- Kia set a US sales record, led by the Carnival and Sportage.
- EV9 and EV6 sales collapsed sharply during 2025 in the US.
- Soul, Seltos, and Sorento all posted year-over-year declines.
If you’ve been noticing more Kias on the road lately, you’re not imagining things, and you’re not alone. The South Korean automaker just wrapped its most successful year ever in the United States, pushing past the 800,000 mark for the first time ever and notching a third consecutive annual sales record.
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A total of 852,155 new Kia vehicles were delivered across the U.S. in 2025. That’s a 7 percent jump from the 796,488 units sold in 2024, with the bulk of the growth powered by a handful of key models, including the Carnival and Sportage. But not every corner of Kia’s lineup shared in the celebration, particularly its EV offerings, which saw some steep declines.
What’s Driving the Numbers?
Kia’s best-selling vehicle in the U.S. in 2025 was the Sportage, with 182,823 units sold — a 13 percent increase over the 161,917 sold in 2024. Trailing just behind was the K4, which saw a modest uptick to 140,514 units, up slightly from 139,778 the previous year. The Telluride also posted strong gains, with deliveries rising from 115,504 to a solid 123,281.
But it was the Carnival that was the real standout. In 2024, Kia sold 49,726 in the US. In 2025, that figure ballooned 44 percent to 71,917. Other models that enjoyed higher sales were the Kia K5, up front 46,311 to 72,751 units, and the Niro, rising from 30,094 to 31,182.
In December alone, Kia moved 75,003 vehicles in the U.S., up 2.3 percent year over year. The Niro led the month’s growth with a 75.5 percent surge, while the EV6 dropped nearly 65 percent compared to December 2024.
Kia US 2025 December Sales
The Not So Good
Not every model in Kia’s catalog had a winning year. Sales of the all-electric EV9 dropped sharply from 22,017 units in 2024 to 15,051 in 2025. The EV6 saw an even steeper fall, tumbling from 21,715 to 12,933. Both models also saw similar declines in December, pointing to a broader slowdown in Kia’s EV segment.
The Soul also saw modest losses, slipping from 52,397 to 50,133, but that was to be expected since the model was discontinued in October last year. Seltos sales dipped from 59,958 to 56,798, and Sorento deliveries were down slightly from 95,154 to 94,772.
Still, considering the industry-wide pressures on EVs and changing buyer trends, Kia’s overall performance remained strong.
“Our third consecutive all-time annual sales record, coupled with our highest-ever U.S. market share, are clear indicators of the strength of the Kia brand and the competitiveness of our models,” Kia North America president and chief executive Sean Yoon said.
“And with the second-generation Telluride and the highly anticipated K4 hatchback arriving in showrooms in the first quarter, and more new products on the way, we expect this positive momentum to continue into the New Year and beyond.”