- Kia America just beat its all-time monthly sales record, moving 80,000 cars in May.
- Telluride SUV keeps winning buyers with five straight record-breaking months of sales.
- Hybrid demand exploded while EV9 electric SUV also boomed in popularity.
Kia keeps insisting the market is challenging, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at the sales charts. The automaker just posted its best retail month ever in the United States, extending a streak that shows no signs of slowing down.
In May, Kia sold 80,502 vehicles in America, edging past the 79,007 units it delivered during the same month last year. More importantly, retail sales climbed 11 percent, surpassing the company’s previous all-time record set in August 2025.
Related: Kia EV9 Owners Are Reporting Battery Failures, And Long Waits For Fixes
The strong month also helped Kia achieve its best year-to-date performance ever. Through the first five months of 2026, the company has sold 360,220 vehicles in the United States, up 2 percent compared to the same period last year.
As has often been the case lately, the Telluride deserves much of the credit. Sales of Kia’s flagship SUV jumped 18 percent in May to 13,665 units. The model also recorded its best month ever and has now delivered five consecutive months of record-breaking sales. If there was any concern that buyers would lose interest in the large three-row crossover, those fears were banished by a facelift that debuted last winter and went on sale early in 2026.
The Sportage and Carnival also played key roles in Kia’s success. Sportage sales rose 6 percent to 18,405 units, making it the brand’s best-selling vehicle in May, while Carnival deliveries increased 16 percent to 8,062 units. Both models achieved their strongest May performances on record.
Hybrids Hit The Big Time
But that’s nothing compared with what’s happening with Kia’s electrified vehicles. Sportage Hybrid sales soared 171 percent, Sorento Hybrid jumped 101 percent, and Carnival Hybrid climbed 32 percent. Collectively, hybrid sales were up a massive 179 percent.
Electrified vehicles as a whole also had a standout month. Kia said electrified model sales increased 133 percent, delivering the highest monthly and year-to-date totals in company history. Among the brand’s fully-electric models, the EV9 SUV is also having no trouble finding buyers.
But not every model is riding the wave. The EV6 struggled, and not for the first time, falling from 801 sales last May to 708 this year. Even so, that setback and a few other minor bumps weren’t enough to derail Kia’s momentum.
