Updated 2027 Kia EV5 exposed in Korea

Kia’s updated EV5 has been spotted completely undisguised in a South Korean car park, revealing tougher exterior styling and a radically different dashboard ahead of the electric SUV’s expected Australian arrival in mid-2027.

The vehicle appears to line up with Australian approval documents for the facelifted 2027 Kia EV5, which point to more power, revised styling and a useful towing upgrade.

But a market label reportedly identifying the Philippines means it could be an export version rather than the final Korean-market model.

The latest sighting of the Kia EV5 – an electric Sportage by any other name – has been captured by South Korean outlet Shorts Car and provides the clearest look yet at what appears to be the first substantial update for Kia’s China-built mid-size electric SUV.

The bonnet, headlights, roof rails, pillars, flush door handles and side skirts remain familiar, but the lower front bumper is new. A small black accent has been added to the otherwise closed-off nose, while vertical elements and grey inward-angled inserts give the EV5 a chunkier, more rugged look.

The treatment appears to borrow from the more adventurous Kia EV5 WKDNR concept shown in China last year, although the vertical bumper sections on the spotted car are colour-matched rather than contrasting.

New aerodynamic alloy wheels hide the wheel bolts, while the rear bumper is thicker and projects further from the body. The spoiler, rear glass and tail-light treatment appear unchanged.

The biggest overhaul is inside. The current Korean EV5 uses an integrated display panel spanning the driver and centre sections of the dashboard, but the newly spotted car has a slim instrument display behind the steering wheel and a much broader screen stretching from the centre stack towards the passenger side.

The layout is said to resemble the 27-inch ultra-wide display used in the Chinese-market Kia Seltos and may run Kia’s new Pleos Connect software. However, the screens were switched off and Kia has not confirmed the operating system or whether this dashboard will be offered in Australia.

The centre console has also been cleaned up, with the forward buttons removed and the storage area gaining a cover. Simpler door trims feature front and rear, while the familiar AddGear mounting points remain in the boot. There is no third-row seating.

A paper reportedly found inside the vehicle listed the Philippines as its destination market, muddying the waters over whether this is the global facelift, a China-focused version or an export-market derivative.

The lack of camouflage is another oddity, given Hyundai and Kia usually disguise even lightly revised Korean-market prototypes.

What is clearer is the timing. The EV5 launched in China in 2023, and Australian approval documents reviewed by carsales reveal revised “OVc PE” configurations consistent with a mid-cycle update arriving locally in mid-2027.

Those documents show the single-motor front-wheel drive versions increasing from 160kW to 175kW, while dual-motor all-wheel drive derivatives rise from an advertised 230kW to a combined 249kW.

Battery capacities remain effectively unchanged at 64.2kWh for Standard Range versions and 88.1kWh for Long Range models. Updated range, acceleration, torque and charging figures are not listed.

That leaves a big unanswered question around charging. The present EV5 uses a 400-volt electrical architecture and its charging performance has been one of the weaker points noted in local testing, including our EV5 Air review and EV5 GT-Line review.

Kia has previously detailed vehicle-to-grid capability for the EV5 in selected markets, but there is no confirmation the facelift will bring faster charging hardware or a higher-voltage system.

The Aussie approval filing contains four revised configurations: Standard Range and Long Range front-wheel drive versions on 18-inch wheels, a Long Range AWD on 19s and an AWD GT-Line on 20-inch wheels.

The Standard Range version also receives the biggest practical improvement, with braked and unbraked towing limits rising from 300kg to 750kg. Long Range versions retain their listed 1250kg braked and 750kg unbraked capacities.

The updated variants are heavier, too. Standard Range tare mass rises from 1910kg for the earlier Air to 1931kg, Long Range AWD increases from 2198kg to 2250kg, and GT-Line climbs from 2229kg to 2280kg. Both updated AWD versions have a higher 2710kg gross vehicle mass.

Australian EV5s are manufactured at Kia’s Yancheng factory in China.

The Chinese-built SUV recorded 4722 Australian sales in the first nine months of 2026, narrowly leading the smaller EV3 on 4541 as Kia’s most popular electric vehicle.

However, it remains well behind the Tesla Model Y, BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5 and Zeekr 7X. A direct comparison with the market-leading Tesla Model Y can be found here and the verdict may surprise you.

Australian pricing, equipment and final technical details have yet to be announced ahead of the expected mid-2027 launch. Kia also has not confirmed whether the new ultra-wide cabin display, Pleos software or tougher WKDNR-inspired bumper treatment will be fitted to Australian vehicles.

The uncovered Korean car strongly suggests the facelift is close to production, but the Philippines market label means there is still a chance some of its most obvious changes are specific to selected export markets.

While the EV5 is Kia’s best selling electric vehicle, it’s got a long way to go before catching the top-sellers. Through September 2026, the Tesla Model Y recorded 35,930 Australian deliveries, followed by the BYD Sealion 7 on 19,964, Geely EX5 on 12,745 and Zeekr 7X on 10,800, compared with the Kia EV5’s 4722.

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