Kia PV5 Passenger vs Vauxhall Vivaro Life: can South Korea’s MPV beat a home-grown rival?

Van-derived people carriers have come a long way in recent years. Cars such as the Volkswagen ID. Buzz and unrelated Multivan have desirability on their side, while the Mercedes V-Class turns up the luxury to 11. Running gear borrowed from passenger cars has also made mainstream choices such as the Citroen Berlingo and Ford’s range of Tourneo models more enjoyable to drive. 

Now Kia has entered the fray with the all-electric PV5 Passenger. Unlike many rivals, the firm hasn’t joined forces with an existing manufacturer to produce the PV5. Instead it’s an original design from the ground up, and it’s currently available as a medium-sized cargo van and a five-seat people carrier.

Stellantis is a master of platform sharing, and the Vauxhall Vivaro Life is a van-derived MPV that includes a high number of passenger-car components under the skin. 

As a result, it’s a good benchmark to gauge how the PV5 performs, both in terms of practicality and whether it delivers a car-like driving experience. The Vauxhall’s standard-fit 75kWh battery is bigger than the Kia’s 71kWh unit, although it’s also larger overall.

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Kia PV5 Passenger

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The PV5 is the first of a range of PBV (Platform Beyond Vehicle) commercial models that the Korean firm plans to launch. It slots somewhere between the European small and medium-sized van sectors; a panel van and five-seat MPV are the initial bodystyles on offer.

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All models feature a 71kWh battery and a front-mounted electric motor to help optimise carrying capacity further back. There are two variants of the passenger model, with prices starting from £32,995.

Tester’s notes

The PV5 is a car that looks bigger than it actually is. While it stands taller than the Vivaro, it’s narrower and not as long, and since you’re seated almost directly above the front wheels, it feels as if you have a super-tight turning circle to work with. At 10.8 metres it is pretty small, matching the new Kia K4 hatchback’s, among others.

The relatively narrow body and large wing mirrors boost rearward visibility, and it’s easy to place the PV5 on the road. And if you find the lane assist bothersome, a long press of a steering wheel button deactivates it.

There are some neat touches to the Kia’s cabin to improve the overall experience. The rear seat backs can be moved from upright to reclined in multiple stages to boost comfort for passengers, while a ledge across the floor where the front seats are bolted is covered by a raised footrest. 

Another highlight is on the rear seatbelts. Kia has added pieces of fabric trim to them so that the buckles don’t rattle against the plastic interior when they’re not in use.

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Vauxhall Vivaro Life

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The Vivaro Life shares its body with vans and people carriers from Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat and Toyota, while the running gear is based on the EMP2 car platform developed by Peugeot and Citroen, pre-Stellantis. 

There’s a 75kWh battery and a front-mounted electric motor, while the Vivaro Life comes in standard and XL lengths with either eight or nine seats. Prices are a little higher than they are for the PV5, starting at £36,900, while the XL model in Ultimate trim tested here costs £48,935.

Tester’s notes

If you don’t need the eight or nine seats, you can make the Ultimate model a seven-seater with the Rear Seat Pack. For £750, this adds two plush leather armchairs in the middle row that can slide, rotate and be removed completely, while they still come with Isofix child-seat mounts, too.

On top of that, an extra £740 allows you to add two more armchairs in the rearmost row, turning the Vivaro Life into six-seat executive transport. If that all looks a bit pricey, the Vivaro van is available in a Crew configuration with five or six seats in two rows and with a plastic bulkhead dividing the cargo and passenger areas.

There have been recent headlines calling out Stellantis for backtracking on its commitment to zero-emissions vehicles by offering diesel versions of its medium-sized van. In reality, the diesel models never went away, they were just limited in availability.

Take the Vivaro Life as an example. Private buyers can only drive away in the electric car, but Vauxhall offers a diesel version to firms that specialise in conversions, mainly within the wheelchair-accessible market.

Latest Vauxhall Vivaro Life deals

Head-to-head

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On the road

While Vauxhall makes a virtue of the fact that the Vivaro’s car-derived underpinnings help it to feel less van-like to drive, it can’t hold a candle to the Kia’s driving experience.

Where the PV5 is comfortable yet direct and with instant responses, the Vivaro feels bouncy, sluggish and slow to react. Quick steering helps the Kia feel alert, but the wheel does need a bit more attention at motorway speeds.

Tech highlights

The Kia has touchscreen controls for all of its functions, including climate and volume, although the latter isn’t accessible when a smartphone screen is in use – the only physical volume control is on the steering wheel.

Vauxhall’s touchscreen set-up has a smaller display and less functionality, but useful shortcut buttons and separate climate controls boost its usability. The trip computer is a little basic, though.

Price and running

The PV5 offers great value and decent everyday efficiency. In single-digit temperatures we saw a return of 2.7 miles per kWh from its 71kWh battery, when the 75kWh Vauxhall could only manage 2.0mi/kWh. 

A range of 181 miles at this rate isn’t brilliant, but is better than the 150 miles possible in the Vivaro. A heat pump can help mitigate against cold weather, but it’s only an option on the top-spec PV5.

Practicality

Tall, upright body creates lots of space inside the PV5 in a smaller overall footprint than the Vauxhall. The sliding doors are easy to use, and a powered tailgate boosts versatility. One downside is that the back seats are fixed in place, but they fold flat easily.

This top-spec Vauxhall has powered sliding doors, while the seats slide back and forth, and can be removed completely to create a van-sized cargo area.

Safety

A four-star Euro NCAP rating is decent, if not outstanding, while the safety systems on board are a match for those in any of Kia’s passenger cars. Lane assist, a speed-limit warning and driver-attention alert are fitted.

The Vivaro hasn’t been tested as a passenger car, but the panel van earned a four-star commercial vehicle rating as the Citroen Dispatch. Individual back seats offer up to six Isofix child seat mounts.

Ownership

Kia’s seven year/100,000-mile warranty applies to the PV5, and while the newcomer was a relatively quick arrival to the market, it will have been exhaustively tested to ensure it’s reliable and dependable.

Vauxhall’s bog-standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty is pretty ordinary in comparison, but can be extended at extra cost. Both cars get just 12 months of roadside assistance.

Verdict

Winner: Kia PV5 Passenger

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While car makers (and buyers) continue to have a love affair with the SUV, the Kia PV5 proves that you can have a stylish family car that doesn’t rely on 4x4 design cues to turn heads. The company’s reinvention of the van has spawned a genuinely interesting MPV.

It delivers lots of space for its size, it’s decent to drive, is well equipped and has lots of practical elements. The downsides? It’s not yet offered with seven seats, and it could do with a smidge more range, but overall the PV5 is a distinctive, great-value people carrier.

Runner up: Vauxhall Vivaro Life

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Back when Stellantis’ medium-sized van was originally launched, we raved about how it felt like a car to drive. But the arrival of the Kia PV5 has torn up the playbook and offers a genuinely car-like drive that makes the Vivaro Life feel as if it’s a generation behind.

 The nine-seat layout will be attractive to some buyers, and there’s no arguing with the space on offer. But the Vauxhall is pricey next to the Kia, while its all-round ability is further hobbled by its poor efficiency, especially if you take it out on faster roads.

Prices and specs

What we would choose

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Kia PV5

The only option for the whole PV5 range is paint. White is the standard colour, but there are some interesting blues and greens on offer. A £700 heat pump to boost cold-weather range is available only with the Plus and is worth the outlay.

Vauxhall Vivaro Life

Adding the executive armchairs in the middle row (£750) helps give the cabin an upmarket makeover. The separate opening tailgate glass (£700) boosts access in tight spots, and also includes a panoramic roof.

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