Kia Gave The New Sportage 11 Shades Of Grayscale And Almost No Color

Kia’s vehicles are flying off dealership lots in the US, with the company reporting its best-ever sales figures in 2025. But look a little closer, and there’s one area where the brand seems content to blend into the background: colors

Read: Kia’s EV Sales Collapsed, Yet It Just Did Something It’s Never Done Before

Despite offering a wide range of models, Kia’s paint palette leans heavily on the conservative side, with a noticeable lack of anything bright, bold, or remotely adventurous. The selection is almost entirely made up of boring greys, whites, and blacks, offering little for those who like their cars to stand out, even slightly.

The 2026 Sportage is the worst offender. Depending on what trim you’re after, Kia offers nine (!) different shades of grey, white, and black, plus a pair of two-tone grey and black options. If you want a Sportage that’ll pop, the only options are Nebular Blue, Runway Red, and two-tone versions of these colors with Ebony Black roofs.

Paint options for the entry-level Sportage EX are particularly uninspired. It is only available in Ebony Black, Fusion Black, Gravity Grey, Panthera Metal, Steel Gray, Glacial White Pearl, and Snow White Pearl. Put simply, not a single color.

The Sportage isn’t the only current Kia model leaning into simple tones. For example, the larger Sorento is primarily available with greys, blacks, and whites, except for the option of Mineral Blue, Cityscape Green, and Volcanic Sand, which itself is pretty much a grey with an earthy tone.

It’s a similar story with the Kia Telluride. Just six colors are available, and the only colored ones are Dark Moss and Midnight Lake Blue, both of which are quite subdued. In the K4, K5, and EV6, if you don’t want black, white, or grey, blue and red are your only other options.

Goodbye Bright Colors

As much as we love brightly colored cars, there isn’t much demand for them. A study from last year revealed that in 2023, white had a commanding 27.6 percent share of all new colors. It was followed by black with a 22 percent share, gray with a 21.3 percent share, and silver with a 9.1 percent share. The most popular non-grayscale colors were blue (8.9 percent) and red (7.3 percent).

Altogether, 80 percent of new car buyers last year opted for a grayscale finish, up from 60.3 percent back in 2004. So while Kia may be playing it safe, they’re not exactly alone.