Kia’s new hybrid small SUV takes shape!

As Kia’s much-anticipated next-gen Seltos approaches, so do estimations of what the small SUV might look like.

The latest renders, designed by GotchaCars, bring a layer of Kia’s current design language to the yet-to-be-revealed 2026 Seltos.

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Expect to see ‘constellation’ style DRLs on the new Seltos, with the brand’s ‘tiger nose’ grille sticking around. The new render’s triangular silver trim lines up with similar elements on other models, including the EV3.

Importantly, the new Kia Seltos is expected to boost the model’s popularity with a hybrid option for the first time, using much of the same platform and running gear as its Hyundai Kona cousin.

This means there will also be electric-assisted all-wheel-drive options for the first time in the Seltos range.

Expect the brand's Hyundai-shared 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor to make close to 104kW and 265Nm as it does in the Kona Hybrid.

Kia Australia’s Chief Operating Officer, Dennis Piccoli, told CarsGuide last year that it needed to bring more hybrid models to help it offset penalties incurred by the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).

“What you’ll see through '25 is more variants of hybrid and plug-in hybrid, we’ll reach down deeper into the variant list of Sorento, Sportage and Carnival,” said Piccoli at the time.

Unlike the Hyundai Kona, the Kia Seltos isn’t expected to bring full EV power to its line-up, as the brand already has that covered in the small SUV segment with the Kia EV3.