Basically the only 2 options if I want to stick with EV....
(long post so don't want to quote the entire thing)
That’s fair, and I think your use case and scenario is one of the stronger arguments and genuine cases for the PV5 as a vehicle to market.
If you regularly need to move kids, dog, camping gear, beach stuff etc, then yes, something with proper van/MPV levels of space makes a lot more sense. I’m not arguing that nobody should buy one, or that it has no valid audience, or even that the audience is small. For that sort of use case, I can absolutely see why the PV5 would be near the top of your list of choices, and also why it will no doubt move a decent amount, there IS a market for this sort of vehicle. My family used to have a Galaxy themselves. That’s also why I said the list gets much shorter for your requirements. Once you add large dog, tent/camping kit, 2 adults, 2 kids, V2L and EV drivetrain, you’re not really shopping in normal Kona/EV3/Dolphin territory anymore.
At that point you’re well into large MPV/utility/leisure EV territory, where the PV5, ID Buzz, maybe EV9/Ioniq 5/Enyaq depending on boot shape, are the more realistic candidates, with pricing becoming difficult. (which is also where I appreciate the PV5 becomes more tempting)
Where I still disagree is with treating that as the default “Family Car of the Year” answer.
What you’re describing is a large-space family utility/leisure requirement, more specialist than the broad family car answer, not what I’d consider the average UK family car usecase (or size). That doesn’t make your usecase invalid at all, it just makes it more specialised.
On the efficiency/range point, I agree the van-derived alternatives are often compromised too. That’s partly my point: most of this class is not especially efficient, and if you need that space then you accept that compromise. But it's not necessarily a good compromise for the average family. I’m not saying there is an obviously better PV5-shaped alternative. I’m saying it is a niche where the compromise may be worth it.
On the cost point, I’m also not saying everyone pays 40p/kWh blended (home/public combined cost) either. If someone has a cheap EV tariff and mostly charges at home, EV running costs can be superb. I’ve had that myself, where the fuel savings genuinely offset a big chunk of the finance. My point is more that efficiency and range still matters, regardless of vehicle, because it reduces exposure to expensive charging. Not everyone will be on an EV Tariff (for whatever reason) and with the current push for EV to be more mass market, we have to recognise we, in an EV enthusiast forum, are not exactly representative of the wider market...even those with EVs. My point is more that once EVs move further into the mainstream, not every owner will be on the ideal tariff, not every owner can home charge, and public charging still exists in the real world cost mix. Efficiency reduces exposure to all of that. There is an absolute reason sites like MSE have been drumming on about tariff jumping for so bloody long, because the vast majority of users do not do it.
If something is being represented as car of the year for families, with zero caveats or wider specifications, then we do have to consider it as aimed at the majority and not the more enthusiast minority. In this case then surely it should not have one of the worse economies to run available? To that point a car doing 4.5-5 mi/kWh, or even 3.5-4.5m/kWh is in a very different place to one doing 2.5-2.7 mi/kWh when you do need to use public charging. Even if public charging is only occasional, lower efficiency and shorter range make you more likely to need it, and make it more expensive when you do. Not ideal for a family runaround.
So I’d probably separate it like this:
PV5 as a van/MPV/large utility EV for families with bulky hobbies, dogs, camping gear, V2L needs etc? Absolutely, I can see the appeal, and at that point, the cost and tradeoffs become worth it, and the PV5 becomes a worthwhile consideration.
PV5 as the broad benchmark “Family Car of the Year” for the average household; or for a wider family car? That’s where I still think it’s a strange choice, mainly because of efficiency, range and classification, and because there are other better options for many.
Arguably I'd think a Kona would be a better choice for many, especially with the current discounts, if you could get a good cash/finance rate; and cost almost half as much to run.
