Defying Expectations, Kia Seltos Base Price Dropped For 2026

Generally speaking, when the new model year of a car launches, it will go up in price at least a little bit. Even if it doesn’t have any new features or changes, automakers tend to tack on a tad more to the price tag of the latest car. Sometimes a price won’t change, which is usually a pleasant surprise. What’s borderline unheard of is a car becoming cheaper, and by a noticeable margin. That’s what Kia has done with the 2026 Kia Seltos, or at least with the base price. It now starts at $23,690 before the $1,395 destination charge, which is unchanged. That makes for a total price of $25,085 and a discount of $1,000 over the base 2025 Seltos.

Save Money With Fewer Drive Wheels

The secret to Kia’s price drop is the introduction of a front-wheel-drive version of the Seltos. Last year, all-wheel-drive was standard on every trim. That’s not the case anymore, with front-wheel-drive now becoming the standard drive line on every trim from LX to EX. The sole exception is the turbocharged SX, which only comes with all-wheel-drive. Unfortunately, only the LX trim has a lower base price than last year’s model. The S and EX trims are each $200 more than last year’s, and that’s with front-wheel drive. The SX also goes up $200, but as we mentioned, it still comes with all-wheel drive. At the very least, the front-drive models are a fair bit cheaper than the now-optional all-wheel-drive ones. So if you’re buying new and don’t need the extra traction, you’ll save a bit of scratch. You can see the MSRPs for each trim and drive combination in the table below.

Little Else Has Changed

Kia only announced one other change for the Seltos besides the new pricing and drivetrain availability. The EX Sunroof Package now comes with a new gloss black 17-inch alloy wheel. What Kia didn’t announce about the new Seltos that might change are fuel economy numbers. With two fewer driven wheels, there should be less drag on the engine, as well as a bit less weight, and so the front-drive Seltos models may end up having slightly better fuel economy than the all-wheel-drive versions. Since Kia didn’t give an estimate, and nothing has been listed on the EPA’s fuel economy website, we’ll just have to wait and see if there’s a change. We wouldn’t expect more than maybe one or two mpg, but any increase would be a nice addition, particularly for people looking to save money.

Otherwise, the little SUV is the same as before, with the reported hybrid nowhere to be found. The base engine is a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a CVT. It makes 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. The SX gets a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The turbo engine makes 190 hp and 195 lb-ft. The 2026 models should be hitting dealers shortly.