Kymco UTV 700 Review: The Ultimate Off-Road Side-by-Side for UK Farmers & Landowners | Kymco UK

Whether you're managing a working farm in the Yorkshire Dales, maintaining a country estate in the Scottish Highlands, or simply demanding the best from your weekend off-road adventures, the Kymco UTV 700 is engineered to deliver. With a 695cc fuel-injected engine, Electric Power Steering, switchable four-wheel drive with a locking differential, and a towing capacity of 650 kg, this is a machine that takes British conditions seriously.

The UTV market has grown enormously in the United Kingdom over recent years, and for good reason. Side-by-side vehicles (SSVs) occupy a uniquely practical space: they offer a comfortable seating position and weather protection that a quad bike cannot match, yet they maintain an off-road agility and ground clearance that leaves most compact tractors standing. The question is always which machine offers the best combination of capability, reliability, and value. After spending considerable time with the Kymco UTV 700, we're confident it makes an exceptionally strong case.

Engine & Performance: Serious Power, Refined Delivery

At the heart of the UTV 700 sits a 695cc single-overhead-cam (SOHC), four-stroke, liquid-cooled engine, paired with a fuel injection system that ensures reliable cold starts and consistent throttle response whether you're idling through a muddy gateway or climbing a steep hillside pasture. Producing 45 HP at 6,000 rpm, this is not a machine that asks you to compromise on performance.

The transmission is a continuously variable automatic (CVT) with High, Low, Neutral, Reverse and Park modes, a selection that will feel immediately familiar to anyone who has driven an ATV or modern UTV. Low ratio provides the mechanical advantage you need for hauling heavy loads or crawling over uneven ground, whilst High gives you the pace to cover open fields and tracks in genuine comfort. There are no gearchanges to worry about; you simply select the appropriate range and the CVT manages everything else with smooth, progressive power delivery.

The 695cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected engine delivers 45HP with broad, usable torque throughout the rev range.

The 38-litre fuel tank is a genuine standout in this class. Larger tanks mean fewer interruptions during a long working day, and for anyone covering substantial acreage, or tackling an extended off-road trail, having that reserve capacity is a genuine practical advantage. Running costs are also kept in check by the efficiency of modern fuel injection, which optimises the air-fuel mixture across varying loads and altitudes.

Off-Road Capability: Built for the British Countryside

British terrain demands versatility above all else. Rocky moorland, sodden clay fields, steep grazing hillsides, and churned-up forest tracks, a UTV destined for UK use must cope with all of them, often in the same afternoon. The Kymco UTV 700 is engineered with precisely this in mind.

Suspension: Independent at Both Ends

Both front and rear suspension use a double A-arm configuration, with the rear featuring a fully independent setup (IRS — Independent Rear Suspension). This matters enormously in practice. Where a solid rear axle transfers shocks from one wheel directly to the other, IRS allows each rear wheel to react independently to the ground beneath it. The result is vastly improved grip on uneven terrain and a significantly more comfortable ride for both driver and passenger.

That comfort is further enhanced by generous suspension travel, absorbing the impacts from roots, ruts and rocky outcrops that would leave a less-engineered machine battering its occupants. Long days in the field become markedly less fatiguing when the chassis is doing the hard work.

Ground Clearance & Dimensions

With a ground clearance of 309.88 mm (12.2 inches), the UTV 700 sits high enough to clear the sort of obstacles that regularly trap lower-slung machines. At 2,897 mm long and 1,555 mm wide, the vehicle's footprint is practical for navigating between farm buildings and along established tracks without feeling unduly large or unwieldy.

Independent rear suspension and 309mm ground clearance make light work of British countryside challenges.

4WD, Diff-Lock & EPS: Technology That Earns Its Keep

Electric 2WD / 4WD with Differential Lock

The electrically selectable 2WD / 4WD system means you can run in two-wheel drive on firm ground, saving fuel and reducing drivetrain wear, then switch to 4WD at the touch of a button when conditions demand. The addition of a locking differential takes this further still. Locking the differential forces equal drive to both axle shafts, maximising traction in the worst conditions: waterlogged fields, deep mud, or steep hillsides where one wheel risks lifting.

Electric Power Steering (EPS)

Electric Power Steering has transformed the UTV driving experience. Where older machines required considerable physical effort to steer at low speeds, particularly in soft ground, EPS provides variable assistance that reduces driver fatigue without removing the steering feel that gives you confidence on challenging terrain. For professionals spending hours at the wheel each day, this is not a luxury; it is a meaningful ergonomic improvement.

Braking: Combined Braking System Front & Rear

Hydraulic disc brakes at both axles provide confident stopping power regardless of speed or load. The Combined Braking System (CBS) links front and rear circuits to prevent the imbalanced braking that can unsettle a heavily loaded vehicle on a loose or downhill surface, a meaningful safety feature for those regularly descending steep pastures with a loaded cargo bed.

Towing & Load Carrying: A Genuine Working Tool

For farmers and estate managers, the headline towing figure of 650 kg is the one that matters most on paper. In real-world terms, that is sufficient to move a loaded livestock trailer, a substantial log trailer, or a fully laden equipment trailer around the farm without drama. Combine this with the engine's broad torque delivery and the low-range CVT ratio, and steep uphill tows with a heavy load are handled with composure.

The vehicle's substantial 674 kg dry weight also works in your favour when towing: a heavier tow vehicle is a more stable one, less susceptible to the snaking and instability that can affect lighter machines when towing close to their rated capacity. The hitch assembly is a properly engineered unit with the maximum capacity label prominently displayed, a detail that matters when staying within legal load limits on UK roads.

The engineered tow hitch is rated to 650kg — genuinely useful capacity for working farm and estate applications.

Cab Options: Year-Round Usability in the British Climate

The British climate is famously uncooperative, and an open-cockpit side-by-side becomes genuinely miserable during an autumn or winter spent in driving rain and single-figure temperatures. Kymco addresses this directly with two factory cab options:

The Full Cab (£2,999) provides complete enclosure, protecting driver and passenger from rain, wind and cold, transforming the UTV 700 into a vehicle capable of genuine year-round use. The Half Cab (£1,599) offers a windscreen and roof to deflect rain and reduce wind chill without fully enclosing the cabin, a useful middle ground for kinder weather whilst retaining meaningful protection.

Both are designed and fitted as factory options rather than aftermarket additions of variable quality, ensuring a clean, integrated result that competitors at comparable price points struggle to match.

Build Quality, Parts & UK Warranty

Kymco has manufactured vehicles for over six decades and currently produces in excess of one million units annually. That industrial scale translates into manufacturing quality and supply-chain maturity that smaller manufacturers struggle to match. Panel fits are consistent, welds are clean, and hardware quality reflects a machine built to work rather than simply look the part at point of sale.

Importantly for UK buyers, Kymco UK provides full UK parts and warranty support, distributed from Bridgend, South Wales. Parts held domestically means downtime in the event of a required repair is minimised, a genuine operational advantage for any working vehicle.

The instrumentation is clear and practical — exactly what a working vehicle requires.

Who Is the Kymco UTV 700 Best Suited To?

Farmers and agricultural workers will appreciate the 650 kg towing capacity, the locking differential, the 38-litre tank, and the low-range transmission, all the tools needed for a productive day's work in all weathers.

Estate and land managers will value the combination of genuine off-road capability with ride comfort that makes longer property journeys far less taxing than a comparable quad bike. The two-seater layout means a colleague can ride along, something an ATV simply cannot accommodate.

Off-road enthusiasts will find a machine with ample performance, excellent suspension, and EPS making it a satisfying and accessible drive on green lanes and off-road parks alike.

Pricing & Value: An Honest Assessment

At £10,599 RRP excluding VAT, the Kymco UTV 700 positions itself as a genuinely competitive option in the mid-range UTV market. Add the half-cab for £1,599 and the total remains well below the entry price of several comparable European and American alternatives, without sacrificing Kymco's domestically held parts infrastructure.

The Full Cab at £2,999 brings the total to £13,598 (exc. VAT), still representing excellent value for a fully capable, weather-protected side-by-side with EPS and diff-lock as standard. For businesses, the UTV may also qualify as a legitimate capital expenditure against tax, worth discussing with your accountant.

Verdict: The Kymco UTV 700 in Summary

The Kymco UTV 700 is a thoroughly competent, well-engineered, and genuinely practical side-by-side that serves the British market with an uncommon degree of thoughtfulness. Its combination of 45HP power, switchable 4WD with diff-lock, Electric Power Steering, and a 650 kg towing capacity would be impressive at a higher price point. At £10,599 excluding VAT, with factory cab options and the full backing of Kymco UK's parts and warranty network, it makes a compelling case that is difficult to dismiss.

If you are in the market for a UTV that will genuinely earn its keep across the seasons, and across the challenging, unpredictable variety of British terrain, the UTV 700 belongs at the very top of your shortlist.