Canada’s small commercial-van market is coming back to life, and Ram has decided price will be one of its strongest weapons.
The 2027 Ram ProMaster City Tradesman Cargo will start at $44,790 including its $2,795 destination charge when Canadian deliveries begin in the second quarter of 2027. That puts it below the incoming electric Kia PV5 Cargo, whose official all-in starting price is $49,744. The exact difference between those published all-in figures is $4,954, although federal EV incentives can dramatically change the equation for eligible Kia buyers.
For contractors, delivery operators and small fleets that have spent years with few right-sized van choices, the more interesting story may be that there is finally a choice again.
Ram Is Returning With an Aggressive Canadian Starting Price
The lowest-priced ProMaster City will be the Tradesman Cargo, with a $41,995 base price plus $2,795 destination for a total of $44,790 before taxes and optional equipment. Moving to the better-equipped SLT Cargo raises the total to $46,790. Ram will also sell passenger versions, with the Tradesman Passenger Wagon starting at $48,790 and the SLT Passenger Wagon at $50,790, again including destination charges.
That pricing immediately gives the new van a clear place in Ram’s commercial lineup. It is designed for businesses that need something more substantial than a compact crossover or pickup but do not necessarily need the height, length or expense of a full-size ProMaster. An electrician carrying tools around downtown Toronto, for example, may value a van that can enter normal parking structures just as much as maximum cargo capacity. Ram says the new model stands under 80 inches tall. The important point is that the company is not treating the revived ProMaster City as a stripped-down curiosity—it is pricing and equipping it as a serious commercial vehicle.
Canada Has Been Waiting Years for Small Cargo Vans to Return
The ProMaster City name disappeared after the 2022 model year as automakers rapidly abandoned compact commercial vans in North America. Ford subsequently withdrew the Transit Connect, while Mercedes-Benz ended the Metris. Nissan’s NV200 and Chevrolet’s City Express had already disappeared. By the end of the 2023 model year, Canadian businesses effectively had no traditional small commercial van left to buy new.
That absence created an awkward gap. Full-size vans such as the Ford Transit, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Ram ProMaster remained available, but they can be more vehicle than a local courier, technician or urban service company needs. Pickups and SUVs can perform some of the same jobs, yet they do not offer the same enclosed, square cargo compartment. The arrival of both ProMaster City and Kia PV5 effectively rebuilds a segment manufacturers had walked away from only a few years earlier. Interestingly, the two companies are returning with opposite strategies: Ram is relying on a conventional gasoline drivetrain, while Kia is using the opportunity to introduce a purpose-built electric commercial van.
This ProMaster City Is More Capable Than Its Name Suggests
Although Ram has reused an old badge, the 2027 vehicle is not simply the previous ProMaster City brought back from storage. It is larger and has been positioned as a midsize Class 2 commercial van. Ram Canada lists 167 cubic feet, or approximately 4,728 litres, of cargo volume. Maximum payload reaches 2,175 pounds, or about 987 kilograms, while maximum towing capacity is 2,000 pounds when properly equipped.
The cargo compartment has been shaped around actual work rather than lifestyle marketing. Ram says the floor is long enough to accommodate common 4-by-8-foot construction materials and two standard U.S. pallets positioned front to back. The rear step-in height is approximately 23.2 inches, and buyers can choose rear swing doors or an available liftgate. That flexibility matters when a vehicle becomes a mobile workplace. A parcel company may prefer doors that open wide beside a loading dock, while a tradesperson could use an open liftgate as partial shelter while accessing equipment. Ram has also designed the body with upfitting in mind, leaving the cargo area relatively unobstructed for shelving, bins and other specialized installations.
Ram Carries More Weight, While Kia Offers More Cargo Volume
The ProMaster City and PV5 approach cargo capacity differently. Kia estimates that its PV5 Cargo provides 5,016 litres of cargo space, about 288 litres more than the 4,728 litres Ram Canada lists for the ProMaster City. That gives the electric Kia roughly 6% more published cargo volume. For a delivery company moving lightweight packages, that additional space could be valuable because the van may run out of room before it reaches its weight limit.
Ram reverses the advantage when payload enters the discussion. The ProMaster City is rated for as much as 2,175 pounds, while Kia lists a 1,631-pound payload for the Canadian PV5. That gives the Ram an advantage of 544 pounds, or approximately 33%. Ram also publishes a maximum 2,000-pound towing figure, while Kia’s original Canadian PV5 pricing announcement does not specify a towing rating. Those differences could matter considerably for plumbers, construction contractors or mobile repair businesses carrying dense equipment. Neither specification automatically makes one van better; the useful number depends on whether a business normally fills its vehicle by volume or by weight.
Ram Is Staying With Gasoline Instead of Chasing an EV Mandate
Every Canadian ProMaster City will use a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine producing 166 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. It is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Ram has not announced an electric ProMaster City for Canada, and Stellantis Canada indicated in October that an electrified version is not currently planned for this market.
For a business already operating gasoline vans, that approach minimizes disruption. A driver can refuel at an ordinary gas station and return to the route without depending on depot chargers or public charging infrastructure. That simplicity could be particularly useful for vehicles travelling unpredictable distances or operating far from major urban charging corridors. The missing piece is fuel consumption. As of the pricing announcement, a Canadian Natural Resources Canada rating was not available, making a meaningful operating-cost comparison with the PV5 impossible. A business should therefore be cautious about assuming the cheaper purchase price necessarily means lower total cost. Fuel expenditure accumulated across tens of thousands of annual kilometres can matter much more than a few thousand dollars at acquisition.
Kia’s PV5 Takes Almost the Exact Opposite Approach
Kia designed the PV5 as an electric commercial vehicle rather than adapting an existing gasoline van. The Canadian PV5 Cargo uses a 71.2-kWh battery and Kia estimates approximately 360 kilometres of combined driving range. A NACS charging port is standard, and Kia says the battery can charge from 10% to 80% in as little as 30 minutes under appropriate DC fast-charging conditions. A heat pump is also standard, an important feature for an EV expected to work through Canadian winters.
The PV5 is expected to arrive in Canada during the fourth quarter of 2026, several months before Ram currently plans to deliver the ProMaster City. Kia lists a 5,016-litre cargo compartment and a 1,631-pound payload, and the Canadian version announced so far is a two-passenger cargo vehicle. For fleets with predictable urban routes and overnight charging, that combination is potentially compelling. A van that begins every morning charged at a depot may rarely need public fast charging during its working day. For operators travelling long and irregular distances, however, the gasoline Ram’s rapid refuelling could remain easier to accommodate.
The Federal EV Incentive Changes the Price Comparison Dramatically
The headline price advantage requires an important qualification. Kia’s PV5 Basic carries a $46,995 MSRP and an official all-in Canadian price of $49,744, including freight and applicable listed fees. Compared on that basis with Ram’s $44,790 starting total, the ProMaster City is actually $4,954 cheaper before taxes and incentives—slightly more than the roughly $4,500 shorthand used in the headline.
The calculation changes when Ottawa becomes involved. Kia says the PV5 has been priced to qualify for Canada’s Electric Vehicle Affordability Program. Under current federal rules, eligible battery-electric vehicles can receive up to $5,000 in 2026, subject to program requirements and available funding. On simple price arithmetic, subtracting the full $5,000 from Kia’s $49,744 all-in figure produces $44,744—effectively level with the $44,790 Ram. Actual transaction pricing, taxation and eligibility can differ, so that calculation should not be mistaken for a guaranteed invoice. It does show why commercial buyers should compare incentives before concluding that the gasoline van has a meaningful purchase-price advantage.
The Passenger Version Gives Ram an Advantage Kia Does Not Yet Match
Ram is not limiting the ProMaster City revival to tradespeople and parcel operators. A Passenger Wagon will also be offered, starting at $48,790 in Tradesman form. The standard passenger configuration seats five, while an available third row can increase capacity to eight. The additional rows can be removed when more cargo room is needed, giving the vehicle potential applications ranging from small shuttle services to organizations that sometimes transport people and sometimes equipment.
Kia’s Canadian announcement, by comparison, centres on the two-seat PV5 Cargo. Kia sells or plans other PV5 body styles globally, but those broader variants should not be assumed to be Canadian offerings until Kia confirms them. That leaves Ram with a distinctive advantage at launch for businesses that need passenger capacity. The same van could theoretically spend a weekday moving a work crew and equipment, then be reconfigured for a different assignment. Heated front seats, a 10-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10-inch touchscreen, smartphone integration and a digital rear-view mirror are standard, meaning the Tradesman is not devoid of everyday comfort technology simply because it occupies the entry point in the range.
Kia Will Reach Canadian Buyers Before the Ram Does
Timing may become one of Kia’s biggest advantages. The PV5 is scheduled to enter the Canadian market in the fourth quarter of 2026. Ram says Canadian ProMaster City deliveries will begin during the second quarter of 2027. Depending on exact dealership arrival dates, that could give Kia several months to reach businesses that have already decided they need a smaller commercial van and do not want to delay replacing an aging vehicle.
The two vans also come from different global manufacturing strategies. Ram says the new ProMaster City is assembled at the TOFAS facility in Bursa, Turkey, using a Stellantis commercial-vehicle platform. Kia produces the PV5 at its dedicated Hwaseong EVO Plant in South Korea, part of a much larger investment in purpose-built commercial EVs. Kia has said the PV5 is the first model in a broader PBV family that will eventually include larger PV7 and PV9 vehicles. Ram’s strategy is more immediately conventional: restore a useful body style, give it familiar gasoline propulsion and offer commercial buyers a relatively affordable acquisition price. Canada is essentially getting two competing visions for how the small work van should return.
Purchase Price Will Not Decide This Contest by Itself
For small businesses, the eventual winner may be determined less by the advertised price than by the route the van drives every day. A contractor covering hundreds of unpredictable kilometres and towing equipment may prefer the Ram’s larger payload rating, published towing capacity and quick gasoline refuelling. A city delivery fleet returning to the same warehouse every night could potentially make far better use of the Kia’s electric drivetrain, larger cargo volume and depot charging.
Canadian tax rules add another layer. The Canada Revenue Agency recognizes both fuel and electricity among potentially deductible motor-vehicle operating expenses when applicable to business use, while separate rules exist for eligible zero-emission vehicles and capital cost allowances. Those considerations vary according to ownership, vehicle use and whether other government assistance has been received, so they cannot be reduced to one universal savings figure. The same caution applies to energy costs because Ram has not yet published Canadian fuel economy. What is already clear is that the ProMaster City and PV5 have restored something businesses have lacked: genuine choice. One prioritizes familiar operations and heavier payload; the other bets that commercial fleets are ready for electric work vans.
