda's 'Magic Seat', the EV5 backrest can be folded perfectly flat.It provides a generous loading capacity of up to 513 liters when the rear seat is folded.
Compared to Sportage, EV5 has a noticeably strong ride.Overall, it is not a vehicle suitable for aggressive driving. Rather, it is suitable for a smooth and smooth start. It blocks external noise well even when driving on the highway.The steering is light and direct. Like other electric cars of Hyundai-Kia, it also has excellent braking performance.In fact, it is not easy to detect when regenerative braking is replaced with mechanical braking.
The regenerative braking intensity can be adjusted with the paddle behind the steering wheel. One-pedal driving mode works great too.EV5 feels pretty big from the driver's side but smaller on the road, even though it's about the same size as Sportage. EV5 takes about 8.5 seconds to reach 100 km/h.This is a satisfactory enough level.
Unlike most Hyundai-Kia electric vehicles, the EV5 does not use Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP platform. Instead, it is based on an affordable N3 eK 400V system.The maximum charging speed is limited to 140 kW, which takes 36 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%.
As a family SUV, the EV5 is a well-trodden model overall.However, the basic type does not show as dynamic performance as the EV6 as well as the much larger EV9 GT-Line. What Kia has tried to reduce costs is clearly revealed.At this price point, the EV5 has no other attractive competitors than Chinese ones.
Even the uncharacteristic Toyota bZ4X is about A$10,000 (W8.8 million) more expensive. I haven't driven the new Model Y yet, but based on the old model, the new model has a better ride and more fun driving than the EV5.The Kia EV5 interior is much more spacious.Family buyers value indoor space more than the fun of driving. In that situation, I recommend EV5.
Editor Song Moon-cheol mc.song@carguy.kr
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
