Kia’s hybrid models rose 97 percent year-over-year in April, setting a new monthly record and extending the brand’s sales momentum through the first four months of 2026 while major competitors shed volume.
Kia America delivered 72,703 vehicles in April, down 3 percent from April 2025, but the year-to-date total reached a record 279,718 units through the end of April, up 2 percent over the same period last year. That 2 percent climb lands differently when held against the industry’s first-quarter performance: GM, Toyota, and Honda all reported declining sales in Q1 2026.
The Telluride led Kia’s April, posting its best April sales total in model history at 12,577 units, up 16 percent over April 2025. Year-to-date Telluride sales reached 48,505 units, also a record for the four-month period. The Telluride’s first available hybrid powertrain arrived this year as part of the 2027 model-year refresh, and Kia attributes some of the sales climb to that addition.
Sportage Hybrid sales more than doubled in April, rising 112 percent year-over-year. Sorento Hybrid climbed 34 percent. The K4 sedan, which replaced the Forte nameplate for 2026, edged up 1 percent in April to 13,214 units. Across the lineup, six models set new April year-to-date records: Sportage HEV, up 117 percent; Sportage ICE, up 5 percent; Telluride, up 19 percent; Carnival, up 16 percent; Sorento HEV, up 7 percent; and K4, up 1 percent.
Kia’s electrified models, a category that includes hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and full EVs, rose 71 percent in April and 41 percent year-to-date. The EV9 three-row electric SUV climbed 481 percent year-over-year in April to 1,349 units. The EV6 rose 11 percent to 728 units. Both numbers are small in absolute terms, but the EV9’s trajectory runs counter to the broader U.S. EV market, which fell 27 percent year-over-year in Q1 2026. Non-Tesla EV brands grew 3 percent quarter-over-quarter in the same period, and Hyundai and Kia were among the brands driving that growth.
The Soul, which Kia has been phasing out of the U.S. market, sold 171 units in April, down from 5,069 a year earlier. Year-to-date Soul sales totaled 3,470 units, down from 16,346 in the first four months of 2025. The Niro crossover also declined, falling to 1,491 units in April from 2,350 a year earlier.
Kia introduced the Seltos refresh and the EV3 subcompact electric crossover at the New York Auto Show in April. The Seltos sold 5,335 units in April, up from 4,051 in April 2025, and year-to-date Seltos sales reached 20,034 units, up from 15,426 in the same period last year. The EV3 has not yet reached dealers.
The sales pattern Kia is tracing this year is the one automakers want: hybrid and electrified growth in a segment where most brands are either stagnant or retreating, plus a halo SUV that keeps setting records. The question is whether the momentum holds when the EV3 and refreshed Seltos land in volume and start competing for the same showroom oxygen the Sportage and Telluride are currently breathing.
Source: Kia. Images courtesy of Kia.
