New Kia Sportage and EV5 Storm models to steal the GT-Line’s thunder
The Kia EV5 and Sportage are now available with the new Storm specification, while the former also now gets a dual-motor option
A new version of the Kia Sportage and its full-electric counterpart, the Kia EV5, has been revealed. Occupying the space between the GT-Line and GT-Line S specifications, the new ‘Storm’ trim level features a similar amount of standard equipment to the value-focused ‘Air’ model, but with sportier exterior and interior styling cues.
On sale now from £34,395, the Kia Sportage Storm is being offered with both 147bhp pure-petrol and 235bhp full-hybrid power, with the latter coming at a £3,500 premium. As with the GT-Line, which starts from roughly £500 less, the Storm gets more aggressive front and rear bumpers than the standard Sportage Pure model, as well as gloss-black wheelarch cladding. However, the Storm gets its own unique set of 18-inch alloy wheels, as well as premium paint as standard – something that’ll set you back £675 on all other variants.
Inside, the Sportage Storm boasts model-specific leather and suede upholstery. Also included are heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel and rear seats, an eight-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a powered bootlid and a tri-screen infotainment set-up with the usual Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
It’s a similar story for the Kia EV5 Storm, which starts from £43,145; given it costs more than £42,000, it’s not eligible for the Government’s Electric Car Grant. The EV5 Storm has unique alloy wheels, this time measuring 19 inches, as well as metallic paint, notably the exclusive Dark Ocean Blue colour.
Inside, the Storm gets full-leather upholstery, plus a nearly identical specification to its Sportage sibling. That includes heated and ventilated seats, touchscreen infotainment, a wireless phone charger, powered bootlid and a full array of driver-assistance systems, including a reversing camera and adaptive cruise control.
Kia has also announced that the EV5 will now be offered with a dual-motor powertrain on GT-Line and GT-Line S trims. This costs around £3,000 more than the single-motor model and boosts power from 214bhp to 261bhp, reducing its 0-62mph time by just over a second to 7.3 seconds. An even faster Kia EV5 GT variant is also in the pipeline with as much as 302bhp.
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Kia says first deliveries of the Sportage and EV5 Storm will begin in the next few months. The Kia Sportage in particular has taken the UK market by storm (pun intended), sitting as the UK’s second-best-selling car as of the end of May 2026. The Kia EV5, on the other hand, only went on sale in September of last year, taking on tough EV competition such as the Tesla Model Y and Ford Explorer.
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