► The Kia PV5 designed to take a wheelchair
► Kia is producing its own conversion of the new PV5 van
► Lets you wheel your chair in at the side door, direct from the curb
The passenger version of the Kia PV5 is set to come as a wheelchair accessible vehicle, which will let you wheel straight onboard via the side door.
The electric van will come with a 300kg-rated ramp and a bespoke belt-fastening system to keep wheelchair users safely secured on the move. It has been shown off for the first time at the Financial Times’ Future of the Car Summit and has been done so in collaboration with Motability, meaning it will be available on the UK’s disability car access scheme.
You might think that there are plenty of wheelchair accessible vehicles available, with plenty of the van-based cars from the likes of VW and Ford all up to the task. However, the crucial difference with the PV5 is that the work is all done in house by Kia, whereas most of the time the vehicles are sent off to a different company to be converted.
In-house expertise
What this means is that all the work is done by the same people that build the rest of the vehicle, so it should be that bit more seamless. It also allowed Kia to factor in elements from the start that a third-party company can’t.
This includes a third-row tip-up seat that allows people to assist wheelchair users from the side, and that side-entry approach – lots of WAVs make you wheel in from the back, which can mean finding a way to get off a curb if you are parked at the side of the road, and means you run the risk of someone parking too close to the back of the van.
Kia is also promising that the PV5 WAV will be able to use its open software platform to integrate necessary applications if needs be.
The other bonus of it being made at the plant is that it makes for a slightly more ecological and potentially economical approach as it cuts out a stage of the process.
How much will it cost and when can I buy one
The PV5 is a purely electric vehicle, which means the WAV version is going to be a bit of a rarity in its class, for now at least. Most of the alternatives are based on older diesel models, so Kia is looking to the future.
There are two options of battery in the PV5 passenger, with the 51.5kWh standard range promising up to 179 miles and the 71.2kWh long range 249 miles. There might be a slight tweak to this if the mechanical changes have an impact on weight, but only fractionally.
What we don’t have yet is confirmed pricing for the PV5 WAV. It is based on the seven-seat passenger version, and we don’t even know quite what that will work out at yet. The entry-level five-seat model starts at £32,995, though. Motability has confirmed that it will offer the PV5 WAV, though, which means it will be available to those who are eligible for the scheme.
It shouldn’t be too long until you can order one – Kia started taking pre-orders for the passenger model on 1 May 2025 and is promising deliveries before the end of the year. Given that Kia has shown the WAV fairly soon after the passenger models, expect it to follow not too far behind.