Zeekr 7X vs Kia EV5

The Kia EV5 Air is $49,770 against the Zeekr 7X RWD's $57,900, an $8,130 saving for the Kia, though the Zeekr delivers significantly more performance and charging capability for the extra money.

Running costs are similar, both will cost roughly $700–$800 a year to charge at home, and both have long 30,000km (EV5) and 10,000km (Zeekr) service intervals respectively. The EV5's ownership edge is its 7-year / unlimited-kilometre warranty against the Zeekr's 5-year / 200,000km, plus Kia's large, established dealer and service network in Australia, which a newer brand like Zeekr is still building.

Both are 5-star ANCAP, the Zeekr 7X carrying a fresh 2026 rating (the newest here) and the EV5 dated 2024, with the full active-safety suite, autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise and a 360-degree camera, standard. Both are well-built, structurally strong EVs. There's nothing to separate them on everyday safety.

The Zeekr 7X positions itself as a premium product, with a richly finished, tech-laden cabin, big screens, plush materials and the polish of a brand pitched above the mainstream. It's the more luxurious-feeling of the two and the slightly longer car at 4,787mm.

The Kia EV5 is the practical family choice: a roomy, sensibly laid-out cabin, vehicle-to-load power, and the reassurance of Kia's established Australian presence. It rides a touch higher (175mm) and is the more conventional, no-fuss electric SUV. Both are five-seaters with usable space. The Zeekr also tows 2,000kg. So the Zeekr is the premium-and-performance pick; the EV5 the value-and-practical one.

The performance gap is large. The Zeekr 7X's rear motor makes 310kW and 440Nm for a genuinely quick 6.0-second 0–100km/h, against the front-drive EV5's 160kW and 310Nm and 8.5 seconds. The Zeekr also carries more range (480km vs 400km) from a bigger 75kWh battery.

But the headline is charging. The Zeekr 7X's 450kW DC peak is among the fastest of any EV on sale at any price, three times the EV5's already-respectable 150kW, so on an ultra-rapid charger the Zeekr can turn a road-trip top-up into a brief coffee stop. Day to day on a home wall box, that gap disappears and both are easy to live with. The EV5 answers the Zeekr's performance and charging with a lower price, a longer warranty and Kia's support. Note Kia offers longer-range and AWD EV5 variants higher up the range if you want more.