Kia PV5 Electric Campervan Debuts With Two Beds and a Full Kitchen

Kia’s boxy little electric van just became a holiday home. UK converter Wellhouse Leisure has finished the first PV5 camper conversion — the i-Camper — and it packs two beds, a proper kitchen and a solar panel into a footprint barely bigger than a mid-size estate car.

The donor vehicle is the PV5 Cargo Plus, Kia’s first dedicated 100% electric van. Since its launch late last year it has climbed to the top of Europe’s small C-segment electric van sales charts, and Kia has been keen to point out that the E-GMP.S skateboard platform underneath can be reshaped into pretty much any body style a converter wants.

Wellhouse has taken that invitation seriously. The i-Camper measures 4.69 m long, 1.89 m wide and 1.99 m tall — roughly Ford Transit Custom territory, which is tight for a camper but far from impossible.

Two beds, one clever roof

The trick is the elevating roof. Drop it and the van fits under most car park barriers; raise it and you get a second sleeping space upstairs with Froli Springs, which Wellhouse describes as the more comfortable of the two berths.

Down below, the sliding seat system lets the two rear seats fold flat into a bed, or come out of the van altogether when you need to haul something bulkier than a sleeping bag.

• Kitchen: sink with tap and electric pump, two induction hobs, 42 L fridge, cabinets, optional microwave
• Power: 200 W solar panel, dedicated lithium leisure battery and 12V circuit so the drive battery stays untouched
• Extras: vehicle-to-load output for e-bikes, camping gear or a whole campsite
• Roof: pop-up elevating roof with a second double bed

That separate leisure battery is the detail that matters most for anyone who has spent a night in a converted van. Running the fridge and lights off the traction pack sounds fine until you wake up to a low state of charge and no fast charger for miles.

Key Specs: 71.2 kWh battery (PV5 Plus Long Range) · up to 247 mi WLTP range before conversion · 10–80% DC charging in roughly 30 minutes · £63,000 (~$84,000) in the UK

Range reality check

Kia quotes up to 247 miles of WLTP range for the Plus Long Range PV5 with its 71.2 kWh pack, and about half an hour for a 10–80% DC top-up. Those figures won’t survive the conversion intact — a pop-top roof, a fridge, a bed frame and a kitchen block all add weight and aerodynamic drag.

How much range disappears is the obvious unknown. Wellhouse hasn’t published a converted figure, and buyers planning long trips across Europe should probably budget for a meaningful haircut on the official number.

Price and positioning

At £63,000 the i-Camper is not cheap, though it lands in the same region as diesel camper conversions of similar size — and it arrives with electric running costs and no diesel clatter on a quiet campsite.

The broader point is what this conversion says about the PV5 itself. Small electric vans have struggled to justify their premiums for tradespeople, but camper conversions are a different argument entirely: a vehicle that doubles as daily transport and a weekend cottage makes far more sense when the fuel bill is measured in kilowatt-hours.

Wellhouse says the i-Camper is now built and ready to view. For Kia, it’s a useful proof point that the PV5 platform can stretch well beyond the passenger and cargo versions currently on sale.