Kia Seltos Review

This review is labeled Researched. We have not driven the car. It is built from manufacturer-published specifications, the published Bharat NCAP report as summarised by trade press, and Indian road tests, and we point out where sources disagree. See How We Review.

Why the new Seltos is a bigger deal than a facelift

When Kia launched the second-generation Seltos in India in January 2026, it was not a light refresh. The car moved to Kia’s K3 platform, grew 95mm in length to 4,460mm, and gained 80mm in wheelbase to 2,690mm. Autocar India reports that makes it the longest in its class, and its wheelbase is second only to the Tata Sierra.

The changes are visible. The styling is bolder, with vertical daytime running lights wrapping over the bonnet, square headlamps in a large grille, chunky gloss-black cladding and flush door handles. Autocar India’s reviewer says it looks better in real life than in photographs. Yet the engines are essentially carried over, which is why its closest rival, the Hyundai Creta, shares so much of its mechanical DNA. The real differences are the size, the cabin, the features and, above all, the safety result.

The safety result in detail

The headline: the 2026 Seltos earned a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating. The breakdown is worth reading because it shows where the points came from.

• Adult occupant protection: 31.70 out of 32. In the frontal offset test at 64 km/h, it scored 15.70 out of 16, and in the side barrier test at 50 km/h it scored a full 16 out of 16. Head, neck and chest protection were rated good in frontal impacts. The driver’s left tibia and feet were rated adequate, with all other limb protection scored good.
• Child occupant protection: 45 out of 49. The dynamic score was 24 out of 24, child restraint installation scored 12 out of 12, and the vehicle assessment scored 9 out of 13. It earned full marks for both the 18-month and 3-year-old dummies with rear-facing installation.

Combined, that is 76.70, which Kia and Bharat NCAP’s own reporting describe as the highest score recorded among ICE (petrol and diesel) vehicles the program had tested. CarDekho’s report adds that the Seltos scored better than the Tata Sierra and the Maruti Suzuki Victoris.

Two practical notes. The test covered the HTE(O), one step above the base, and the higher-spec GTX variant, which suggests the result is not limited to the top of the range. And the standard safety kit on the tested car included six airbags, electronic stability control, ABS with EBD, all-wheel disc brakes, ISOFIX anchors, a tyre pressure monitor, an electronic parking brake with auto-hold, parking sensors and Level 2 ADAS. Crash-test ratings cover only the variants and conditions tested, so check which one you are buying.

Inside: the cabin is the star

Several reviewers call out the cabin as the car’s biggest step up. It shares its design with the Kia Syros and puts two 12.3-inch screens (the touchscreen and the instrument cluster) and a small 5.0-inch climate control screen under a single panoramic glass panel. Materials are described as high quality with minimal panel gaps, though plastics are present. Importantly, Kia kept physical buttons for climate and media, plus a scroll wheel for the volume, which many drivers prefer over touch controls.

Equipment is generous. The Autocar India review lists Bose audio, a panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, ambient lighting, ventilated front seats, a powered driver’s seat with memory and a sharp 360-degree camera. It also notes what is missing: the air purifier that earlier cars offered, and rear ventilated seats, which the smaller Kia Syros has. There is no “boss mode” for the rear passenger either.

Space and comfort

Rear legroom is described as ample, with six-footers fitting comfortably. Headroom is adequate rather than generous. Taller passengers note a short seat base and strong lumbar support in the back. Larger front occupants may find the seats snug, while narrower ones fit well. Our earlier version said both the Seltos and Creta have an identical 433-litre boot. Autocar India lists the Seltos boot at 447 litres with a flat floor, so published boot figures vary by source. We kept 433 litres in our comparison table and flagged the difference.

Engines and the drive

The three engines carry over: a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol (about 113 to 115bhp), a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol (about 157 to 160bhp and 253Nm) and a 1.5-litre diesel (about 114 to 115bhp and 250Nm). Transmissions are a 6-speed manual or CVT on the naturally aspirated petrol, a 6-speed iMT or 7-speed DCT on the turbo, and a manual or torque-converter automatic on the diesel. That is narrower than the Creta, and notably there is no CVT paired with the turbo.

Road testers say:

• Turbo-petrol: strong, linear performance from around 2,000rpm with good refinement. The dual-clutch gearbox shifts quickly but “fumbles a bit at low speeds”.
• Diesel: refined, with linear power and 250Nm available from 1,500rpm, but it lacks punch and urgency even in Sport mode.
• Ride: the suspension now favours comfort over the previous car’s firmness. Bumps are easily soaked up without harsh edges, and body control stays tidy at spirited speeds with good high-speed stability.
• Steering: progressive weighting through the drive modes but without natural feel. The reviewer said Sport mode feels artificial.
• ADAS: the full suite is included, but lane-centring inputs felt “meandering”.

On efficiency, Autocar India expects real-world figures comparable to rivals: the turbo automatic returning high single-digit mileage in the city and 13 to 14 kmpl on the highway, and the diesel returning 16 to 17 kmpl on the highway and low double-digit figures in the city. Published certified mileage sits around 17.0 kmpl depending on powertrain, marginally behind the Creta’s equivalent, though real-world driving style will matter more.

Price and where it sits

We list the Seltos from ₹11.00 lakh to ₹21.82 lakh (ex-showroom) across its trim levels. This is a spot where the numbers are inconsistent across sources: ZigWheels and Autocar India quote a starting price of ₹10.99 lakh, Autocar India’s review gives a range up to ₹19.99 lakh for turbocharged automatics, and a September 2026 source says the top end is ₹22.02 lakh after July variants. We have left our published figures in place and flagged the conflict. The practical advice is to ask a dealer for the current price list of the exact variant you want.

Kia’s trims run HTE, HTE(O), HTK, HTK(O), HTX, HTX(A), GTX and GTX(A). Autocar India’s verdict is that the Seltos is “evolution rather than revolution”, with improved ride, more interior space, bold design and keen pricing, and that it “will keep the Seltos flag flying high”. It rated the car 8 out of 10.

Who should buy it

Buy the Seltos if a verified crash-test rating matters to you, you want the roomiest and best-equipped cabin in the class, and you do not need the widest transmission range. It is also an easy choice if you were already inclined to the Creta and want a bigger, newer car with a published safety result.

Skip it if you want a CVT with the turbo engine, rear ventilated seats, an air purifier or the most powerful diesel. And if the Creta’s lower starting price and larger service network matter more to you, read our Creta vs Seltos comparison before deciding.

Also worth reading

Cross-shopping? Our Hyundai Creta review covers the rival with the broader engine and gearbox range, and the Creta vs Seltos comparison sets the two side by side.

FAQ

What is the ground clearance of the Kia Seltos? 190mm, per Kia’s published dimensions, enough for the vast majority of Indian road and speed-breaker conditions without scraping.

Does the Kia Seltos come with a hybrid engine option? No, per Kia’s published lineup for this generation, the choices are a naturally aspirated petrol, a turbo-petrol, and a diesel. No hybrid variant is currently offered.

Does the Seltos offer a CVT with the turbo-petrol engine? No, per Kia’s published lineup, the turbo-petrol pairs with either a 6-speed iMT or 7-speed DCT, not a CVT. The CVT is offered with the naturally aspirated petrol.

What engine options does the new Kia Seltos have? Three: a 115hp 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, a 116hp 1.5-litre turbo-diesel and a 160hp 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, each offered with a manual or an automatic gearbox.

Is the new Seltos bigger than the old one? Yes. It moves to Kia’s K3 platform, and its length grows by 95mm to 4,460mm with an 80mm longer wheelbase of 2,690mm, which Autocar India and ZigWheels report as the longest in its class.

Does the Kia Seltos have ADAS and how many airbags? Per Kia’s published lineup as reported by ZigWheels, it comes with six airbags as standard and Level-2 ADAS with 21 autonomous features, including adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane assist and blind-spot monitoring.

How safe is the new Kia Seltos? It earned a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating, scoring 31.70 out of 32 for adult occupant protection and 45 out of 49 for child occupant protection. The test covered the HTE(O) and GTX variants.

Does the new Seltos have ventilated rear seats? No. Autocar India notes that rear cooled seats are not offered, although the smaller Kia Syros has them, and the air purifier from the earlier car is also gone.

Sources: ZigWheels — 2026 Kia Seltos launch, Autocar India — Kia Seltos, Autocar India — 2026 Kia Seltos review: revolution or evolution, Team-BHP — Kia Seltos price, specifications and features, CarDekho — Seltos Bharat NCAP crash test results, Hyundai Motor Group — Kia Seltos 5-Star Bharat NCAP announcement, V3Cars — Kia Seltos ground clearance and dimensions