Beyond the showroom: Burton Kia's move into commercial and fleet mobility
Written by Burton Kia
Burton Kia is expanding beyond passenger-car retail with a dedicated PBV Centre designed to support businesses across the East Midlands with electric commercial vehicles and wider fleet mobility solutions.
The automotive industry is changing rapidly. Electrification, evolving tax structures, fleet decarbonisation and growing operational demands mean that choosing a vehicle is no longer simply a matter of selecting a car or van. Businesses increasingly need a partner that understands their operation, drivers and costs.
Burton Kia sees a major opportunity in meeting that need. The family-run business has built a successful retail operation at its purpose-built Centrum Gate dealership, supported by a strong reputation for customer service, established manufacturer relationships and a management team with decades of combined automotive experience.
Burton Kia has developed its family-run business by combining independent customer service with the standards, technology and product range of one of the world's fastest-growing automotive manufacturers.
That experience has fostered a culture in which relationships matter. For private customers, this means understanding what a driver needs rather than simply focusing on the vehicles available on the forecourt. For business customers, that consultative approach is even more important.
Fleet decisions can significantly affect a company's finances and day-to-day operations. Vehicle choice, finance, taxation, fuel or electricity costs, downtime, maintenance, driver requirements and whole-life costs must all be considered.
Burton Kia is positioning itself to help businesses navigate those decisions. That approach has led to its latest and most significant venture.
Enter the PBV Centre
In 2025, Burton Kia appointed Dale Bywater as business and commercial sales manager. His brief was to establish and develop the dealership's commercial-vehicle and fleet operation and lead the new Burton Kia PBV Centre.
Dale brought more than 25 years of experience in automotive retail, commercial vehicles, fleet sales and business development.
The appointment came as Kia prepared to enter the UK light-commercial-vehicle market with a new proposition: PBV, or Platform Beyond Vehicle.
Rather than producing another conventional van, Kia's Platform Beyond Vehicle strategy centres on flexible electric vehicles that can be configured for different businesses, operational uses and passenger requirements.
The first model is the Kia PV5, an all-electric light commercial vehicle offered in Cargo and Passenger configurations, with a growing range of body styles and specialist conversions.
Kia launched its national PBV Centre network in 2025, establishing dedicated locations to support commercial customers. Burton Kia was selected as one of the centres serving the East Midlands.
For Burton Kia, the opportunity went beyond adding another vehicle to its product range. The PBV Centre created an entirely new area of the business.
A different approach to commercial sales
Burton Kia's PBV operation begins with the needs of the business rather than the vehicle.
A self-employed tradesperson has different requirements from an SME operating ten vehicles. Local authorities, housing associations and national organisations will have different priorities again.
For one operator, range or payload may be critical; for another, charging infrastructure could be the deciding factor. Whole-life cost, driver comfort, accessibility and vehicle uptime may also shape the decision.
The PBV Centre's role is not simply to sell a van. It is to understand how a customer operates and identify an appropriate vehicle and support package.
This consultative approach is particularly relevant as businesses consider electrification. Moving to electric commercial vehicles introduces questions that many operators have not previously faced, including workplace charging, electricity costs, daily mileage, charging patterns and vehicle utilisation.
The PV5 is changing the conversation
The PV5 was named 2026 International Van of the Year by a jury of commercial-vehicle journalists representing 26 countries, marking Kia's first win in the light-commercial-vehicle category.
The model also illustrates the breadth of Kia's PBV strategy. Cargo, Passenger, Chassis Cab and specialist converted versions are being developed for uses including logistics, delivery, trades, passenger transport and temperature-controlled operations. Kia showcased refrigerated and tipper conversions at the 2026 Commercial Vehicle Show.
That flexibility could be particularly valuable for businesses planning an electric fleet.
From commercial vehicles to fleet mobility
The PBV Centre is a natural extension of Burton Kia's wider business operation.
The dealership is expanding its fleet and corporate car sales alongside its commercial-vehicle operation.
This matters because many SMEs do not operate a car fleet or van fleet in isolation. Their requirements may include company cars, pool cars, vans, electric vehicles and specialist vehicles.
A business might need a PV5 for its engineers, Sportage Hybrids for its management team and electric cars for its sales representatives.
Burton Kia aims to provide that complete package. The proposition is particularly relevant to SMEs and public-sector organisations, which may benefit from working with a knowledgeable local business.
Customers gain direct access to people who understand their organisation and can remain involved throughout the vehicle lifecycle, rather than becoming another anonymous fleet account.
A business with bigger ambitions
Burton Kia is applying the experience, customer service and relationships that underpin its passenger-car retail business to a broader commercial and fleet proposition.
Kia is investing heavily in electrification, PBV technology and connected fleet solutions. Its UK PBV network is designed to provide specialist sales, servicing and commercial support as the manufacturer targets further growth in PBV sales.
Burton Kia's ambition is to become a recognised business mobility partner across the East Midlands.
With more than two decades of commercial experience supporting the operation, a dedicated PBV Centre and a growing Kia product range, the dealership is well positioned to pursue that goal.
Burton Kia's next chapter is already underway: helping businesses across the East Midlands move from choosing individual vehicles to developing practical, integrated fleet solutions.