- A debut and a win: Kia’s first absolutely electrical van, the PV5, claims the trade’s most prestigious LCV award
- Unanimously chosen by 26 main industrial car journalists worldwide
- Asia’s first electrical van and the primary Korean mannequin to win the Worldwide Van of the Yr
- Acknowledged for its technological innovation, operational effectivity, superior security and powerful environmental efficiency
- The PV5 Cargo Lengthy has additionally confirmed its real-world usability, holding a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the longest distance travelled by an electrical van with full payload on a single cost
Kia Company right this moment introduced that its all-electric PV5 has been named the ‘2026 Worldwide Van of the Yr’ (IVOTY), marking a historic first for each the model and a Korean producer. The award was offered on November 19 on the IVOTY Award Gala throughout SOLUTRANS 2025 in Lyon, France, following a unanimous determination by 26 main industrial car journalists from all over the world.
Established in 1992, IVOTY is acknowledged as probably the most authoritative international award within the mild industrial car (LCV) sector. Winners are chosen by means of a complete evaluation of how every mannequin contributes to enhancing real-world productiveness and advancing the LCV phase. Standards embrace technological innovation, operational effectivity, security and environmental efficiency.
The Kia PV5 delivered standout efficiency, rising forward of six different contenders. It additionally breaks new floor as Asia’s first electrical van and the primary Korean mannequin to obtain this honor, making Kia solely the second Asian model to realize this distinction within the competitors’s 34-year historical past.
“Congratulations to Kia for successful the celebrated thirty fourth Worldwide Van of the Yr Award,” mentioned Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman of the Worldwide Van of the Yr jury. “The all-electric Kia PV5 units a brand new benchmark for innovation, effectivity, and all-round functionality within the mild industrial car phase. It combines zero-emission efficiency with versatility and practicality, redefining what companies can anticipate from a contemporary van. Kia has lengthy been celebrated for its award-winning vehicles, and now, its van division is making an equally highly effective influence on the trade.”
Constructing on Kia’s international EV management — underscored by earlier World Automobile of the Yr wins for the EV6 and EV9 — the PV5 units a brand new customary for the industrial sector, reaffirming the model’s imaginative and prescient for electrical mobility throughout a number of segments.
In appreciation of this recognition, Ho Sung Tune, President & CEO of Kia Company, mentioned, “Kia has lengthy stood on the forefront of EV innovation, and the PV5 brings that management into the industrial car area with function. We developed the PV5 by listening intently to our enterprise prospects and by specializing in making a car that’s each extremely sensible and distinctly Kia in its refined, fashionable design and performance. Furthermore, the PV5 brings innovation within the conventional LCV manufacturing by means of our conveyor and cell built-in manufacturing system enabling environmental modification course of. To have the PV5 named Worldwide Van of the Yr in its debut is an distinctive honor. It reinforces our perception that Kia can redefine this phase and proceed shaping the way forward for sensible, sustainable and electrical mobility for companies all over the world.”
Marc Hedrich, President & CEO of Kia Europe said, “Successful the celebrated Worldwide Van of the Yr Award is a real honor and a powerful endorsement from among the most revered journalists within the LCV trade, particularly as the primary autos are simply arriving in Europe. Although new to the LCV market, this achievement confirms Kia’s readiness to ship engineering, design and practicality to strengthen our place as a number one mobility options supplier. Our honest thanks go to the IVOTY jurors for this recognition and to all Kia staff for his or her dedication.”
An electrical van that will get the job accomplished
The PV5 is Kia’s first eLCV and the inaugural mannequin in its Platform Past Automobile (PBV) line-up. Constructed on a devoted Electrical-World Modular Platform for Service (E-GMP.S), the PV5 provides an all-electric vary (WLTP) of as much as 416 km for Cargo Lengthy and 412 km for Passenger 5-seater. It additionally delivers DC quick charging from 10 to 80 % in roughly half-hour, and a payload capability of as much as 790 kg. The PV5 has additionally earned a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for “the best distance travelled by a light-duty battery-powered electrical van with most payload on a single cost”, attaining 693.38 km.
Supporting real-world versatility, the PV5’s Versatile Physique System and flat-floor structure permit a number of upper-body configurations — from cargo to passenger to conversion-ready modules. Inside, the car integrates next-generation digital interfaces together with a built-in AI assistant, fleet administration providers, and app market to boost uptime and operations.
To match enterprise wants, the PV5 provides three battery choices (43.3 kWh, 51.5 kWh and 71.2 kWh) and modular exterior elements that scale back restore complexity. Key usability options embrace a low entry peak, flat cargo ground and built-in mounting factors for simple upfitting.
Security is engineered from the platform up, with a strengthened multi-load-path physique construction, expanded use of high-strength metal and EV-specific battery safety. A set of superior driver-assistance techniques — together with Encompass View Monitoring and Lane Holding Help — assist assured operation in busy industrial environments.
Past superior engineering, the PV5 was formed by a improvement course of rooted in actual buyer perception. Kia collaborated intently with enterprise operators from the earliest phases, guaranteeing the van’s design — from its modular physique configurations to its digital interfaces and ease of servicing — displays real-world operational wants throughout logistics, supply and mobility industries. This customer-driven method will proceed as Kia expands its PBV lineup, aiming to place PBVs as a core driver of sustainable enterprise progress and long-term mobility innovation.
Sangdae Kim, Government Vice President and Head of PBV Division at Kia Company added, “In 2022, Kia launched its PBV division with the ambition to redefine the LCV market by means of innovation, one thing Kia has at all times stood for. The Kia PV5 brings that imaginative and prescient to life and receiving the Worldwide Van of the Yr Award with our very first PBV mannequin confirms that we’re on the right track. The PV5 has been developed by actively listening to buyer voices, with each element thoughtfully designed to satisfy real-world enterprise wants. This award marks an vital milestone, but our journey to ship significant worth to prospects continues as we broaden the PBV line-up.”
Obtainable now in Cargo Lengthy and Passenger 5-seater variations throughout Europe, the PV5 can be joined from 2026 by new variants, together with a Chassis Cab, Cargo Customary (L1H1) and Excessive Roof (L2H2). Further PBV fashions will observe — such because the bigger PV7 and PV9 — strengthening Kia’s imaginative and prescient to construct a full-scale, next-generation PBV ecosystem.
