Kia PV5 Cargo Sets Guinness World Record for Electric Van Range with 693km on Single Charge

The Kia PV5 Cargo has entered the Guinness World Records for the longest distance travelled by an electric light commercial vehicle whilst carrying maximum payload on a single charge. The vehicle covered 693.38km on 30 September 2025 during a test conducted on public roads north of Frankfurt, Germany.

The record attempt took place over 22 hours and 30 minutes, with the van completing a 58.2km loop 12 times before stopping during the twelfth loop. The route included traffic lights, intersections, roundabouts, and typical urban traffic conditions, with an elevation gain of approximately 370 metres per loop. The PV5 Cargo Long Range variant used for the attempt featured a 71.2kWh battery and carried its maximum authorised payload of 665kg.

The achievement surpasses the previous Guinness World Record for electric van range, which stood at 500.8km. That record was set in Spalding, United Kingdom, on 29 July 2023 by Kevin Booker, Sam Clarke, and Fergal McGrath. The Kia PV5's distance represents a 38.4 per cent increase over the previous benchmark. 

Drivers George Barrow, a commercial vehicle journalist, and Christopher Nigemeier, a senior engineer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre, piloted the record-setting vehicle. Inspectors from TÜV Hessen and buck Vermessung supervised the loading process and verified weight specifications. The battery was charged to 100 per cent before departure, and both the charging port and cargo compartment were sealed for the duration of the journey.

The PV5 Cargo maintains a combined WLTP range rating of 258 miles without payload. Internal testing by Kia indicates that each additional 100kg of payload reduces the vehicle's range by approximately 1.5 per cent.

Marc Hedrich, President and CEO of Kia Europe, stated that the record demonstrates the vehicle's capability to operate for almost two full working days on a single charge. The record-breaking vehicle will be displayed at the Solutrans Tradeshow in Lyon from 18 November 2025. 

The PV5 Cargo represents Kia's first dedicated electric light commercial vehicle and forms part of the company's Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) lineup. The vehicle is built on the E-GMP.S architecture (Electric-Global Modular Platform for Service) and offers multiple configurations including Cargo, Passenger, Chassis Cab, and Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle variants.