The second-generation Kia Seltos is a compact SUV that now reaches Europe with a full hybrid (HEV, not plug-in) built around a 1.6-litre direct-injection petrol engine, an electric motor and a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The front-wheel-drive version makes 113 kW (154 PS, about 152 hp), and the new e-AWD version, which adds a second electric motor on the rear axle, makes 131 kW (178 PS, about 176 hp). Kia is showing the hybrid at the Paris Motor Show, which runs from 12 to 18 October 2026, as its first public appearance in Europe. Kia Germany's price list of 26 August 2026 (model year 2027) already puts the Seltos Hybrid from €37,490, and the e-AWD from €40,190. Kia quotes 5.4 L/100 km WLTP for the front-drive car and 5.8 L/100 km for the e-AWD, with a 536 L boot and a 3.6 kW vehicle-to-load socket on the upper trims. In France the hybrid is listed from €36,790, and press reports describe the e-AWD as the first use of Hyundai Motor Group's electric all-wheel-drive system in a Kia.
Performance & Specs
Both versions share the same petrol engine, a 1.6-litre four-cylinder with 1,580 cc, a 14.0:1 compression ratio and direct injection, which Kia Germany rates at 75 kW (102 PS, about 101 hp). Kia's documents give its torque as 141 Nm (Kia France) or 144 Nm (Kia Germany). It works with a 45 kW (61 PS, about 60 hp) permanent-magnet motor of 203 Nm and a small lithium-ion polymer battery of 1.32 kWh. Together they deliver a system output of 113 kW (154 PS / 152 hp) with 261 Nm of system torque at 4,400 rpm in the front-drive car. PS is the metric horsepower, about 1.4 percent smaller than the imperial hp used here.
The e-AWD version adds a second 50 kW (68 PS, about 67 hp) motor of 185 Nm on the rear axle, which Kia Germany describes as an electronically controlled electric rear drive, and system output rises to 131 kW (178 PS / 176 hp). Kia France lists the system torque of this version as still awaiting homologation, so no combined figure is published for it. Both versions use a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the e-AWD adds a Snow mode to the Eco, Normal and Sport drive modes, according to German press coverage. German press coverage calls it the first time Hyundai Motor Group has fitted vehicle-to-load to a hybrid.
Kia quotes 0-100 km/h in 10.4 seconds and a top speed of 158 km/h for the front-drive hybrid, and 9.7 seconds and 155 km/h for the e-AWD. These are relaxed figures for a family SUV: the 132 kW (180 PS) turbo petrol Seltos covers the sprint in 8.8 to 9.2 seconds and reaches up to 208 km/h. The hybrid's case is fuel use. Kia Germany lists 5.4 L/100 km WLTP and 122 g/km CO2 for the front-drive hybrid and 5.8 L/100 km and 131 g/km for the e-AWD, against 7.0 and 7.5 L/100 km for the petrol DCT versions, and Kia is quoted as saying both hybrids use up to 23 percent less fuel than comparable petrol cars. The 5.4 L/100 km figure is 23 percent below the 7.0 L/100 km of the front-drive petrol DCT, which matches the claim. On the 38-litre tank, 5.4 L/100 km works out at roughly 700 km between fill-ups.
| Powertrain | Full hybrid (HEV), FWD, not plug-in |
|---|---|
| Power | 113 kW (154 PS / 152 hp) |
| Torque | 261 Nm system |
| 0–100 km/h | 10.4 s |
| Battery | 1.32 kWh |
| Fuel use | 5.4 L/100 km WLTP |
| POWERTRAIN TYPE | Full hybrid (HEV), 1.6 GDI petrol plus electric motor, cannot be plugged in |
|---|---|
| HORSEPOWER | 113 kW (154 PS / 152 hp) FWD; 131 kW (178 PS / 176 hp) e-AWD |
| TORQUE | 261 Nm system (FWD); e-AWD system torque not yet published |
| ACCELERATION | 0-100 km/h in 10.4 s (FWD), 9.7 s (e-AWD) |
| TOP SPEED | 158 km/h (FWD), 155 km/h (e-AWD) |
| DRIVETRAIN | FWD; e-AWD with a 50 kW electric rear motor |
| TRANSMISSION | Six-speed dual-clutch |
| BATTERY | 1.32 kWh gross lithium-ion polymer |
| WLTP FUEL USE | 5.4 L/100 km, 122 g/km (FWD); 5.8 L/100 km, 131 g/km (e-AWD), Kia Germany |
Dimensions & Practicality
| Length | 4,430 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1,830 mm |
| Height | 1,610-1,615 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,690 mm |
| Ground clearance | 160 mm |
| Boot | 536 L / 1,494 L seats folded |
The Seltos measures 4,430 mm long, 1,830 mm wide and 1,610 mm high (1,615 mm on GT-Line and X-Line) on a 2,690 mm wheelbase, according to Kia Germany's technical data. That makes it about 110 mm shorter than the Kia Sportage but still gives rear passengers 990 mm of legroom and 1,407 mm of shoulder room. The boot holds 536 L (VDA, to window height) and 1,494 L with the 60:40 rear seats folded; the petrol car has up to 1,511 L, because the hybrid battery takes a little space. The load area is 929 mm long and 1,060 mm wide, with a removable floor, tie-down rails and a ski pass-through as standard, and a sensor-operated tailgate from Spirit upwards.
The front-drive hybrid has a braked towing limit of 910 kg and the e-AWD 810 kg, with 750 kg unbraked on both and a 100 kg roof load. EU kerb weights, which include a 75 kg driver, run from 1,565 to 1,725 kg for the front-drive hybrid and 1,675 to 1,815 kg for the e-AWD. Ground clearance is 160 mm and the turning circle is 10.72 m. Kia France lists slightly different heights by trim, 1,605 mm for the Motion, 1,615 mm for the Active and 1,620 mm for the X-Line.
| LENGTH | 4,430 mm |
|---|---|
| WIDTH | 1,830 mm |
| HEIGHT | 1,610 mm (1,615 mm GT-Line and X-Line), Kia Germany |
| WHEELBASE | 2,690 mm |
| CARGO VOLUME | 536 L (1,494 L seats folded), VDA |
| KERB WEIGHT (EU, with driver) | 1,565-1,725 kg (FWD); 1,675-1,815 kg (e-AWD) |
| TOWING (braked / unbraked) | 910 kg / 750 kg (FWD); 810 kg / 750 kg (e-AWD) |
| FUEL TANK | 38 L |
Charging & Battery
There is nothing to plug in. The 1.32 kWh battery is a self-charging hybrid pack, topped up by the petrol engine and by regenerative braking, and Kia France says the engine can start even in EV mode when the battery runs low, when acceleration demand is high or when heating or air conditioning needs it. Kia Germany lists the pack at 240 V and 5.5 Ah with 32 kW output and a weight of 34 kg, and covers the high-voltage battery with an eight-year warranty, while the vehicle itself has seven years. Kia France lists the battery data as still awaiting homologation, so the German figures are the ones used here. The Smart Regenerative Braking System 3.0 adjusts regenerative braking automatically on deceleration, and steering-wheel paddles, fitted to GT-Line and X-Line in Germany, let the driver change its strength.
The pack also feeds the 3.6 kW vehicle-to-load socket, which runs 230 V equipment from the boot with the engine off, and a Stay mode lets the climate control and infotainment run from the traction battery while parked. Kia's French sheet gives per-trim WLTP values that are subject to final homologation: 4.9 to 5.4 L/100 km and 110 to 121 g/km for the 154 PS car, and 5.6 to 6.8 L/100 km and 126 to 131 g/km for the 178 PS e-AWD, depending on trim, wheels and options. Kia Germany's price list prints one combined figure per powertrain, 5.4 and 5.8 L/100 km, while its model page shows 5.0-5.8 L/100 km across the range, so lower trims may use less.
| BATTERY | 1.32 kWh lithium-ion polymer, 240 V, 32 kW (Kia Germany) |
|---|---|
| CHARGING | None; charged by engine and regenerative braking |
| V2L | 3.6 kW, 230 V socket in the boot |
| WLTP FUEL USE | 5.4 L/100 km (FWD) and 5.8 L/100 km (e-AWD), Kia Germany; France 4.9-6.8 L/100 km, provisional |
| BATTERY WARRANTY | 8 years (Kia Germany) |
Design & Interior
The Seltos has an upright, boxy shape with a wide black grille made up of vertical elements, slim vertical light signatures at the front, a rear light bar that runs across the tailgate, and black cladding on the wheel arches and sills. The hybrid is fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels on Vision and Spirit, 215/55 R18 tyres, and 19-inch wheels on GT-Line and X-Line, with 235/45 R19 tyres. Kia Germany's list has nine exterior colours, with Tan Beige at no cost, Snow White and Denim Blue at €390 and the metallic shades at €790, and autoevolution names Tan Beige, Denim Blue and Pale Grey as the shades created for Europe. The rear spoiler integrates the brake light, every trim has a shark-fin antenna, and the door handles pop out automatically from Spirit upwards.
Inside, a wide panoramic display carries the 12.3-inch driver display and the 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and a separate 5.3-inch panel handles climate settings. The Vision uses Kia's ccNC Lite infotainment, while Spirit and above add the full ccNC navigation system with one year of Kia Connect Premium, a Harman Kardon sound system with eight speakers and ambient lighting. A heated steering wheel and heated front seats are standard from Vision. GT-Line adds a head-up display, mesh headrests, aluminium pedals and a sport steering wheel, and X-Line adds a power-adjustable relaxation driver seat with memory, ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. For buyers of the Spirit, the Comfort pack at €990 adds many of the X-Line's seat functions.
Technology & Features
Every Seltos has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB+ radio, a wireless phone charger, a 12.3-inch driver display, an electric driver's seat with lumbar support, two-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Kia Connect Standard, which handles remote functions and over-the-air updates, is free for seven years in Germany. Highway Driving Assist 2.0 and the Harman Kardon system arrive with Spirit, and Digital Key 2.0 is available on GT-Line and standard on the X-Line. The remote parking assistant is available only on hybrids. Kia Germany prices option packs separately: the Sound and Navigation pack at €1,290 on Vision, the Design pack at €590, the panoramic glass roof at €1,200 and the DriveWise pack at €990 on Spirit.
Safety & ADAS
All Seltos trims have seven airbags (front, side, curtain and a centre airbag), forward collision avoidance with pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, lane keeping and lane following assistance, blind spot collision avoidance, rear cross-traffic assist, a driver attention warning with a camera, Safe Exit Warning, rear occupant alert, intelligent speed limit assist and eCall. The Highway Driving Assist 2.0, a SAE level 2 system that needs the driver's hands on the wheel, is standard on Spirit and above on the dual-clutch hybrid. GT-Line and X-Line add a surround-view camera and a blind spot view monitor, and the hybrid's remote smart parking assistant. Kia has not published a Euro NCAP rating for the new Seltos.
| ADAS LEVEL | Level 2 (Highway Driving Assist 2.0, Spirit and above) |
|---|---|
| ADAS FEATURES | FCA 2.0, LKA, LFA 2.0, BCA, RCCA, SCC 2.0 with Stop & Go, ISLA, driver attention camera, 7 airbags, eCall; surround view on GT-Line and X-Line (Kia Germany) |
Available Versions
| VERSION | POWER | TORQUE | 0-100 | TOP SPEED | DRIVETRAIN | BATTERY | EV RANGE | COMBINED RANGE | PRICE | KEY DIFFERENCES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seltos Hybrid Vision | 152 hp | 261 Nm | 10.4s | 158 km/h | FWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €37,490 | 113 kW (154 PS), 18-inch wheels, 5.4 L/100 km WLTP |
| Seltos Hybrid Spirit | 152 hp | 261 Nm | 10.4s | 158 km/h | FWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €40,490 | Highway Driving Assist 2.0, Harman Kardon audio, power tailgate |
| Seltos Hybrid GT-Line | 152 hp | 261 Nm | 10.4s | 158 km/h | FWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €44,090 | 19-inch wheels, head-up display, surround view, V2L |
| Seltos Hybrid X-Line | 152 hp | 261 Nm | 10.4s | 158 km/h | FWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €45,090 | Relaxation driver seat, ventilated seats, Digital Key 2.0 |
| Seltos Hybrid e-AWD Vision | 176 hp | — | 9.7s | 155 km/h | AWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €40,190 | 131 kW (178 PS), 50 kW rear motor, 5.8 L/100 km WLTP |
| Seltos Hybrid e-AWD Spirit | 176 hp | — | 9.7s | 155 km/h | AWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €43,190 | Spirit equipment on the e-AWD |
| Seltos Hybrid e-AWD GT-Line | 176 hp | — | 9.7s | 155 km/h | AWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €46,790 | 19-inch wheels, head-up display, V2L |
| Seltos Hybrid e-AWD X-Line | 176 hp | — | 9.7s | 155 km/h | AWD | 1.32 kWh | — | — | €47,790 | Top of the range, relaxation driver seat |
Pricing & Availability
Kia Germany's official price list (issue of 26 August 2026, model year 2027, recommended retail prices including 19 percent VAT) puts the Seltos Hybrid front-drive at €37,490 for the Vision, €40,490 for the Spirit, €44,090 for the GT-Line and €45,090 for the X-Line. The e-AWD costs €2,700 more on every trim, at €40,190, €43,190, €46,790 and €47,790, and the petrol Seltos starts at €34,190. German orders are open and the first deliveries are due in October 2026, according to German press reports. In France, Kia France lists the new Seltos from €36,790 including VAT, in the Motion trim with the 154 PS hybrid, and the car is shown on Kia's stand in Hall 6 at the Paris Motor Show from 12 to 18 October, with French deliveries reported from November 2026 by the Mondial de Paris site. Kia France sells the hybrid in three trims, Motion, Active and X-Line, and offers the e-AWD from Active upwards.
British reports describe a hybrid-only range for the UK with an on-sale date in the fourth quarter of 2026, but no UK price list had been published at the time of writing. In Israel, Kia is sold by Telcar, and the new Seltos had not been confirmed there as of October 2026.
How It Compares
The Seltos sits in the middle of Kia's own hybrid range. The Hyundai Kona Hybrid, which uses the same 1.6-litre GDI engine, makes 136 hp and uses 4.6 to 4.8 L/100 km, so it is cheaper to buy by €4,040 at the entry level and cheaper to run, but its boot is 466 L against the Seltos's 536 L. The Kia Sportage Hybrid is 110 mm longer, has 236 hp from a turbo engine and a 587 L boot, and starts at €38,990, only €1,500 above the Seltos Vision, though it uses 5.8 to 6.5 L/100 km. The Renault Symbioz E-Tech 160 is the efficiency benchmark, with 156 hp, from 4.3 L/100 km and a 460 L boot, at €37,900 in France, almost the same price as the €36,790 French Seltos.
The Seltos therefore wins on space and equipment for the money, and loses on economy and performance. Its 5.4 L/100 km is 0.6-0.8 L above the Kona and about 1.1 L above the Symbioz, and 10.4 seconds to 100 km/h is slow next to the Sportage. The e-AWD is the one feature neither the Kona nor the Symbioz offers in this form. The rival figures are German and French list prices and WLTP data from each maker.
- Roomy for 4,430 mm: 536 L boot (1,494 L folded), 990 mm rear legroom and a sensor tailgate from Spirit
- Full hybrid from €37,490 with 5.4 L/100 km WLTP, up to 23 percent less fuel than the petrol Seltos, plus an 8-year battery warranty (capacity loss is not covered for HEVs) and a 7-year vehicle warranty
- e-AWD at €2,700 extra on every trim, a 3.6 kW V2L socket and a triple-screen cabin with seven airbags as standard
- Not the most frugal: 5.4-5.8 L/100 km against 4.6-4.8 for the Kona Hybrid and from 4.3 for the Symbioz E-Tech 160
- Modest performance and towing: 152 hp and 10.4 s in the front-drive car, and 910 kg braked (810 kg for the e-AWD); V2L is not available on Vision and Spirit in Germany
The Seltos Hybrid is a sensible full hybrid with a big boot, plenty of standard equipment, a long warranty and an all-wheel-drive option that costs a flat €2,700. It is not the cheapest or the most economical car in its class, and 152 hp is enough but not quick. The Vision at €37,490 is the value choice, while the Spirit at €40,490 adds the highway assistant and the better audio and nav. Buyers who want the lowest running costs should look at the Kona Hybrid or the Symbioz, but families that want space and a Kia warranty will find the Seltos easy to like.
