Kia’s EV3, EV6 and EV9 totaled 3,185 U.S. sales in October, up 171% from 1,174 last October, according to Kia America’s November 3 report. Total sales rose 16%, from 69,002 to a best-ever October of 80,008, marking Kia’s sixth consecutive month of record sales.
The EV rebound is being compared to a weak October 2025, which was the first month after the $7,500 federal tax credit expired. Despite the increase, the three electric models accounted for only 4% of Kia’s October sales.
The New EV3 Accounted for Nearly a Third of Kia’s EV Sales
The EV9 led with 1,406 sales, up 111% from 666 sales in October 2025. EV6 sales rose 58%, from 508 to 803. The new EV3 added 976 sales, giving it nearly 31% of those three models’ combined total.
Kia says the 2027 EV3 is now at dealerships all across the nation. The base Light trim starts at $29,890, plus $1,495 destination. The EPA-estimated 321-mile (517-km) range applies to the more expensive Wind and Land front-wheel-drive versions, according to Kia’s pricing announcement.
Kia’s Dedicated EVs Still Trail Last Year’s Pace
From January through October, EV9 sales rose 5.5%, from 13,114 to 13,835, while EV6 sales fell 39%, from 11,585 to 7,067, as Kia’s figures show. Adding 1,496 EV3s, the three models combined only reached 22,398 sales, down 9.3% from 24,699 EV6s and EV9s a year earlier.
These totals exclude the Niro EV because Kia combines gasoline-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric Niro versions in one reporting line. That line fell from 2,698 to 1,816 in October.
Many Americans rushed to buy EVs before the $7,500 federal tax credit expired in September 2025, as EVXL reported. EVs accounted for more than 14% of U.S. retail vehicle sales that month, but their share dropped to 7.1% in October, according to J.D. Power figures cited by InsideEVs.
By September 2026, EVs accounted for 7.9% of U.S. retail vehicle sales. A bill proposing a new $15,000 EV tax credit was recently introduced, but the credit is not available yet for buyers because the proposal has not become law.
Hybrid Sales More Than Doubled, but Kia Did Not Give Totals
Kia reported a 114% increase in hybrid sales and a 112% rise across all electrified vehicles, both category records. Kia did not provide the previous or current hybrid totals, so the increase cannot be converted into a verified vehicle count.
Kia said hybrid versions of the Sorento (up 122%), Carnival (up 88%) and Sportage (up 57%) contributed to the growth, but it did not publish their individual hybrid sales totals. The Sportage and Carnival hybrids each had their best month ever.
Other models contributed to the October record. The Telluride rose 63%, from 8,571 to 14,009, which was Kia’s biggest increase by volume.
EVXL’s Take
Hybrids helped deliver Kia’s record October, while the EV recovery needs context: the comparison month was unusually weak, and EV sales alone remain below last year’s pace.
The EV3 gives Kia a lower-priced option, but 976 sales do not yet prove that affordability alone will restore growth and help with the falling sales of the EV6. Whether it can surpass the EV9’s monthly sales as deliveries expand will be a more telling test.
Sources: Kia America, Kia pricing, InsideEVs
EVXL uses automated tools to support research and source retrieval. All reporting is by Damien Kesteloo, edited by Haye Kesteloo.
