Kia Sportage PHEV joins Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service has added five Kia Sportage PHEV models to its fleet.

The vehicles will be used for driver training and emergency response.

Covering almost two-thirds of Wales, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service operates from 58 stations across six counties. It attends around 255 incidents weekly on average.

The five Kia Sportage PHEV GT-Line vehicles are finished in infra-red paint and were bought from business specialist Gravells Kia Bridgend.  The vehicles have all been fitted with emergency lighting and siren systems, as well as full conspicuity markings.

As part of the selection process, a number of different vehicles were tested and the Sportage offered the best mix of practicality, performance and economy to meet the service’s requirements.

Deputy chief fire officer Iwan Cray said: “The Service continues to demonstrate its ongoing commitment to reducing its environmental impact by expanding the use of Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) wherever possible. This initiative is part of the Service's broader objective to work towards Net Zero Carbon Status by 2030."

The latest fifth-generation Kia Sportage was introduced at the start of 2022. It was the UK’s sixth best-selling new car last year. This is the first generation of Sportage to offer hybrid and plug-in hybrid options and, like all Kia cars, comes with a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty as standard.

Mike Green, group fleet sales manager at Gravells Kia, said: “Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service’s unique and untypical type of usage is proof that the Sportage is capable of going far beyond where its family-friendly SUV appearance may suggest. We are proud and delighted to have been able to help the team get into the right car for their job requirements and deliver an essential and life-saving service throughout Mid and West Wales.”