Kia’s PV5 Wins the “2026 Worldwide Van of the 12 months”

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• A debut and a win: Kia’s first totally electrical van, the PV5, claims the business’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 12 months
• Acknowledged for its technological innovation, operational effectivity, superior security and robust 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 at this time introduced that its all-electric PV5 has been named the ‘2026 Worldwide Van of the 12 months’ (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 essentially the most authoritative world award within the mild industrial car (LCV) sector. Winners are chosen by a complete evaluation of how every mannequin contributes to enhancing real-world productiveness and advancing the LCV section. Standards embody 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 profitable the distinguished thirty fourth Worldwide Van of the 12 months Award,” stated Jarlath Sweeney, Chairman of the Worldwide Van of the 12 months jury. “The all-electric Kia PV5 units a brand new benchmark for innovation, effectivity, and all-round functionality within the mild industrial car section. 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 automobiles, and now, its van division is making an equally highly effective influence on the business.”

Constructing on Kia’s world EV management — underscored by earlier World Automotive of the 12 months 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 Music, President & CEO of Kia Company, stated, “Kia has lengthy stood on the forefront of EV innovation, and the PV5 brings that management into the industrial car area with goal. We developed the PV5 by listening carefully to our enterprise prospects and by specializing in making a car that’s each extremely sensible and distinctly Kia in its refined, trendy design and performance. Furthermore, the PV5 brings innovation within the conventional LCV manufacturing by our conveyor and cell built-in manufacturing system enabling environmental modification course of. To have the PV5 named Worldwide Van of the 12 months in its debut is an distinctive honor. It reinforces our perception that Kia can redefine this section and proceed shaping the way forward for good, sustainable and electrical mobility for companies all over the world.”

Marc Hedrich, President & CEO of Kia Europe acknowledged, “Profitable the distinguished Worldwide Van of the 12 months Award is a real honor and a powerful endorsement from among the most revered journalists within the LCV business, particularly as the primary automobiles 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-International 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 p.c 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”, reaching 693.38 km.

Supporting real-world versatility, the PV5’s Versatile Physique System and flat-floor structure enable 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 companies, and app market to reinforce 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 parts that cut back restore complexity. Key usability options embody a low entry top, flat cargo flooring 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 collection of superior driver-assistance programs — together with Encompass View Monitoring and Lane Holding Help — help assured operation in busy industrial environments.

Past superior engineering, the PV5 was formed by a growth course of rooted in actual buyer perception. Kia collaborated carefully with enterprise operators from the earliest levels, 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 development and long-term mobility innovation.

Sangdae Kim, Govt 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 innovation, one thing Kia has all the time stood for. The Kia PV5 brings that imaginative and prescient to life and receiving the Worldwide Van of the 12 months Award with our very first PBV mannequin confirms that we’re not off course. The PV5 has been developed by actively listening to buyer voices, with each element thoughtfully designed to fulfill real-world enterprise wants. This award marks an essential milestone, but our journey to ship significant worth to prospects continues as we broaden the PBV line-up.”

Out there now in Cargo Lengthy and Passenger 5-seater variations throughout Europe, the PV5 will likely be joined from 2026 by new variants, together with a Chassis Cab, Cargo Commonplace (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.