Kia’s electric PV5 is already one of the more interesting new cars of the year, mainly because it is not really trying to be a normal car at all. It is part van, part people-mover, part rolling family room and part taxi-to-the-airport machine. Now it is getting even more useful, with Kia confirming a new seven-seat PV5 Passenger for the UK.Until now, the PV5 Passenger has been offered with five seats, but the new version adds a third row and a 2-2-3 seating layout. That means it is being aimed at families, ride-hail drivers, taxi operators, airport transfer firms, shuttle services and anyone else who needs to move more people without moving into full-size minibus territory.Access should be one of its big selling points. The PV5 has sliding side doors and a low 399mm step-in height, which should make life easier for children, older passengers and anyone clambering into the back row with a suitcase in one hand. Kia says there is up to 1,041mm of legroom, up to 1,076mm of headroom and up to 1,732mm of shoulder room, helped by the car’s flat-floor electric platform.The Kia PV5 Passenger has been designed for easy access for people in the back (Kia)Boot space in the seven-seater is 318 litres with all seats in place, rising to 785 litres when the third row is folded. That means it should still have useful luggage space when fully loaded, rather than becoming one of those seven-seaters where the final row means the boot only has room for a padded envelope.The seven-seat PV5 Passenger will only be sold in the UK with Kia’s Long Range 71.2kWh battery. Kia says the new model will offer more than 242 miles of range, although that figure is still awaiting final approval. It can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes at up to 150kW.The existing five-seat PV5 Passenger carries on with a choice of 51.5kWh Standard Range and 71.2kWh Long Range batteries, with official ranges from 183 to 256 miles depending on version. Prices for the five-seat Passenger start at £33,195, or £31,695 after the £1,500 Band 2 Electric Car Grant. Kia says it will announce any grant eligibility for the seven-seat model later.The seven-seat PV5 Passenger starts at £36,995 in Essential trim, rising to £40,275 for Plus and £41,975 for the new Elite version. Elite is also being added to the five-seat range and brings extras including electric sliding doors, ventilated front seats, a surround-view camera, blind spot view monitor, side parking sensors, two-tone PU upholstery and premium paint.All PV5 Passenger models also get updates for model year 2027, including a height-adjustable driver’s armrest, Walk Away Lock and a flatter antenna designed to keep the vehicle under 1,900mm tall – handy when accessing those height-restricted airport car parks. Inside, there is a 12.9-inch touchscreen, a 7.5-inch driver display and access to Kia’s in-car app market. Plus and Elite versions also get Vehicle-to-Load technology, allowing the car to power external devices and appliances.Kia's PV5 models get a car-like interior and tech (Kia)Kia has also confirmed updates for the PV5 Cargo van line-up, with a new L1/H1 model now acting as the entry point. It is 200mm shorter than the L2/H1 and has 4.0 cubic metres of load space, which is 0.4 cubic metres less than the longer version. The idea is to make it better suited to city deliveries and service fleets, where tight streets and awkward parking spaces are part of the job.The Cargo L1/H1 is available with the same 51.5kWh and 71.2kWh battery choices, with a range of up to 177 miles for the Standard Range model and up to 243 miles for the Long Range version. Payload is up to 800kg, slightly more than the bigger L2/H1 thanks to the shorter body.PV5 Cargo prices start at £27,355 plus VAT for the L1/H1 Essential Standard Range. All PV5 Cargo versions qualify for the Government Zero-Emission Van Grant, cutting £5,000 from the on-the-road price. The longer L2/H1 offers up to 258 miles of range and starts from £28,355 plus VAT.The Kia PV5 is now available in two different sizes of van (Kia)Cargo updates include standard lumbar support, a driver’s height-adjustable armrest on two-seat models, a new composite bulkhead, Walk Away Lock and the aforementioned slimmer roof antenna. A three-seat option is being added at no extra cost, although initially only on the L2/H1.Order books for the updated PV5 Passenger and Cargo models are now open, through Kia’s UK PBV Centres, with first customer deliveries due from October. Every PV5 comes with Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, while the high-voltage battery is covered for eight years.