The other 7X value fight
Sealion 7 vs 7X
BYD · Zeekr
Head to head
Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
Kia
EV5
Zeekr
7X
5-door SUVElectric
From$49,990
Electric
From$57,900
Last updated August 2026
Kia EV5 or Zeekr 7X: which should you buy?
The Zeekr 7X is the better car for buyers chasing the most metal for the money: nearly double the base power, quicker charging and more space carry it past the Kia EV5. The EV5 wins on value that de-risks a first EV, a lower drive-away price, a longer warranty and a dealer network, so certainty-first buyers should shortlist it.
310kW
Base-model power gap
The entry Zeekr 7X makes 310kW, nearly double the base Kia EV5's 160kW, and the gap only widens to the 7X Performance's 475kW higher up the range. It is the clearest sign of what the extra spend buys.
Your priority
What matters most: Kia EV5 or Zeekr 7X?
Pick a priority — we’ll show the numbers that matter and tell you which car we’d choose.
Safety: Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
| Kia EV5 | vsspecification | Zeekr 7X |
|---|---|---|
7 | Airbags | 7 |
Yes | Adaptive Cruise Control | Yes |
Yes | Driver Attention Monitor | Yes |
Yes | 360° Camera | Yes |
Both wear a current five-star ANCAP badge, so the floor is high on either side. The Zeekr edges the occupant-protection scores, with 91 per cent adult and 87 per cent child against the Kia's 88 and 86, plus a stronger vulnerable-road-user result. The Kia answers with a higher safety-assist score, 82 per cent to 78, and a full standard driver-aid suite, though reviewers find its lane-keep and speed alerts naggy. On the numbers it is close enough to call even.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle safetyequally well — this one’s a draw.
Performance: Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
| Kia EV5 | vsspecification | Zeekr 7X |
|---|---|---|
160 kW | Power | 310 kW (leads) |
310 Nm | Torque | 440 Nm (leads) |
8.5s | 0–100 km/h | 6s (leads) |
No contest on paper, and that is rather the point of the page. The base Zeekr 7X makes 310kW and 440Nm to the base EV5's 160kW and 310Nm, and reaches 100km/h in a claimed 6.0 seconds against the Kia's 8.5. The gap only widens up the range. The dual-motor EV5 grades top out at 230kW, while the 7X Performance delivers 475kW and 710Nm for a 3.8-second sprint that shades most petrol performance SUVs. The Zeekr is the quicker car at every rung.
Based on Performance, we’d pick the Zeekr 7X.
Tech: Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
| Kia EV5 | vsspecification | Zeekr 7X |
|---|---|---|
Yes | Wireless Phone Charging | Yes |
Yes | Head-Up Display | Yes |
Yes | Heated Front Seats | Yes |
Yes | Ventilated Front Seats | Yes |
Yes | Ambient Lighting | Yes |
Yes | Power Tailgate | Yes |
The Zeekr front-loads the features. A 360-degree camera, tri-zone climate, a panoramic roof and ambient lighting are all standard, where the Kia asks you to climb to the dearer grades for most of them. The EV5 counters on usability rather than kit, with physical shortcut buttons, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and software Australian reviewers rate as the more polished and better calibrated of the two. More hardware in the Zeekr, fewer frustrations in the Kia.
Based on Tech, we’d pick the Zeekr 7X.
Family: Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
| Kia EV5 | vsspecification | Zeekr 7X |
|---|---|---|
5 | Seats | 5 |
513 L | Boot Space | 539 L (leads) |
1,714 L | Boot (folded) | 1,978 L (leads) |
Both seat five with room to spare, and both suit family duty. The Zeekr is the bigger box, 4,787mm long on a 2,900mm wheelbase, so rear legroom and the boot are more generous. The Kia is close day to day, with a 513-litre boot, a flat-folding floor and a 67-litre front boot for cables the Zeekr lacks, plus controls the whole household can work out. The Zeekr wins on sheer space; the Kia wins on fuss-free usability. Neither leaves a growing family short.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle familyequally well — this one’s a draw.
Storage: Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
| Kia EV5 | vsspecification | Zeekr 7X |
|---|---|---|
513 L | Boot (seats up) | 539 L (leads) |
1,714 L | Boot (seats folded) | 1,978 L (leads) |
Yes | Power Tailgate | Yes |
Line-ball where it counts day to day, 513 litres in the Kia against 539 in the Zeekr with the seats up, and the EV5 adds a 67-litre front boot the 7X goes without. Fold the rear rows and the longer Zeekr pulls clear, 1,978 litres to 1,714, so the flat-pack and the bike frames favour it. The Kia's squared tailgate and flat floor make everyday loading a touch easier. Call the useful space a wash, with the edge to the Zeekr when fully loaded.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle storageequally well — this one’s a draw.
Off-road: Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X
| Kia EV5 | vsspecification | Zeekr 7X |
|---|---|---|
175 mm (leads) | Ground Clearance | 172 mm |
11.7 m | Turning Circle | 11.6 m (leads) |
Dead even. Neither Kia EV5 nor Zeekr 7X takes this category outright — the numbers come out line-ball.
A genuine tie.
Both cars handle off-roadequally well — this one’s a draw.
Pick a priority above to see how the Kia EV5 and Zeekr 7X stack up on what matters to you.
In the metal
Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X: design
Kia
The EV5 wears Kia's upright, tech-block face, with slim vertical lighting and a flat, confident grille panel. It is boxy and deliberately conventional, reading as a normal SUV rather than a spaceship, which is exactly the point for buyers put off by radical EV styling. The proportions are upright and family-friendly, prioritising cabin volume over drama, and the whole front end looks like something a Kia buyer already recognises.
Zeekr
The 7X is the lower, wider, sleeker shape, with a full-width light bar and a road-presence-first stance that looks every dollar of its near-premium billing. Where the Kia is upright and honest, the Zeekr goes for showroom drama, with sculpted surfacing and a sense of width that reads more European than budget-Chinese. It is the car that turns heads in the carpark, and reviewers single out its exterior design as a genuine strength.
Images are illustrative and digitally rendered. They may not reflect the exact variant, colour or trim. Details →
Side by side
Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X: full specifications
KiaZeekr
Editorial
The honest take on the Kia EV5 and Zeekr 7X
On the Kia EV5
The Kia EV5 is the sensible-shoes choice in this fight, and it wears that well.
On the Zeekr 7X
Where the Kia plays it safe, the Zeekr 7X spends the same sort of budget on hardware, and the numbers back it up.
By Yuri Cartland, Editor
Opinions are our own.
Common questions
Kia EV5 vs Zeekr 7X: what people ask
How they protect
How safe are the Kia EV5 and the Zeekr 7X?
The verdict
Which is better: the Kia EV5 or the Zeekr 7X?
Pick the EV5 if
You want the lowest-risk way into an electric SUV. The EV5 gets on the road for less on Kia's drive-away pricing, then backs it with a seven-year warranty, cheap capped servicing and a dealer network the Zeekr cannot match yet. Add a normal-SUV cabin full of physical buttons and driver aids the press rates as well calibrated, and it is the easy pick for a first EV or a family that values a known quantity over outright pace.
Explore the EV5Pick the 7X if
You can stretch past the Kia's drive-away price and you are comfortable with a newer brand. The 7X buys nearly double the power, 800-volt charging that halves the Kia's fast-charge stops, more space and a plusher cabin with tri-zone climate and a panoramic roof standard. It won its class at Drive Car of the Year and out-pointed the EV5 in every shared comparison test. The trade is the shorter warranty and a young dealer network.
Explore the 7XKeep exploring