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Kia · Compact SUV

2026 Kia Seltos

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
100 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns0
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA4
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA29 mpg
2027202620252024202320222021

The 2026 Kia Seltos is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Seltos AWD, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 4 complaints, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Seltos AWDGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl273129$2,150
Seltos AWDGasAWD1.6L 4-cyl turbo242725$2,500

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 49506, 49505.

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Recalls (0)

Source: NHTSA recall database

No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2026 Kia Seltos. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
4complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2026: 4

Most-cited components

Service Brakes, Hydraulic2
Vehicle Speed Control2
Air Bags1
Fuel/Propulsion System1
Engine1

What owners describe

“I purchased this new 2026 Kia Seltos with approximately 32 miles. The vehicle now has fewer than 600 miles and has experienced two incidents of sudden, intermittent, complete loss of accelerator response. During one incident in highway traffic, the vehicle unexpectedly began decelerating and pressing the accelerator pe…”Aug 6, 2026 · Fuel/Propulsion System · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2026 Kia Seltos. While driving across an intersection, another vehicle ran a stop sign and collided with the contact's vehicle. The impact occurred on the driver-side door, causing extensive damage to the vehicle. No property damage reported. The vehicle came to a complete stop after being struck. Th…”May 28, 2026 · Air Bags · NHTSA owner report
“The contact owns a 2026 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to make a right turn, the brake pedal went to the floorboard and the vehicle accelerated independently. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informe…”Apr 17, 2026 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆15%
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Seltos model years

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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