2027 Kia Seltos: Bigger and Nicer With a New Hybrid Coming, Too

Key Points

• Kia’s global reveal of the new 2027 Seltos shows a larger, more upscale subcompact SUV with styling designed to resemble its electric SUVs.
• A choice of powertrains will be available, including a first-ever hybrid, when the second-generation SUV goes on sale in the U.S. in 2026.

Earlier this week, Kia took the wraps off its second-generation 2027 Seltos subcompact SUV at an event in South Korea with plans to introduce it to a more global audience. The new Seltos is larger, longer, wider and taller than its predecessor and sits on Kia’s internal K3 platform, which the company says is in response to customer demand for more passenger space and cargo room. With new styling changes, new powertrains and more upscale content, Kia is set to boost the new Seltos into new territory — just as affordability becomes ever more important in the U.S. market in particular.

Related: Next-Gen Kia Seltos to Get Boxier Shape, Debut Dec. 10

My, How You’ve Grown

• Takeaway: The overall look is meant to more closely bring the gas-powered Seltos in line with the styling of Kia’s electric models, but it’s larger in every dimension than the outgoing model.

Styling for the 2027 Seltos follows the precedent set by the latest Kia SUVs — there’s definitely a family resemblance to the new 2027 Telluride that was unveiled at the 2025 Los Angeles Auto Show in November, as well as the latest Sportage compact SUV. With a more angular look to every surface, the new wide grille incorporates blacked-out headlights and daytime running lights and will change its look depending on trim level, according to the company. The squared-off look upfront continues out back with perimeter-style taillights.

The overall look is meant to more closely bring the gas-powered SUV in line with the styling of the electric models like the EV9 SUV and the foreign-market EV5 and EV3 SUVs. In that respect, the new Seltos does a fantastic job; the only big difference is an actual front grille for airflow and cooling inlets.

Dimensionally, the second-generation Seltos is larger in every direction than the outgoing model. According to our calculations, it’s about 1.8 inches longer, 1.1 inches wider and features a wheelbase that has been given a significant 2.4-inch stretch over the 2026 Seltos. Internal volume supposedly benefits from this increase in size, with Kia’s publication of 536 liters (18.9 cubic feet) of “load capacity” being larger than the old model’s, which has 15.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 17.6 cubic feet with the second row folded. Kia says it has also resulted in an improvement to rear seat legroom and a passenger compartment that will feel more spacious.

New Dash and Tech

• Takeaway: The Seltos’ interior redesign also brings in a lot of the shapes, tech, screens and controls that we’ve seen in other Kia SUVs, highlighted by dual 12.3-inch screens and a column-mounted electronic gear selector.

The Seltos’ interior redesign also brings in a lot of the shapes, tech, screens and controls that we’ve seen in other Kia SUVs. Front and center is a 30-inch glass panel encompassing a 12.3-inch digital gauge display, a 5-inch climate control panel and a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia display. More premium features like Harman Kardon and Bose high-end audio systems are available, as is a 12-inch head-up display. The Google-based multimedia system also gets ChatGPT integration for more natural voice control functions, as well as access to the Kia Connect Store, with which owners can purchase theme customization options and additional app content.

Additionally, the electronic gear selector has been moved to the column from the center console in the same style as most of the Kia (and related company Hyundai) lineup, and a 64-color interior selectable ambient lighting scheme will be available. A standard panoramic moonroof and reclining rear seats, as well as two high-end trim levels (X-Line and GT-Line), will bring unique styling themes to the Seltos, as well.

The new Seltos will also get a boost to onboard electronic safety technology, with new generations of several systems including Highway Driving Assist 2, lane-centering steering, forward collision avoidance and a host of other likely optional features.

Read More About the Kia Seltos on Cars.com:

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• How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2024 Kia Seltos?
• Research the Kia Seltos
• Shop for a Kia Seltos

Powertrain Uncertainty

• Takeaway: Powertrain details for the U.S. market aren’t yet clear, but we can make some educated guesses on what might get sold here.

Given that this was a global launch of the 2027 Seltos, not much information was available about which powertrains will accompany the SUV when it arrives in the U.S. — but we can make some educated guesses based on what’s offered currently.

Four powertrains will be available in the Seltos globally: two versions of a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (a standard output one making about 178 horsepower or a high-output version making about 190 hp), a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter gas engine making about 147 hp, and a new hybrid powertrain that Kia did not provide any specifics for. The powertrains we’re likely to get are the standard 2.0-liter paired with a continuously variable automatic transmission and the high-output turbo 1.6-liter mated to an eight-speed automatic given these are carryovers from what the current Seltos offers in the U.S.

The big unknown is the hybrid variant, as it would be the first time a Seltos hybrid would be offered stateside.

Pricing and Release Date

No word was given on U.S.-market pricing or timing, but Kia did say that production of the 2027 Seltos is set to begin in 2026 for the North American market. More information on the U.S.-spec Seltos will be published here as soon as it is available; stay tuned.

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