2025 Kia EV5 GT-Line review

The Kia EV5 GT-Line is the most highly-specified version of the brand’s popular new mid-size electric SUV.

It offers more gear than the other EV5 variants, and has a different powertrain, too – it’s the only EV5 with all-wheel drive, and it scores the bigger battery as well.

Plus it has a distinct look, with revised bumpers, awesome looking wheels and a different interior vibe as well.

Is it the best EV5 you can choose? Read on and find out.

How much does the Kia EV5 cost?

The EV5 is decently priced compared to some of its competitors, but there are notably cheaper fully electric mid-size SUVs on the market that – primarily – are made in China. Like this SUV…

So you’re paying for the Kia brand, its network of dealerships, and its reputation. But you’re also getting a good swag of stuff in the lineup (see the detailed rundown of standard gear below).

Paint choices include Clear White solid paint at no extra cost, or you can pick from Starry Night Black, Tide Blue or Magma Red for a further $600, while the GT-Line specific black-roof options include Frost Blue, Iceberg Green, Shale Grey or Snow White Pearl ($775).

In case you’re wondering, the EV5 is made in China – not South Korea.

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

What is the Kia EV5 like on the inside?

There are some really clever, family-friendly features in the top-spec version of the Kia EV5.

The inclusion of a fold-out desk on the back of the front passenger seat is a lovely inclusion for a kiddo on a long road trip. There’s also a sliding drawer that can be used to heat or cool items – another potential fam favourite, especially for the snackers.

And the boot area gets a clever deployable shelving system that means you can maximise the space and should stop smaller items from rolling around or getting crushed if you’re loading up for a longer trip.

Otherwise, there are some trim changes to differentiate the range-topper from the cheaper models, and there’s a nice design inside the cabin.

It also has a nice looking two-tone fake leather trim finish, which is a step up, and there’s also better seating for the front riders – the passenger gets power seat adjustment with lumbar, and a massage system. Both front seats include ventilation, too.

The driver has electric adjustment and memory settings, as well as even more massage functionality, plus there’s the ‘Premium Relaxation Seat’, which includes a recliner option for when you’re waiting for the car to recharge. Novel, but for those who like to move their feet around when they drive, the bottom section can get in the way.

The driver gets sportier looking wheels, plus alloy pedals and a head-up display system with augmented reality display, so it’ll project what your next navigation instruction is on the windscreen. Neat tech… if you use sat nav.

There’s a fingerprint reader to control some parts of the car… if you need that. But thankfully there’s also a wireless phone charger, which should be offered in the more affordable models I reckon. This spec also gets a better stereo, with the eight-speaker Harman Kardon system offering pumpable response.

There’s another screen for your media tech, with sat nav and relatively learnable screen menus, and I had no issues with the wireless smartphone mirroring tech all week. And it has connected services so you can see live traffic updates, and check the weather, too.

Thankfully the screen isn’t the control centre for all your climate controls, as there’s a small display alongside that media unit that allows some climate adjustments, and a row of additional manual controls for fan speed, temp and more, which is a welcome inclusion.

The row of ‘touch-sensitive’ controls under the media screen are annoying, though. Despite the fact they do allow you to jump across menus easily, they’re easy to bump when you’re resting your hand on the dash to input something on the screen.

And hallelujah, there’s a volume scroller, too. And vents that you adjust with your fingers, not the screen.

There’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with a heap of info, and that’s where your drive mode indicator will show up, too. Off the steering column is where your gear selector is, and you’ll wanna be careful not to bash your knee on it, if you’re long-limbed.

On the steering wheel there are controls for interacting with that screen, but also a ‘star’ button so you can set up a quick favourite for your safety system adjustments if you’re not a fan of them. I wasn’t. More on that in the driving section below.

The steering wheel has cruise and media controls, and there are paddle shifters – but not for gears. They’re for the regenerative braking system, which can be adjusted across four levels, including an i-pedal system for single-pedal driving.

All the amenities you’d expect are catered for, including cupholders between the front seats, and a small storage tray with a phone charger, too. And, weirdly, there’s a sort-of ‘bench’ seat up front, but the middle part isn’t actually a seat. Odd, but interesting.

In the back there is a good amount of space, with easily enough room for a six-footer to fit behind their own driving position, and the extra goodies flow into the back row. I had heaps of toe room, knee space and headroom as well. The flat floor and wide back seat area mean you can fit three adults across, too.

And not only are there the desk and drawer additions, but rear-seat window riders get heated seats, too, and there are two USB-C charge ports as well.

There are directional air vents in the B-pillars, bottle holders in the doors, a flip-down armrest with cupholders, and of course there are ISOFIX points in the window seats and three top-tethers for child seats.

The boot of the EV5 GT-Line gets that clever multi-tier storage setup, which is a novel thing but might not make a significant difference to your daily life.

However, at 513 litres with the rear seats up, it is a roomy cargo zone and will be large enough for family trips. If you don’t have the kids and you fold down those seats, you’ll have access to 1714 litres of capacity, with the rear pews folding nice and flat. Annoyingly though, you don’t have remote seat releases in the boot area – you have to go around to each side of the car to drop them down.

There is no spare beneath the load area, either. It comes with a tyre repair kit.

But there is an additional storage area under the bonnet, with a load rating of 25kg – and it offers 67 litres of extra stowage capacity, which is great for your cables and other loose items.

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

It’s important to consider the GT-Line in context of its stablemates when it comes to powertrain stuff, so here’s a rundown of the three different versions of EV5 on offer in Australia:

As you can see, the GT-Line has the most power and torque, as well as the bigger battery and the equal-fastest charging capability.

But it’s also the heaviest, the least efficient, and has a significantly shorter EV range than the mid-range model.

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

How does the Kia EV5 drive?

With dual-motor all-wheel drive, this is easily the most sprightly feeling version of the EV5.

It’s fast – there’s no doubt about that – and delivers effortless pulling power from a standstill, plus impressive eagerness when you need to overtake. Try the different drive modes and you’ll find how much they can change the behaviour of the responses, too. Sport mode is properly speedy.

And the brake pedal feel is pretty good, too, for a car with regen. You might elect to use the single-pedal mode, and it works a treat – coming to a complete halt without making you feel like you’re on a roller coaster – and the fact there are three other settings is a nice touch.

The going and stopping stuff? Nailed. The other elements? I’m not quite as convinced.

Kia Australia has done a job on the steering and suspension tune for the EV5, but it feels oddly out of alignment with the EV3 and EV9 that sit either side of it in the brand’s electric SUV ranks.

Those variants are more joyful to steer and offer better comfort and bump compliance than this car does.

It has steering that is too heavy feeling, and not as responsive as you might wish for in a car with this sort of power.

And the ride comfort and body control? Not perfect either, in my opinion. In fact, the way this EV5 drives makes the other versions seem pretty sweet, because the GT-Line has bigger wheels with low-profile tyres and it tends to jump and jostle over bumpy sections more. Remember, it’s the heaviest variant, and that no doubt has a part to play, too.

Look, it’s agreeable enough in most situations, but it doesn’t feel like you’re getting a significantly better EV5 to drive by choosing this, the most expensive version. And to me, that stacks up against it pretty heavily.

The safety stuff is a big consideration for the drive experience, too. There’s good gear – like the Blind Spot View Monitor that gives you a live display of your blind zone on the driver info screen when you’re indicating. And the surround-view camera is excellent, too.

But there are some annoyances.

The speed sign recognition system is audaciously annoying in the way it chimes at you, and while you can mute the ‘overspeed’ warning, it misreads too many speed signs for it to be actually helpful.

For instance, on the M4 motorway in Sydney there are overhead gantries with digital signage, and when the car’s camera reads them, it often shows the speed limit as 70km/h, when it’s clearly signed at 110km/h.

And when you know the speed limits of your local area (for me, there are 14 different speed zones between my house and my daughter’s daycare, so the bing-bongs are unrepentant) this ‘assistance’ technology is actually an ‘annoyance’ technology.

There is also a driver monitoring camera system which seemingly thinks that you’re not paying attention to the road if you take your eyes off the straight ahead for a split second.

I’ve personally raised these concerns with Kia Australia executives, so they know how I feel – but you should know, too. And I thoroughly recommend that if you’re considering a new Kia with these tech items, you should test drive it in your home environment to see if you can live with it.

Because if you can’t, you’ll have to go through the sequence of disabling them every time you restart the car. And that can get old, fast.

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

What do you get?

Here’s a rundown of the standard specifications across the three EV5 models – again, because context is king, and you’re spending a whole lot more to get into the GT-Line… so is it worth it? Have your say in the comments!

2025 Kia EV5 Air equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels
• 225/60 R18 tyres
• Tyre mobility kit
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• LED headlights – reflector type
• Automatic high-beam
• LED daytime running lights
• LED tail-lights
• Matte plastic roof racks
• Satin Silver window surrounds
• Acoustic windscreen
• Solar glass – windscreen, front door
• Solar glass – rear windows, tailgate
• Auto up/down windows – front
• Cloth, artificial leather trim
• 8-way power driver’s seat incl. 4-way lumbar
• 4-way manual front passenger seat
• 3-cell massage function – driver
• 2nd row centre armrest
• Shift by Wire – column type
• Paddle shifters – brake regen control
• 2 x USB-C charge ports – front
• 2 x USB-C charge ports – rear
• LED interior lighting
• Integrated Panoramic Display
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 5.0-inch climate monitor
• Kia Connect
• Over the air (OTA) updates
• Satellite navigation incl. 10 years traffic info, updates
• Wireless Apple CarPlay
• Wireless Android Auto
• 6-speaker sound system
• AM/FM/DAB radio
• Dual-zone climate control
• Heated front seats
• 2nd row air vents – door pillar-mounted
• i-Pedal one-pedal driving function
• V2L interior socket

EV5 Earth adds:

• 19-inch alloys
• 235/55 tyres
• Gloss Black exterior accents
• Gloss Black roof racks
• Gloss Black window surrounds
• Powered child-proof rear door locks
• Artificial leather trim – Smoky Black or Nougat Beige
• Smart power tailgate
• Privacy glass – rear windows, tailgate

EV5 GT-Line adds:

• Active Sound Design
• 20-inch alloy wheels
• 255/45 tyres
• Gloss Black exterior mirrors
• Auto flush door handles
• LED dynamic indicators
• Laminated glass – driver window
• GT-Line two-tone leatherette upholstery
• 4-way power front passenger seat incl. 4-way lumbar
• Premium Relaxation Seat – driver
• Driver seat memory function
• 6-cell massage function – driver
• 3-cell massage function – passenger
• Sports steering wheel
• Fingerprint authentication module
• Alloy sports pedals
• Auto up/down windows – front, rear
• Rear seatback table – passenger side
• Ambient mood lighting – 64 colours
• Wireless phone charger
• Heated, cooled rear sliding storage tray
• 8-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system
• Augmented reality head-up display
• Heated 2nd row outer seats
• Ventilated front seats

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

Is the Kia EV5 safe?

Along with the improved standard specifications, one of the upsells for the GT-Line version is the extra safety technology and features that come along with spending up to this point.

Here’s a rundown of the standard safety kit for all EV5s:

• Autonomous emergency braking
  • Car, pedestrian, cyclist detection
  • Junction turning, crossing assist
  • Direct, oncoming lane change detection
• Blind-spot warning and intervention
• Driver attention monitoring
• Lane Following Assist (lane centring)
• Lane-keep assist
• Lead Vehicle Departure Alert
• Rear cross-traffic alert with braking assist
• Rear occupant alert
• Reversing camera incl. dynamic guidelines
• Safe exit warning

But if you pick the EV5 GT-Line, you get:

• Blind Spot View Monitor
• Parking Collision Avoidance Assist – reverse, side, forward
• Surround cameras incl. 3D mode

If you’re a nervous parker, or you just feel like it’d be an advantage to have a surround-view camera in a SUV like this (as I do – and I’m disappointed that you have to spend this much to get it, since some $30k cars have it these days…!) then the GT-Line certainly stands out.

The EV5 has seven airbags as standard – dual front, front side, front centre and full-length curtain coverage.

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

How much does the Kia EV5 cost to run?

Kia has built a reputation around its warranty cover, but there are some brands that offer longer warranties these days. Even so, a warranty that extends to seven years and unlimited kilometres is strong. But be mindful that the EV battery and EV components are covered by a seven-year, 150,000km limitation.

There is up to eight years of roadside assistance if you service with Kia. If you do, you’ll need to go back every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever occurs first), which is needy for an electric vehicle.

There is a prepaid servicing option for three years ($980), five years ($1535) or seven years ($2431). And if you want to, you can roll that cost into your finance repayments.

The Korean brand also recently launched a guaranteed future value program, to help you protect or predict your resale when it comes time to move on.

To see how the Kia EV5 stacks up against its rivals, use ourcomparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Kia EV5 GT-Line

This is a good effort from Kia, but not a great one.

There are some frustrations about the drive experience to do with the safety tech, and it simply isn’t as well-rounded to drive as some other dual-motor EVs for similar money.

While it has some intriguing interior inclusions and feels pretty plush inside, it’d want to for a car that’ll cost you more than $75k to get into your driveway.

Interested in buying a Kia EV5? Let CarExpert find you the best dealhere

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