Kia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 01 frontKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 01 frontIntroductionYou will probably know the name of Kia’s best-selling car globally: the Sportage. You’ve probably seen four or five of them today. But you almost certainly haven’t heard of the Korean brand's second best-seller, the Kia Seltos, despite the fact that it sold 300,000 of them in 2025. It seems strange that a car so successful should not yet have been sold in Europe, doesn’t it? But Kia is about to change that with the second-generation version, setting its sights on stealing market share from the Nissan Qashqai, Skoda Karoq and Volkswagen T-Roc.Design & stylingKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 05 rear lightbarWhat actually is the Seltos? Well, at 4.4m long with a wheelbase of about 2.7m, it’s a hybrid SUV that sits somewhere in size between the Niro and the Sportage.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn fact, it’s based on the same K3 platform as the Niro – but it won’t replace the hybrid version of that car, like how the EV3 didn’t replace the Niro EV. Even at first sight, you won’t mistake the Seltos for anything other than a Kia, thanks to the heavy family resemblance that it shares with various other models. There's the latest Sportage’s wide front grille, the new 'Star Map' headlights within that grille from the EV2 and the 'floating' roof and tail-lights seen on the EV3. The Seltos does, however, get three new wheel designs, coming in 16in, 18in or 19in, depending on which trim level you go for.You will also be able to choose an X-Line trim for the Seltos (a first since the Picanto in 2019), which adds more rugged-looking design features, including a slightly lower front bumper with larger air inlets and plastic wheel arches.InteriorKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 06 cockpitInside, the Seltos shares the same interior as most of Kia’s EVs. That means you get interior design that’s a little more interesting than the comparatively conservative Qashqai and, while there aren’t that many soft-touch fabrics dotted around, the hard plastics look good and aren’t the grim, scratchy variety. Overall it isn’t as fancy as the more expensive Sportage but feels well-built.AdvertisementAdvertisementLike in those other Kias, there’s a pair of 12.3in screens on top of the dashboard, one for your digital instruments and the other a touchoperated infotainment system. Both have sharp graphics, making them easy to read, while the touchscreen is quick to react to your prods and easy to navigate. Between them is a 5.3in touchscreen that allows you to control the climate control system. As is the issue in other Kias, though, you can’t actually see it from the driver’s seat, because the rim of the steering wheel covers it.Luckily, to help mitigate that issue, there are some physical controls for changing the fan speed and temperature. They’re a vast improvement on having to use touchscreen controls, as you do in the T-Roc. There’s more than enough space up front for a pair of adults to get comfortable. Rear space, meanwhile, is a bit more of a mixed bag, with loads of leg room for even your longest-legged friends but not all that much head room.AdvertisementAdvertisementSure, there’s enough for those under 6ft tall, but anyone above that will find that their head is touching the rooflining, even with the reclining rear seats in their rearmost position. There’s enough shoulder room for three adults to fit across the back row, and the middle seat actually offers the most head room (with the panoramic roof equipped, at least). But there’s a significant transmission tunnel to straddle, stealing some foot space.The Seltos has a bigger boot than either the Qashqai or Karoq, at 536 litres, giving you plenty of space for your holiday luggage. Plus, when you need to load in long items, the rear seats fold down in a 60:40 split.Engines & performanceKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 04 headlightBoth UK-bound versions of the Seltos come with a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, a mild-hybrid system and a six-speed automatic gearbox. The differences between them are the amount of power you get and where that power is fed. AdvertisementAdvertisementSo far, we’ve only tried the entry-level version, which feeds 150bhp to the front wheels for a 0-62mph sprint time of 10.4sec. While that’s pretty much a match for the entry-level Qashqai (a 1.3-litre petrol mild hybrid), the Seltos feels like it could do with a little more power, requiring you to work it quite hard whenever you need a burst of pace. The e-AWD version should be better. It adds an additional motor on the rear axle, increasing total output to 175bhp and adding four-wheel drive. It cuts the 0-62mph sprint to 9.7sec and, according to Kia, has actual off-road capability – but we will see about that.Ride & handlingKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 02 rearOn the road, the Seltos’s soft suspension is suited to comfort, soaking up potholes and damping out sudden depressions with ease, yet it isn’t so soft that it wobbles you around in your seat over undulating roads.Head onto a winding road and the Seltos isn’t hugely engaging. There’s more body roll through fast corners than in sportier, firmer-sprung rivals, and the steering’s so-so weight build-up (even in Sport driving mode) doesn’t really feel particularly natural or smooth, nor admit much in the way of meaningful feedback. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Seltos clearly isn't the kind of car that interested drivers would gravitate towards, though, and isn't intended to be. The fact that it remains composed and safe on a country road will be enough for most potential buyers.MPG & running costsKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 01 frontHow much will it cost? And what equipment will you get? In short, we don’t know yet. We expect three trim levels, including X-Line, but their exact equipment levels will remain a mystery until later in the year.Price-wise, Kia has said we can expect the range to start at around £32,000 and head up to around £42,000. If that is the case, the entry-level car will undercut the Qashqai and Karoq but won’t cost you that much less than the larger Sportage hybrid, which is worth considering if you want that extra space. It’s hard to say exactly how efficient the Seltos will be when it arrives over here (official figures are yet to be announced), but over our 150-mile test drive it averaged around 50mpg.AdvertisementAdvertisementGranted, that route was mainly motorway driving at 68mph, but that’s a fairly promising figure.VerdictKia Seltos HEV review 2026 autocar 0x frontThere are still plenty of unknowns when it comes to things like pricing, trims, efficiency figures and safety equipment, but it’s easy to see why the Seltos has been so successful elsewhere across the globe.We need to try more versions before we can say for certain, but we suspect the more powerful e-AWD will be the one to go for, due to the front-wheel-drive car’s need for more power.There are sportier and more enjoyable-to-drive rivals out there, but the Seltos is easy to drive and comfortable – something that will appeal far more to many customers in this segment.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdd to that the potential efficiency figures that we saw and it looks like the Seltos will make a good long-distance cruiser. It’s worth considering that the £32,000 estimated price means that the Seltos potentially won’t cost much less than the Sportage hybrid, though. That car is even nicer inside, has an even bigger boot and solves any rear head room issues that you may have in the Seltos.]]>
