Kia Set a Sales Record in September While Its EVs Fell

Kia America sold 77,009 vehicles in September, its best September ever, and pushed third-quarter sales to a record 236,659. The records came even as its two established electric models fell sharply and the Soul dropped off the sales chart entirely.

The September total was 18 percent above the previous September high, and the quarter came in 8 percent above the old third-quarter record. Retail sales set records too, at 70,429 for the month and 221,664 for the quarter, and hybrid sales rose 152 percent in September with total electrified sales up 60 percent. Through nine months Kia has sold 667,386 vehicles against 636,148 a year ago, which the company says keeps it on course for a fourth straight annual record.

Kia published the figures in an October 1 release that credited eight models with double-digit gains: the Seltos up 66 percent, the Niro up 47, the K4 up 43, the Telluride up 42, the Sorento up 37, the Carnival up 21, the K5 up 15 and the Sportage up 10. Among hybrids, the new Telluride HEV led the growth, with the Sorento HEV up 112 percent, the Sportage HEV up 53 and the Carnival HEV up 47.

"With record-breaking September and best-ever quarterly sales, Kia continues to demonstrate the strength of its brand, product portfolio and retail network," said Eric Watson, Kia America’s vice president of sales operations, in the release.

Model	Sept. 2026	Sept. 2025	2026 YTD	2025 YTD
Sportage	16,033	14,515	145,746	134,102
K4/Forte	12,658	8,829	111,212	107,643
Telluride	11,927	8,408	110,038	92,498
Sorento	8,939	6,502	77,205	74,012
Seltos	7,682	4,635	58,207	40,065
Carnival	6,804	5,603	61,540	51,205
K5	6,070	5,290	58,681	52,581
Niro	3,592	2,446	22,064	20,109
EV9	1,955	3,094	12,429	12,448
EV6	835	2,116	6,264	11,077
EV3	514	0	520	0
Soul	0	4,069	3,480	40,408
Total	77,009	65,507	667,386	636,148

The losers tell the other half of the story. EV9 sales fell to 1,955 from 3,094 a year earlier, and the EV6 dropped to 835 from 2,116, leaving it at 6,264 for the year against 11,077 through September 2025. The EV3, which Kia launched into showrooms the same day the release came out, contributed 514 units in its first full month. The Soul posted zero sales for September against 4,069 a year ago and 3,480 for the year against 40,408; Kia’s newsroom lists no Soul newer than the 2025 model year, so the brand’s long-running cheap hatchback has effectively left the lineup without a replacement below the K4.

For U.S. buyers, the growth is concentrated in the vehicles built here. The Telluride, Sportage, Sorento, EV6 and EV9 are assembled in West Point, Georgia, according to Kia’s Telluride pricing release and the footnotes to the sales release, and three of those five posted double-digit gains while the two EVs built there shrank. The Seltos, K4 and Carnival that rounded out the gainers are imported.

The release also packaged three other announcements: the 2027 EV3 was named Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year and the Carnival Hybrid its Green Minivan of the Year, the 2027 Telluride earned the IIHS 2026 Top Safety Pick+ for models built after June 2026, and a hybrid-focused ad campaign started in September.

The HyundaiHQ Take

A record quarter built on hybrids, a redesigned Telluride and a new Seltos is exactly what Kia planned, and the 42 percent Telluride gain in the SUV’s first full year of a new generation is the number Toyota’s Grand Highlander team will be studying. The two numbers that should worry Kia are the EV6 at less than half its 2025 pace and a Soul column that now reads zero, because together they leave the brand with no sub-$25,000 model besides the K4 and no proven EV seller until the EV3 shows it can carry the load.