2027 Kia Seltos Hybrid priced for Australia: six grades from $39,990 drive-away

Pricing confirmed ahead of October launch

Kia's second-generation Seltos will arrive in Australian showrooms later in October priced from $39,990 drive-away, with CarExpert reporting the local division has confirmed six variants for Australia. Full specifications will be revealed closer to the SUV's arrival, though the range is known to be split across four main trim levels and offered exclusively with hybrid powertrains. ¹

CarExpert lists the Australian pricing as follows: S HEV FWD at $37,990 before on-road costs ($39,990 drive-away), S with Safety Pack at $40,150 ($42,490 D/A), Sport at $41,910 ($43,990 D/A), Sport+ at $44,970 ($46,990 D/A), GT-Line FWD at $49,870 ($52,990 D/A) and GT-Line AWD at $52,870 ($55,490 D/A). The publication notes all versions use the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder hybrid powertrain with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and only the flagship GT-Line offers the electrified all-wheel drive option. ¹

How the pricing sits against rivals

The launch pricing structure puts the Seltos HEV around $4500 under the base price of the larger and more powerful Sportage HEV, which starts from $44,490 drive-away, according to CarExpert. The publication also notes the Seltos' starting price has risen by more than $4000 compared with the petrol-only first-generation Seltos currently in runout. ¹

CarExpert reports Kia has matched the base drive-away pricing of the related Hyundai Kona Hybrid, also listed from $39,990 D/A, though the Seltos uses an updated version of the same 1.6-litre hybrid powertrain and uniquely offers the new electrified all-wheel drive system. Other rivals cited by CarExpert include the Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid (from $37,440 plus on-road costs), GWM Haval Jolion Hybrid (from $32,990 D/A), Chery C5 Hybrid (from $31,990 D/A), MG ZS Hybrid+ (from $29,990 D/A), Nissan Qashqai e-Power (from $45,850 plus on-road costs) and Jaecoo J5 SHS-H (from $34,990 D/A). ¹

The sub-$40,000 expectation had been signalled earlier in the year. In May, CarExpert reported Kia Australia's preliminary details indicated pricing would be "TBC" but "will be competitive" against the Hyundai Kona's nationwide drive-away pricing, pointing to a sub-$40,000 on-road starting point given the Kona Hybrid was then advertised at $39,990 D/A. The same report anticipated a grade walk similar to the outgoing range. ⁵

Powertrain and the new e-AWD system

Front-wheel drive versions produce 113kW and 265Nm from a 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder hybrid setup, CarExpert reports, while e-AWD models add another electric motor on the rear axle, boosting system power to around 133kW. Kia's global press material confirms the hybrid pairs a 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine with a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, and describes e-AWD as a Kia first on a hybrid SUV. The Seltos is also the first Hyundai Motor Group model to use the new e-AWD setup. ¹³

Local tuning, equipment and known differences for Australia

Kia Australia has previously confirmed the new Seltos will receive localised suspension and steering tunes, which CarExpert describes as "a more responsive, firmly damped and with reduced body roll for local Australian tastes", with adjustments to damper and spring rates and a different steering tune. ¹⁵

CarExpert expects variations of Kia's connected car navigation cockpit (ccNC) across the lineup, with a 12.3-inch central touchscreen and an available 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. Adaptive cruise control, blind-spot and rear cross-traffic assists, a reversing camera and a full complement of airbags are expected as standard, with upper grades adding Blind Spot View Monitor, a surround-view camera system and the Highway Driving Assist system with automated Lane Change Assist. ¹

The Australian-delivered range will not offer the vehicle-to-load (V2L) function available in overseas markets, CarExpert reports, because Kia Australia prefers a spare wheel. In the publication's international first-drive review, it explains 2WD models in Australia are understood to get a space-saver spare, while e-AWD versions leave no room for a spare due to the rear-axle motor, and Kia Australia will not offer V2L in that configuration either. Australian-bound cars will be assembled at Kia's AutoLand Hwasung plant in South Korea rather than the AutoLand Gwangju plant that supplies Korea and North America, CarExpert notes, meaning some headline overseas colour choices may not reach Australia. ¹⁵⁴

Specifications for the local range remain largely undisclosed. CarExpert's review, filed after its attendance at the international media launch in Seoul, notes Korean-market cars saw indicated fuel use of 4.5–5.7L/100km over a few hundred kilometres of mixed driving in HEV 2WD form, and that the vehicle is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP. The publication's verdict included praise for the cabin and tech, along with criticism of the front-wheel drive hybrid's lack of punch at the top end. ⁴

Overseas context: a bigger, three-powertrain Seltos

The second-generation Seltos debuted at the New York International Auto Show in April 2026, where Kia America described it as longer and wider than its predecessor, with a wheelbase 2.4 inches greater, an available 8.1 inches of ground clearance and Telluride-inspired design cues including available flush door handles. Kia positioned the Seltos as the only vehicle in its segment offering three powertrain options — a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine, a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine and the new hybrid — though Australia will receive the hybrid only, as CarExpert reports. ³¹

Kia America announced US pricing in June 2026 for the combustion variants, with the LX FWD starting at US$24,990 plus US$1495 destination, and said pricing for the Seltos HEV would be announced closer to its on-sale date later in the year. The company has previously indicated the US HEV is expected to arrive in late Q4, and Kia America quoted executive Orth Hedrick as saying the goal was to "develop a small SUV that would raise the bar for the segment". ²³

MotorTrend, which drove the new Seltos in Korea, listed estimated combined outputs of 155hp for the FWD hybrid and 179hp for the e-AWD version, with a six-speed twin-clutch automatic for the hybrid, and reported powertrain smoothness on the 1.6 and full-throttle hybrid responsiveness as the main needs-improvement areas it found. ⁶