Kia Sportage Is Korea’s Best-Selling Car in October 2026 as Hybrid Sales Jump 121%

The Kia Sportage was South Korea's best-selling vehicle in October 2026, according to domestic sales data reported by Autospy. With around 7,700 units sold, the compact SUV took first place among all passenger and commercial models from Korean manufacturers, driven by a huge jump in hybrid sales.

Sportage Hybrid sales reached 3,070 units, up 121.0% from a year earlier, accounting for 39.8% of all Sportage sales. That was enough to end the run of the Kia Sorento, which led the chart from January to May, and the Hyundai Grandeur, which briefly took the top spot in June after its facelift (The New Grandeur).

Korea's Top 10 Best-Selling Cars In October 2026

1. Kia Sportage: about 7,700 units (39.8% hybrid)

2. Hyundai Grandeur: about 7,000 units (71.5% hybrid, 4,996 units), down 21.5% from September

3. Kia Sorento: 6,784 units (87.9% hybrid)

4. Hyundai Avante: 5,730 units

5. Kia Carnival: 5,570 units (91.0% hybrid, 5,069 units)

6. Kia Seltos: 4,816 units

7. Kia Ray: 4,497 units

8. Hyundai Porter: 3,967 units

9. Hyundai Sonata: 3,894 units

10. Hyundai Staria: 3,582 units (47.3% hybrid, 1,695 units), up 48.0% year on year

Kia placed six models in the top 10, including four of the top five. The Staria is new to the top 10, while the Hyundai Santa Fe dropped to 18th place with just 2,469 units, as buyers wait for its facelift (Santa Fe facelift: everything we know).

Hybrids Drive The Korean Market

The top 10 models sold 53,537 units in total, and 23,941 of them were hybrids, or 44.7%. The Carnival had the highest hybrid share of all, at 91.0%, followed by the Sorento at 87.9% and the Grandeur at 71.5%.

Kia Leads The Electric Car Charts

• Kia EV5: 3,558 units (11th)

• Kia EV3: 3,124 units (13th)

• Kia PV5: 2,688 units (15th)

• Hyundai IONIQ 5: 1,903 units (20th)

Together, the four electric models in the top 20 sold 11,273 units. Kia sold 13,169 electric vehicles in Korea in October, up 86.5% from a year earlier, and its domestic EV sales in the first half of 2026 alone (72,078 units) already beat its total for all of 2025 (60,820 units).

Tough Times For Renault Korea, KGM And GM Korea

None of Korea's three smaller manufacturers placed a model in the top 20. Their best-sellers were:

• Renault Korea: Arkana (1,075 units), Grand Koleos (1,066) and Filante (562)

• KGM: Musso (743 units)

• GM Korea: Trax Crossover (556 units)

What About The Tesla Model Y?

This ranking only covers Korean manufacturers. Imported models such as the Tesla Model Y, which outsold every domestic model in September and is closing in on the Sorento for the 2026 crown (Model Y vs Sorento), are counted separately, and October import figures have not been released yet.

Our Take

The Sportage's win shows how fast Korean buyers are moving to hybrids, even in the final years of the current generation. With the next-gen Sportage NQ6 arriving in Korea in the third quarter of 2027 (Sportage NQ6: everything we know), Kia has a strong base to build on. Hyundai, meanwhile, is waiting for its new models to hit the road: the all-new Tucson opened contracts on October 21 with record pre-orders (record pre-orders), and the Avante keeps selling well despite its price increase (Avante price hike).

Source: Autospy. Photo: Kia.