- Kia EVs set new sales records last year in the U.S.
- The automaker sold 74% more EVs stateside in 2024 than in 2023.
It’s January, which means automakers are tallying their sales numbers from last year. In Kia’s case, it had a fantastic 2024 on all fronts, including electric models.
Last year, the Korean car manufacturer sold a record number of vehicles globally for the second year in a row. In total, Kia moved 3.1 million units worldwide–up 0.1% from last year. Granted, the difference between 2023 and 2024 was tiny–just 2,073 units–but numbers are numbers, and they do wonders for the marketing department.
In the United States, things are even better, with Kia recording its seventh consecutive year of growth and the highest-ever annual retail sales volume. In total, the automaker sold 796,488 passenger vehicles last year, 14,037 or 1.8% more than in 2023.
On the EV front, Kia doesn’t report sales for the Niro EV separately from the combustion-powered version, so we don’t know how many of those found new homes. However, the EV6 and EV9 are the heavy lifters in Kia’s electric vehicle portfolio, and we have the numbers to back that up.
Percentage-wise, total Kia EV sales went up 74% last year compared to 2023. In the case of the EV9 three-row SUV, it sold 22,017 units in 2024, a huge increase from 2023 when just 1,118 were sold. However, while the increase in sales is significant, it’s worth remembering that sales of the EV9 in the U.S. only started in December of 2023.
Meanwhile, Kia sold 21,715 EV6 units last year stateside, 15% more than in 2023. That’s a solid performance for the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s cousin, and it goes to show that the Korean automaker’s strategy is paying off. Kia said that the EV9 and EV6 set all-time annual sales records in 2024.
| Model | 2023 | 2024 |
| Kia EV6 (U.S. sales) | 18,879 | 21,715 |
| Kia EV9 (U.S. sales) | 1,118 | 22,017 |
| Total Kia U.S. sales (including ICE) | 782,451 | 796,488 |
| Total Kia global sales (including ICE) | 3,087,384 | 3,089,457 |
All this being said, it’s worth noting that Kia is still largely paying the bills thanks to its much larger portfolio of combustion-powered models. The K4, for instance, sold nearly 140,000 units last year in the U.S., with the Sportage SUV adding another 162,000 units to the tally. Overall, EVs accounted for 7% of Kia’s overall sales volume stateside, a number that has been steadily increasing.
If I were to make some predictions about Kia’s future EV sales performance in the U.S., I would say that the refreshed EV6–which will soon land at dealerships–will nudge the figures even higher. The fact that Kia EV drivers will get access to the Tesla Supercharger network anytime now will also have a positive impact. But we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
