Leaked Filings Show Kia Planning a 2027 EV5 Update With More Power

Kia is preparing an updated EV5 for 2027, and leaked Australian Design Rule documents have now shown the first official-looking images and some powertrain specs, Electrek reported. The EV5 is not sold in the United States. It is a Sportage-sized electric SUV that first went on sale in China in 2023; Kia launched a global model last year, and it is now available in Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other overseas markets.

Electrek said the electric SUV has been a major part of Kia's turnaround in China and is among the top-selling EVs in places such as Australia. That is the market context for an update arriving only a couple of years after the global launch.

What the filings show

According to the ADR documents, front- and all-wheel-drive versions will get a power increase, with up to 234 horsepower (175 kW) in front-wheel drive and 334 horsepower (249 kW) in all-wheel drive. The report does not give the current horsepower figures for comparison, so the size of the increase is not independently stated here. The new EV5 will still use the same 64.2 kWh and 88.1 kWh battery packs. Updated range figures have not been announced.

The current EV5, Electrek said, offers a WLTP range of up to 248 miles (400 km) from the smaller battery and 345 miles (555 km) from the larger pack. Until Kia publishes new ratings, those are the figures on the record for the model as sold today, not a promise for the 2027 update.

The documents, and earlier spy photos, also show modest exterior changes: new front and rear bumpers, similar to those on the rugged EV5 WKNDR Concept Kia revealed last November at the Guangzhou Motor Show. This is a facelift and a power bump, not a new vehicle from scratch.

Still not a U.S. model

Nothing in the filings, as reported, points to a U.S. launch. Shoppers in the United States cannot order an EV5 today, and the leaked update does not change that. For buyers in Canada, Europe, the U.K., Australia, and China, the 2027 EV5 is the version to watch, with more power, the same two battery sizes, and a slightly tougher-looking face, once Kia confirms range, pricing, and an on-sale date.

Kia has not, in Electrek's report, commented on the leak. The facts that can be tied to the documents are the 2027 timing, the 175 kW and 249 kW power figures, the unchanged 64.2 kWh and 88.1 kWh packs, and the bumper redesign. The rest, including range and price, is still to come.