Kia’s New Seltos Is Still Waiting on Its Hybrid

The second-generation 2027 Kia Seltos is on sale in eight gas versions priced from $24,990 to $32,790, but the version Kia says no rival can match still has no price. That is the hybrid, with an electric all-wheel-drive system, and Kia has committed to nothing firmer than an on-sale date "later this year."

The gas lineup splits between a 2.0-liter four in the LX, S, X-Line S and EX trims, with front-wheel drive or a multi-mode all-wheel-drive system, and a 190-horsepower 1.6-liter turbo with an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive that is reserved for the X-Line SX. Every price excludes a $1,495 destination charge. The new Seltos rides on a wheelbase 2.4 inches longer than before, which Kia says gives it best-in-class passenger volume of 103.5 cubic feet and 64.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the first row, with ground clearance up to 8.1 inches on X-Line trims.

Kia announced pricing in a June 3 release and confirmed the gas models were in showrooms in a July 14 release from the national press drive in Newport Beach, which also described the hybrid as "slated to go on sale later this year."

Trim	Drive	Engine	MSRP
LX	FWD	2.0L	$24,990
S	FWD	2.0L	$26,390
LX	AWD	2.0L	$26,690
S	AWD	2.0L	$28,090
EX	FWD	2.0L	$28,390
X-Line S	AWD	2.0L	$28,990
EX	AWD	2.0L	$30,090
X-Line SX	AWD	1.6L turbo	$32,790

CarBuzz walked through the lineup on October 28 and filled in what Kia’s releases leave out. The 2.0-liter makes 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque and is rated at 28/33/30 mpg with front-wheel drive, dropping to 26/30/28 in the X-Line S. The turbo adds 195 lb-ft and returns 24/30/26. All-wheel drive adds $1,700 on the LX, S and EX. Moving from the LX to the S buys 18-inch wheels, blind-spot detection and a 12-way power driver’s seat, the EX adds heated front seats, dual-zone climate control and a power liftgate, and the X-Line SX brings a panoramic sunroof and a heated steering wheel, with a Prestige package layering on Harman Kardon audio, ventilated front seats and a second 12.3-inch display for the instrument cluster.

CarBuzz expects the hybrid to reach dealers in the last quarter of 2026 and said it would revisit its advice once the hybrid’s pricing and efficiency are known. In the meantime it recommended the mid-range EX or X-Line S as the best balance of price and equipment.

Kia has said more about the hybrid than it has priced. The July release describes a 1.6-liter hybrid four with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, front-wheel drive or an electric all-wheel-drive system that Kia calls a first for one of its hybrid SUVs, a stalk-mounted shifter borrowed from the Telluride and EV9, and black 19-inch wheels shared between the X-Line SX and an X-Line EX HEV trim, which is the only hybrid grade the company has named so far. Official fuel economy for the hybrid will come closer to its on-sale date.

The gas Seltos is already doing the heavy lifting. Kia’s September sales release lists the Seltos as its fastest-growing model, up 66 percent in September to 7,682 units and up to 58,207 for the year from 40,065. CarBuzz pointed to the Mazda CX-30, which starts at $26,375 with a 186-horsepower 2.5-liter and standard all-wheel drive, and to the Hyundai Kona, which it said matches the Seltos on price and powertrains with slightly better fuel economy but less interior space.

The HyundaiHQ Take

A 66 percent jump before the hybrid even lands says Kia got the size and the price right, and the base LX at $24,990 is still the sharpest number in the lineup. The missing piece matters, though, because the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is the car most of these buyers are also looking at, and a Seltos Hybrid with e-AWD and the bigger cabin is the version that beats it. Kia should price it in November and not let the "later this year" promise slide into 2027.

More on the Kia Seltos

• Kia Set a Sales Record in September While Its EVs Fell