Dive Brief:
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Kia America has lowered the MSRP of its 2026 EV6 lineup in the U.S. by up to $5,900 for some top trim models amid a decline in electric vehicle sales in the first four months of 2026, the company revealed Monday.
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From January through April, Kia’s EV sales were down about 18%, while sales of Kia’s other models over the same period were up nearly 3%, according to numbers disclosed in a recent sales release.
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Kia emphasized that the price repositioning of the EV6 lineup and the launch of the all-new EV3 all-electric SUV later this year “is making EVs more attainable for those who embrace the fully electric lifestyle.” However, the automaker hasn’t yet confirmed how pricing for the top-performance EV6 GT will be affected.
Dive Insight:
The entry-level EV6 Light RWD is now priced $5,000 less than the 2025 model. For 2025, the EV was priced at $42,900 plus a $1,475 destination charge, which is more than the 2026 EV6 Light now costs when equipped with a larger, long-range battery pack.
Along with the price reductions, the 2026 EV6 has received some updates. All EV6 models are now fully Plug & Charge compatible, meaning that drivers can simply plug in, with a Kia Charge Pass account taking care of the billing and authentication. And the optional dual-voltage mobile charging cable — something Kia included with the EV6 early on — is now included on all trim levels. Other than that, EV6 changes are minimal.
The base EV6 Light equipped with a 63-kWh battery pack has an EPA-rated range of 237 miles. Other rear-wheel-drive versions with the larger 84-kWh battery pack are rated 319 miles. All-wheel-drive versions with the 84-kWh battery can go up to 295 miles on a charge.
The EV6 arrived for the 2022 model year, and for the 2025 model year it received some styling updates, the larger long-range battery pack (up from 77.4 kWh), and a shift to U.S. assembly, at Kia’s plant in West Point, Georgia.
The lower price of the EV6 also serves as a reassurance that an affordable base price is on the way for the 2027 Kia EV3, which was confirmed in April as due for U.S. arrival by the end of the year. Kia has said the EV3 will be its entry-level electric SUV for the U.S. It’s also detailed a range of five trim levels and two battery pack sizes for the EV3, reaching 320 miles of range in some versions.
While Kia’s EV sales were down year-over-year through April, the automaker confirmed very strong hybrid sales. That included its best-ever April sales for Telluride, Sportage Hybrid and Sorento Hybrid, and its best-ever year-to-date sales through April for Telluride, Carnival, Sportage and K4. April sales of the Sportage HEV were up 117% YoY.
Kia points to the arrival of the Telluride, with a hybrid powertrain, and the upcoming EV3, as among products that will help Kia keep growing its market share.
“Achieving record sales milestones amid challenging market conditions highlights the company’s ability to align with customers’ evolving preferences for SUVs and hybrid vehicles,” said Eric Watson, vice president, sales operations, Kia America, in the sales release.
Last month, in a strategy update, Kia confirmed aims to top 1 million annual sales in the U.S. by 2030. Kia aims to accomplish that with a focus on SUVs and a new body-on-frame pickup truck with hybrid and range-extended EV versions — and by doubling the number of U.S. hybrid vehicles to eight for the market, as it expands the global lineup of hybrids.
Amid that optimism about sales growth, it lowered EV targets for the U.S. and globally — aiming now for 1 million EVs by 2030, versus 1.6 million by 2030 just two years ago.
