Kia EV5 GT: Fast electric SUV a no-go for Australia

Kia Australia will not launch the high-performance version of its best-selling electric vehicle (EV), the EV5 Mid-size SUV due to problems in sourcing vehicles from different countries.

The 2026 Kia EV5 GT was recently unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show, but its Korean production schedule prompted Kia Australia’s general manager of product planning, Roland Rivero, to comment Daily Sparkz It’s an unlikely starter for Australia given the wider EV5 range here comes from China.

“EV5 GT is difficult due to the fact that it comes from Korea, and Korea didn’t really develop the EV5 for Australia. And it also adds complexity with double sourcing (from different factories),” Mr Rivero said.

“We would not be able to achieve the price that EV5 currently offers if we sourced the Korean version.”

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The Kia EV5 GT is powered by a 225kW dual-motor electric drivetrain, enabling the 4610mm long and 1875mm wide electric SUV to sprint from 0-100km/h in a claimed 6.2 seconds.

Funnily enough, however, these specs correspond pretty closely to the Chinese-made EV5 AWD Long Range sold in Australia, which claims 230kW/480Nm with its twin-motor electric drive system and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 6.1 to 6.3 seconds, depending on the variant.

It’s worth noting that the Euro-market EV5 GT gets sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4 SUV tires, racier GT bucket seats, GT-specific suspension tuning, and an electronically controlled suspension with road preview system (from Genesis, no less) to match the sportier looks.

The Australian Kia EV5 range starts at $56,770 plus on-road costs, rising to $71,770 for the flagship GT-Line. Given Mr. Rivero’s comments, sourcing the range from South Korea rather than China would likely result in the starting point being in the $60,000 range and the GT rising to $80,000. It is unlikely that the Chinese factory will produce its own version of the EV5 GT.