The Kia PV5 Passenger Named ‘Household Automobile of the Yr’ on the 2026 BBC TopGear.com Awards

• The Kia PV5 Passenger mannequin honored as BBC TopGear.com’s ‘Household Automobile of the Yr’ for 2026
• First PBV mannequin to be acknowledged in a serious shopper automobile class, constructing on Kia’s long-standing heritage in family-oriented mobility
• Excellent area, sensible versatility and refined effectivity set a brand new benchmark for contemporary household mobility

Kia at this time introduced that the Kia PV5 Passenger has been honored as ‘Household Automobile of the Yr’ on the 2026 BBC TopGear.com Awards, one of many world’s most influential automotive recognitions introduced yearly by BBC High Gear. Hosted at London’s White Metropolis Home, the awards have fun probably the most revolutionary and impactful automobiles launched annually throughout various segments.

BBC TopGear.com’s recognition underscores Kia’s rising energy in electrified mobility and builds on the model’s latest success on the BBC TopGear.com Awards. The PV5 Passenger follows within the footsteps of Kia’s earlier wins – being awarded as ‘Producer of the Yr’ in 2022 adopted by a sequence of accolades for its EV fashions, the EV6 (2021), EV9 (2023) and EV3 (2024) – every celebrated for advancing sensible, future-ready mobility. Constructing on its win because the ‘2026 Worldwide Van of the Yr’, this newest award additional demonstrates the PV5’s capability to resonate throughout each industrial and private-use segments.

Setting new expectations for electrified household mobility

This yr’s end result highlights how Kia’s PBV lineup is redefining what trendy households can count on from an electrical automobile — delivering area, effectivity, flexibility and worth in ways in which set up a brand new benchmark for the phase.

“The PV5 Passenger represents a brand new chapter for accessible and sensible electrified mobility in Europe. Its spacious design, modular versatility and refined driving expertise present how PBVs can genuinely improve on a regular basis household life. This recognition from High Gear validates our route and strengthens our momentum as we broaden Kia’s PBV lineup throughout the area.” – Marc Hedrich, President & CEO, Kia Europe

Why PV5 gained: Excellent area, refinement and worth

“The PV5 presents an unusual mix of beneficiant area, refined consolation and spectacular effectivity, all delivered with standout worth. Its design is considerate, family-focused and executed with actual readability and goal.” – Jack Scarlett, Contributor, BBC High Gear, from the PV5 Evaluate 2025

High Gear editors highlighted the PV5 Passenger for its:

• Exceptionally spacious and versatile inside, delivering MPV-level practicality inside a compact footprint
• Clean, refined driving character, unusual in automobiles of comparable dimension or form
• Excessive effectivity and real-world drivability, supported by Kia’s PBV-dedicated platform
• Outstanding worth to efficiency ratio, providing considerably higher worth than key rivals

Collectively, these strengths place the PV5 as a compelling new possibility for households in search of sensible and accessible electrical mobility.

PV5: A brand new strategy to household mobility

Constructed on Kia’s scalable Platform Past Car (PBV) structure, the PV5 introduces a brand new idea of modular, electrified mobility designed to adapt to a variety of buyer existence.

Drawing on Kia’s heritage in household automobiles — from the practicality and on a regular basis usability of the Bongo to the spaciousness and performance of the Carnival — the PV5 carries this lineage ahead with a future-oriented interpretation.

The PV5 Passenger variant is obtainable as a five-seat mannequin, offering beneficiant cabin and cargo area with the refinement anticipated from Kia’s newest EVs. Six- and seven-seat configurations will comply with, increasing flexibility for households of various sizes and desires.

Key strengths that elevate PV5^[1] as a household automobile embody:

• Adaptable area: Reclining and folding operate utilized to the second-row seats and a number of storage options — together with a baggage tray, Kia AddGear accent system, and roof-rack compatibility — help every thing from each day errands to picnics and car-camping.
   
• Quiet, assured drive: A cabin praised as “quiet even by EV requirements,” paired with superior driver-assistance options equivalent to ahead collision-avoidance help, lane maintaining help and parking collision-avoidance help.
   
• Linked expertise: A PBV-dedicated IVI system and App Market present real-time navigation and a wide range of downloadable apps, whereas inside and exterior V2L allows straightforward use of electronics outside or on the go.

Aligned with Kia’s long-term PBV technique, the PV5 shall be adopted by bigger fashions equivalent to PV7 and PV9, contributing to Kia’s intention of promoting 250,000 electrical PBV items yearly by 2030.

Concerning the BBC TopGear.com Awards

Organized by BBC TopGear.com, one of many world’s most influential automotive media manufacturers, the BBC TopGear.com Awards consider the yr’s most distinctive automobiles throughout classes equivalent to Efficiency Automobile of the Yr, Producer of the Yr, Tremendous GT of the Yr, Design of the Yr and Automobile of the Yr. Winners are chosen by the High Gear editorial crew primarily based on innovation, engagement, worth and real-world efficiency.