by Kia Sales Highlights
Internal Combustion Engines Lead to Success
Despite the fact that Kia’s electric vehicle debuts have brought the brand significant popularity in the US in recent years, it is the demand for models with internal combustion engines and hybrid versions that has allowed the company to set sales records for the third consecutive year.
The American division of the Korean automaker has just published its results for September and the third quarter, along with year-to-date figures. These numbers are impressive: Kia sales increased by 11 percent in September, rose by 9 percent in the last quarter, and increased by the same amount for the first nine months of this year to 636,148 units.
Sales Leaders
The most popular Kia model remains the Sportage, purchased by 134,102 buyers since the beginning of the year, which is 13 percent more. The Telluride SUV, another successful model, showed 92,498 sales, also representing a 13 percent increase.
But the most impressive results are demonstrated by the K5 sedan and the Carnival minivan. These two models with internal combustion engines, which were introduced even before the pandemic, are showing outstanding results. Carnival sales have increased by 48 percent since the beginning of the year, and K5 sales have skyrocketed by 85 percent, with both models now reaping the full benefits of successful design updates.
Electric Vehicles Show No Significant Growth
Kia proudly reports that electric vehicle sales increased by 26 percent, but do not confuse electrified models with fully electric ones. Kia’s hybrid cars may be performing well, but its EV models mostly are not.
Undoubtedly, EV9 sales increased by almost 50 percent to 3,094 in September, and EV6 sales increased by more than 30 percent to 2,116 for the same month. But there is a suspicion that this was due to a rush by buyers to take advantage of tax incentives before their cancellation at the end of last month.
Looking at the year-to-date statistics, one can see that EV9 sales have fallen from almost 16,000 last year to 12,448 in 2025, and demand for the EV6 has also shrunk. Its sales dropped from 15,985 to 11,077.
Kia America Sales Statistics for 2025
| Sep ’25 | Sep ’24 | YTD ’25 | YTD ’24 | |
| EV9 | 3,094 | 2096 | 12,448 | 15970 |
| EV6 | 2,116 | 1,612 | 11,077 | 15,985 |
| K4/Forte | 8,829 | 10,266 | 107,643 | 104,004 |
| K5 | 5,290 | 4,898 | 52,581 | 28,476 |
| Soul | 4,069 | 4,016 | 40,408 | 40,094 |
| Niro | 2,446 | 1,687 | 20,109 | 25,132 |
| Seltos | 4,635 | 3,877 | 40,065 | 48,177 |
| Sportage | 14,515 | 11,163 | 134,102 | 118,758 |
| Sorento | 6,502 | 6,572 | 74,012 | 69,176 |
| Telluride | 8,408 | 8,699 | 92,498 | 81,754 |
| Carnival | 5,603 | 4,027 | 51,205 | 34,727 |
| Total | 65,507 | 58,913 | 636,148 | 584,170 |
These figures show that traditional internal combustion engine models continue to be the main growth driver for Kia, despite active marketing efforts around electric models. The success of cars like the K5 and Carnival indicates that the market still heavily relies on proven solutions, especially when it comes to affordability and reliability. Electric vehicle performance, while showing some positive moments, still cannot compete with traditional models in terms of sales volume, which may indicate certain challenges in the transition to electric power in the mass segment.
