For all the doom and gloom surrounding the new-car market, some companies are thriving. Kia, for example, just reported its best first half of sales in company history.
Through June, Kia sold nearly half a million cars in the US—416,511 units, to be exact. That number represents an increase of 8 percent over the previous year and marks the highest figure in the company’s 32 years of sales in the US.
By comparison, Kia sold just 386,460 vehicles through June in 2024.
Kia had two top sellers in June: The Sportage SUV and the K4 sedan. The company sold 12,630 examples of the Sportage and 11,564 examples of the K4. The Telluride was third with 9,239 units, followed by the Sorento with 7,050 units.
The Kia K5 saw the biggest sales jump year over year. The mid-size sedan improved from 3,771 units last June to 5,613 units this year—an impressive 170-percent increase.
| Model | June 2025 Sales | Year To Date Sales |
| Kia Sportage |
12,630 |
87,172 |
| Kia K4 |
11,564 |
75,535 |
| Kia Telluride | 9,239 | 61,502 |
| Kia Sorento | 7,050 | 50,919 |
| Kia K5 | 5,613 | 34,565 |
| Kia Carnival | 5,198 | 33,152 |
| Kia Soul | 4,737 | 26,126 |
| Kia Niro | 1,966 | 11,788 |
| Kia EV9 | 913 | 4,938 |
| Kia EV6 | 680 | 5,875 |
| Total | 63,849 | 416,511 |
Four models had their best first-half sales ever. The Carnival improved by 57 percent, the Telluride jumped by 15 percent, the Sportage increased by 9 percent, and the K4 was up by 7 percent.
Hybrid sales boomed to 70 percent year over year, while sedan sales jumped by 29 percent.
All told, Kia sold 63,849 vehicles in June 2025, which actually represents a slight decrease from last year. Kia sold 65,929 cars in the first six months of 2024.
Photo by: Kia
“In the face of uncertain market conditions, Kia delivered a record-breaking first-half sales performance, a milestone made possible by the continued interest from consumers in our well-designed, technologically advanced lineup,” said SeungKyu (Sean) Yoon, president and CEO of Kia North America and Kia America.
“We expect this positive sales trajectory to continue,” Yoon notes. “In the second half of 2025, Kia will remain agile in our response to changing market conditions and steadfast in our commitment to delivering products and services that meet the expectations of US consumers.”
Kia hopes to keep the sales momentum going in the second half of the year with new models like the K4 hatchback and EV4. Plus, the company just recently announced updates to its perennial best sellers for 2026, with some models actually getting cheaper for the new year.
The EV9 GT gets a $2,000 price cut for 2026, while the compact Kia Seltos sees its base price drop by $1,000. The Carnival remains the cheapest minivan on sale in the US, and the Sportage still comes in at under $30,000 to start.
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