Kia UK wants five figure van sales within five years

As it prepares to put its first vans on sale in the UK later Kia's bosses have pledged to win a valuable slice of the market.

Kia UK expects its dealers and fleet sales teams to be delivering five-figure annual electric van sales in five years' time.

The South Korean brand is planning a network of 60 van sales and aftersales outlets in the UK, a combination of existing Kia car dealerships and standalone or multi-brand van centres.

Around 40% are expected to be attached to a car dealership with Kia undertaking a comprehensive programme of training and resourcing to support those businesses.

It will also use its parts facility in Tamworth to offer overnight delivery and a 97% first pick availability, giving reassurance to van operators that any unscheduled downtime will be kept to a minimum.

Aftersales director Chris Lear said: “Opening hours will meet customer requirements, so that will include out of hours if required. All shared facilities will have a dedicated service desk and advisor, as well as two workshop ramps with one at 5.5 tonnes.”

Kia's dealers are expecting deliveries of the first van, the compact PV5 which sits in the Kangoo/Transit Connect segment, to start in Q4 2025. 

The brand hopes to sell 3,000 to 4,000  units in the PV5’s first full year (2026), and its dealers will be tasked with targeting their local SMEs in particular. 

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It will be followed by the mid-size PV7 in 2027, which Kia expects to be its biggest seller, and the large PV9 in 2029.

Kia's smallest light commercial vehicles, the PV3 and the PV1 micro van, are not currently in the plan, according to Kia UK executives.

Sanka De Silva (pictured), Kia UK sales director, told us: “Ultimately, we want a 5% share of the market, similar to where we are with cars, which means 17,000 sales by 2030.”

Commercial director Simon Hetherington added that the brand is confident in its product offensive despite van operators' interest in electric vans having been limited so far..

“Barriers are being overcome and, with the ZEV (zero emission vehicle) mandate, we expect the rate of growth to be significant,” he added.

All models will be offered with Kia’s standard seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, as well as its eight-year battery warranty which is based on a minimum health state of 70%. Servicing schedules have been set at two years/20,000 miles.

It comes as Kia has adjusted its long-term global sales strategy, reducing its 2030 EV forecast by 340,000 units, in a shift that reflects the rising demand for hybrids and the need for flexible vehicle production and distribution.

Announced at the brand’s annual Investor Day, Kia now aims for 1.26 million EV sales by 2030, down from previous forecasts, contributing to a revised global sales target of 4.19 million units - down from 4.3m. The update comes despite record-high annual revenue and profit margins achieved in 2024.

Kia still plans to launch 15 EV models by 2030, including the upcoming EV2, EV4, and EV5 cars, alongside the electric vans.

In response to hybrid demand, the brand is doubling down on electrified combustion technology. It now targets hybrid sales of one million units by 2030, more than double the 490,000 forecast for 2025. The hybrid offering will expand across all segments, from compact to full-size vehicles.