Family Car Review: 2025 Kia Tasman Dual Cab Ute

How much does the 2025 Kia Tasman cost and what are the options?

The 2025 Kia Tasman dual-cab starts at $42,990 (excluding rego, stamp duty etc) for the entry-level S 4×2 model and ranges up to $74,990 for the off-road focused X-Pro variant tested here. The range includes six grades across 4×2 and 4×4 layouts. All versions sold in Australia feature a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission like you'd find in a Kia Carnival or Sorento.

How big is the tray of the Kia Tasman?

The tray of the 2025 Kia Tasman is absolutely fantastic for families! This is where the Tasman really shines especially for families that like camping. The tray will hold a whopping 31 shopping bags when empty. The next nearest is the VW Amarok at 31 bags. Other comparable utes include Isuzu D-Max which holds 25 shopping bags, the Nissan Navara holds 24 and the Toyota Hilux, which holds 29 shopping bags. 

The tray itself measures 1,512mm in length, 1,572mm in width, and 540mm in height, which is exactly the right size to fit an Australian pallet in the tray, which is great if this is going to be your work and family vehicle.

There are some fantastic family-friendly features in the tray. There are lights on both sides of the tray with a switch on the left-hand side to turn them on and off. This will be really handy when you're loading up after dark or getting ready for camping trips once the kids are in bed and so you can see in the tray when you are camping. There's also a 240-volt socket on the left-hand side, which is perfect for plugging in a fridge or charging up a mobile power source when you're heading away with the family too.

The flexible tie-down points on both sides can be adjusted however you need them, and there are really strong tie-down points on all four sides. Kia has really thought of everything with this tray design.

There is a handy step built into the back of the Tasman so you can easily climb up into the tray.

Kia also provides a unique storage compartment over the rear wheel arch which is handy for your tie down straps.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat…

…will fit in the tray of the Kia Tasman with 23 shopping bags.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with two sibling seats…

…will fit in the tray with 23 shopping bags.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat and the bassinet side by side…

…will fit in the tray of the Kia Tasman with 17 shopping bags.

The Thule Urban Glide 3, ultimate All Terrain stroller with the back wheels on…

…fits easily in the tray of the Tasman with 18 shopping bags.

The Thule Urban Glide 3, double ultimate All Terrain stroller with the back wheels on…

…fits easily in the tray of the Kia Tasman with 17 shopping bags.

The Thule Spring lightweight and one-handed folding stroller…

…fits in the tray of the Kia Tasman with 24 shopping bags.

The tray can also accommodate a 90-litre, 70-litre and 40-litre Thule Chasm duffel bags…

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don't want to move around while I'm driving such as Tulsi's lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it's not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don't move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum's life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually measurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

…or your very large dog.

How good is the storage in the 2025 Kia Tasman for families?

Interior storage in the Tasman is absolutely fantastic for families. The front of the Kia Tasman has been beautifully designed with nothing feeling off-the-shelf – it all seems bespoke for this vehicle.

In the front, there are loads of clever storage solutions. The central console features a very clever desk that folds out from the central console box lid which is perfect if you're out with your laptop or iPad while the little ones sleep in the back (a lot of this website was written in the car during my kids' naps).

When the desk is tucked away, the central console box is a good size with a 12-volt socket inside.

You've got two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and behind the cup holders there's a little spot for popping your keys in. 

In front of the Tasman's cup holders are two wireless phone charging pads with clever little lights above them so you can see when your phone is charging, plus USB-C sockets in the wireless phone charging tray.

Up on the dash, you've got some hidden USB-C sockets as well, so there's loads of charging capability.

The glove box is a good size that will hold a wallet and iPad with the manual and above that on the dash is another glove box, which is great for storing phones.

The door bins, in the front, are a really good size – they'll hold a refillable water bottle with an iPad or wallet, and there's storage in the handle wells too.

You also have lit vanity mirrors in both front visors as well.

There's so much storage in the rear of the Tasman! There's a fold-down armrest in the central seat back with two cup holders that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup, and kids' drink cups fit in there nicely too. Between them there's a slot you can pop a mobile phone in, and in front of them there's another slot that will fit an iPad.

On the back of both front seats, there are fantastic pencil-case-like map pockets. They fit an iPad really nicely, they're padded, and you can zip them up to conceal what's inside. They're a great design! Above them is a slim pocket perfect for popping a mobile phone and a coat hanger like shape to the top of the seats that's ideal for carrying a jacket.

The door bins in the back are a good size, they will hold a refillable water bottle and an iPad fits in them too. There's also storage wells in the handles.

If you're not using child seats in the back, underneath the rear seats there's great under-seat storage (a maximum of 45 litres), which is really handy for storing smaller items out of view. I'd definitely forget I'd hidden my kids' Xmas presents under there!

There are also USB-C sockets in the side of both front seats so rear passengers can charge their devices, as well as 240-volt sockets down in the footwell.

How many child seats will fit in the 2025 Kia Tasman?

The rear doors of the Tasman open really nice and wide, which makes accessing the back easy for passengers and also makes it easier to put child seats in and out. But like most utes nowadays, you can only fit two tethered child seats (I did let Kia know three would be a competitive advantage).

There are ISOFIX anchorages in the two outer rear seats. They're not within plastic guides, but they're nice and easy to connect to.

There are top tether anchorages for the rear outer seats only. They are metal bars attached to the frame, and you bring the rear seatbacks forward to access them. The split backrest makes it so much easier to attach and adjust top tethers and I prefer this system to the fabric loop style that is increasingly common on dual-cab utes.

There's no ISOFIX or top tether anchor for the central seat in the Kia Tasman, so you cannot install a child seat in that position which is a limitation for families that need to fit three child seats across the second row. A couple of untethered booster seats are available on the Australian market for older kids which you could use.

One fantastic thing about these rear seats is they're split 60:40, and the rear seats also have a recline function. You can pull a strap and the seat base will slide forward, making a recline of the backrest. This is obviously really nice and comfy for rear passengers who are not in child seats, but the benefit for forward-facing child seats is it can stop the head flop when little ones fall asleep in their seats. Most utes' rear seats are bolt upright, so when little ones fall asleep, their heads flop forward. When you can recline that rear seat back, it means their head lays back in their child seat rather than flopping forward. Another great feature for families!

When it comes to legroom, the Kia Tasman's rear footwell is nice and flat, so rear passengers have great kick room and can get around the cabin nice and easily. When you've got rear-facing child seats installed, we could fit a 180-centimetre driver in front of a rear-facing infant capsule.

With forward-facing child seats, we could fit a 186-centimetre driver or taller.

How comfortable is the Kia Tasman for families?

All members of the family will be kept comfortable in the Tasman. There are air-con vents in the back of the central console box, so you can keep rear passengers at the right temperature while driving along.

There are also handles above both rear doors where you can hang a toy for little rear-facing passengers to keep them entertained while driving. There's also a light up there, so you can see what you're doing when getting kids in and out at night.

I have found our daughter does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it's really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
Also if I am traveling home and it is getting near to bed time and I DEFINITELY DON'T want her to fall asleep in the car as even a 5minute nap in the car means bed time is all over!!!! I lean back and pop the light on so it's not dark and try to keep her awake!! Along with screaming/singing at the top of my voice!!!
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.

Rear passengers also have heated seats that they can turn on and off with buttons in their doors. However, I do know my little fiddle-fingered kids have been pressing those while we've been driving so they need including in the child lock feature!

The front seats are comfortable, and there are some fantastic features that you'd expect to find in a top-spec Kia SUV, like the adjustable front passenger seat button so you can move the seat backwards and forwards really easily without having to get in or out of the car. This is great when you've got elderly passengers or when you're doing school pickup and need to help kids get in and out easily.

There's also a heated steering wheel and heated and cooled seats in this X-Pro model for both front positions, making it a really nice and comfortable cabin to be in.

The front dash has air-con vents behind the honeycomb grille. There's one at each end of the dash and two central vents underneath the media screen.

The media system in the Kia Tasman is on this enormous wrap-around screen that dominates the dash.

It has an easy to use media system, which has wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, which is fantastic for accessing your phone's navigation, podcast, music and messaging apps while driving.

There's built-in sat-nav, and you can go into the settings to customise everything about the vehicle.

You've got your trailer screen where you can go in and change settings for towing.

If you've got noise-sensitive kids like me, you can go into the sound settings and change everything about the audio.

There's also weather and calendar functions – really nice features we're used to seeing in Kia's SUVs.

When you put the Kia Tasman into reverse, you've got lovely big visuals, plus 360-degree surround view cameras. You can turn the parking sensors off with a button in the central console, and you can turn the parking cameras on just using a button as well, which makes parking and manoeuvring really easy.

On the right side of the media screen, are really handy climate controls that stay there all the time so you don't have to go searching through the media system to find them. Below those are very nicely designed metal toggles that feel nice in your hands and can also be used to change the air-con controls.

How safe is the 2025 Kia Tasman for families?

The 2025 Kia Tasman comes with a five-star ANCAP safety rating, scoring 85% for both adult and child occupant protection, 74% for vulnerable road user protection, and 80% for safety assist.

The Tasman features seven airbags as standard, including dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags that extend to the second row, plus a centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes.

According to ANCAP, in the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of both the 10-year and 6-year child dummies was GOOD, with the Kia Tasman scoring maximum points in these tests.

The 2025 Kia Tasman comes with a lot of safety tech including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) for Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User, Junction & Crossing and Head-On scenarios, as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS).

Additional safety features include forward collision warning (FCW), blind spot monitor (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), fatigue monitor and detection, front and rear parking sensors, and anti-lock braking system (ABS).

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub's asleep!

The Tasman has a very subtle attention warning system instead of loud beeping sensors, which is much better for families with sleeping children.

What is the 2025 Kia Tasman like to drive?

The Kia Tasman is a fantastic ute to drive! I'm really glad the drive is as good as the looks (I like how it looks and I know a lot of people don't). The turning circle is excellent for a big ute like this. I found it can turn around where a lot of SUVs can, which is really helpful for families.

Visibility is very good. With two child seats in the back, I can see straight out the rear windscreen, which is great news.

You sit nice and high in the Tasman, so visibility is excellent, and visibility down the sides of the vehicle is great too. You've got indicator cameras that come on when changing lanes, which are fantastic for pulling out and changing lanes safely.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually, I dread when we get the big cars and utes as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Tasman wasn't the easiest to reverse park but it was very enjoyable to drive!

The actual drive itself is really good. It feels very solid and planted rather than bouncing around like you find in a lot of utes. You can feel the back is ever so slightly jiggly, but I imagine once you've got weight in there or you're towing, that would be gone. The Tasman feels like it's going to be excellent for family off-roading and camping trips (looking forward to trying that).

Instead of the really loud beeping sensors you get in some new cars to tell you you're not paying attention, the Tasman just has a very slight attention warning that isn't too intrusive, which is really good news for families with sleeping kids.

The parking cameras are excellent as you can turn them on with a button in the central console, and the 360-degree camera system makes parking and manoeuvring really easy, even in tight spaces.

Additional Information:

The Kia Tasman comes with a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty for private use. Service intervals are annually or every 15,000 kilometres, with costs ranging from $361 for the first service to $821 for the fourth-year major service during the seven-year schedule.

All Tasmans have a 3,500kg braked towing capacity making them capable for family adventures for those who need to tow caravans or trailers.

Compare the 2025 Kia Tasman:

If you're looking at the 2025 Kia Tasman as a dual-cab ute, you may want to consider other family-friendly utes such as the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, or Isuzu D-Max. For families who need seven seats as well as towing and off-road ability, try the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest, or Isuzu MU-X.

BabyDrive Verdict on the 2025 Kia Tasman

To sum up, the 2025 Kia Tasman makes a fantastic BabyDrive! You can fit two child seats really comfortably in the outer rear positions, and the rear seats have that brilliant recline function to prevent head flop when little ones fall asleep.

The legroom is really good throughout, and the interior is beautifully designed with loads of practical storage.

The tray space is absolutely fantastic: 31 shopping bags from empty! It's also really well designed with practical features like the lights, 240-volt socket, and strong tie-down points that make it perfect for family adventures.

The drive is really nice, solid and planted, and visibility is excellent. All the technology is fantastic, from the enormous media screen to the 360-degree cameras. The safety is good too, with that five-star ANCAP rating.

I can't wait to take this off-road with my family the Kia Tasman feels like it's going to be perfect for camping trips and family adventures!

Key Pros:

• Fits two child seats comfortably in outer positions
• Enormous tray capacity – 31 shopping bags when empty
• Rear seats slide and recline to prevent head flop
• Excellent interior storage including 45L under-seat storage
• Seven airbags including side curtain protection
• Five-star ANCAP safety rating with 85% adult and child protection
• Practical tray features – lights, 240V socket, strong tie-downs
• Seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty
• 3,500kg towing capacity
• Excellent visibility and 360-degree cameras

Key Cons:

• Cannot fit three child seats across the second row
• No child seat anchorages in centre rear position
• Top-spec X-Pro model is expensive at $74,990
• Back end can feel slightly jiggly when unloaded
• Not as easy to park as some SUVs