Kia Achieves Record Annual Sales of 3.13 Million Units Last Year, Highest Since Founding

2025 Annual Sales Tally
Top-Selling Model in Korea: "Sorento"
Overseas, the "Sportage" Drives Growth

Kia has achieved its highest-ever annual sales record since it began selling automobiles in 1962.

On January 5, Kia announced that it sold a total of 3,135,803 vehicles in 2025, including 545,776 units in Korea, 2,584,238 units overseas, and 5,789 special-purpose vehicles (based on wholesale sales).

Compared to 2024, this represents a 1% increase in domestic sales and a 2% increase in overseas sales. The previous annual sales record was 3,089,300 units, set in 2024.

Last year, the best-selling model in the global market was the Sportage, with 569,688 units sold, followed by the Seltos with 299,766 units and the Sorento with 264,673 units.

Kia plans to continue its sales growth and strengthen its position in the global market in 2026 by expanding EV sales and production, fully operating its Purpose-Built Vehicle (PBV) plant, enhancing its hybrid (HEV) lineup, and targeting new overseas markets.

Based on these initiatives, Kia has set a global sales target for this year of 3.35 million units, including 565,000 units in Korea, 2,775,000 units overseas, and 10,000 special-purpose vehicles.

2025 Sorento

The Best-Selling Model in Korea: 'Sorento'... Overseas: 'Sportage'

In 2025, Kia sold 545,776 vehicles in Korea, a 1% increase from the previous year.

The best-selling model domestically in 2025 was the Sorento, with 100,002 units sold. This marks the first time since its launch in 2002 that annual Sorento sales have surpassed 100,000 units. The next best-selling models were the Carnival (78,218 units) and the Sportage (74,517 units).

Overseas sales last year reached 2,584,238 units, a 2% increase from 2024. The top-selling model overseas was the Sportage, with 495,171 units sold. The Seltos followed with 243,849 units, and the K3 (including the K4) with 218,349 units.

A Kia representative stated, "Despite an unfavorable industrial environment last year, we maintained global growth through powertrain sales strategies tailored to each market. This year, we will continue our sales growth and further strengthen our presence in the global market by expanding our HEV lineup with key SUVs such as the Telluride and Seltos, as well as increasing production and supply."