Kia SUV Comparison · New York City

Kia Niro vs Sportage vs Seltos: Which Small Kia SUV?

Published November 4, 2026 · Last updated November 4, 2026

Kia Sportage vs Kia Niro is really a question about fuel: do you want the most efficient small Kia, or the most SUV? The 2027 Niro is the hybrid specialist, 139 hp, 50 mpg combined, front-wheel drive only, from $29,890. The 2027 Sportage is the compact SUV with the most choice: a 187-hp gas engine, a 232-hp Hybrid rated 41 mpg, a Plug-in Hybrid with 34 miles of electric range, and AWD, from $28,990. The 2027 Seltos is the budget pick, all-new this year, 147 or 190 hp, AWD available on every trim, from $24,990, with its own hybrid announced but not yet on sale.

Kia Niro vs Sportage vs Seltos at a Glance

Hybrid or Gas? Get All Three Priced for Your Driving

The right answer depends on your miles. Tell us roughly how far you drive in a week, whether you can charge at home, which of the three you are leaning toward and the best way to reach you, and a Plaza Kia product specialist will send the matching Niro, Sportage and Seltos units on the lot with Plaza pricing and this month's Kia offers applied, plus a time to drive them. A quick reply during business hours, no deposit, no obligation.

How Do the Niro, Sportage and Seltos Compare on Size and Cargo?

The Niro and Seltos are the same length within half an inch, 174.0 and 174.4 inches, but they are shaped differently: the Niro is a low, long-wheelbase hatchback at 60.8 inches tall with 6.3 inches of clearance, the Seltos an upright SUV up to 65 inches tall with up to 8.1 inches under it. The Niro's 107.1-inch wheelbase, longer than the Seltos's 105.9, gives it 39.8 inches of rear legroom to the Seltos's 39.0, while the Seltos's taller body wins on cargo, 27.8 cubic feet behind the rear seat to the Niro's 21.9.

The Sportage is the big one: 183.5 inches long, 73.4 wide and 39.6 cubic feet behind the rear seat, 74.1 with it folded, plus 41.3 inches of rear legroom. The cost is nine and a half inches of length, the difference between a Niro sliding into a Cobble Hill spot and a Sportage circling the block. Compare the two SUVs directly in Kia Seltos vs Sportage.

Which Has the Most Power: Niro, Sportage or Seltos?

The Niro keeps things simple for 2027: one powertrain, a 1.6-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for 139 hp and 195 lb-ft through a six-speed dual-clutch transmission, front-wheel drive only. The Niro EV and Niro Plug-in Hybrid were dropped with the 2027 refresh, so a buyer who wants a plug has to look at the Sportage or at the Kia EV3; recent used and certified pre-owned Niro EVs and PHEVs remain a good value, and our Kia EV lineup comparison covers the electric side.

The Sportage offers three. The 2.5-liter gas four makes 187 hp with an eight-speed automatic; the Sportage Hybrid pairs a 1.6-liter turbo with an electric motor for 232 hp and 271 lb-ft, 93 hp more than the Niro, and is EPA-rated 41 mpg combined with front-wheel drive; the Plug-in Hybrid makes 268 hp with a 13.8-kWh battery, 34 miles of electric range and AWD standard. The Seltos runs a 147-hp 2.0-liter on most trims and a 190-hp 1.6-liter turbo on the X-Line SX; its hybrid, a 1.6-liter with front-wheel drive or an electric rear-motor AWD system according to Kia's newsroom, is announced but not yet on sale. On power, the order is Sportage Hybrid, Seltos turbo, Sportage gas, Seltos 2.0, Niro.

Which Gets the Best Fuel Economy?

The Niro, and it is not close on the city side. EPA ratings for the 2027 Niro Hybrid are 53 mpg city, 46 highway and 50 combined on every trim, 16-inch or 18-inch wheels alike. The front-drive Sportage Hybrid is rated 40/42/41, the gas Sportage 25/33/28, and the Seltos 28/33/30 with front-wheel drive or 26/30/28 with AWD. In Brooklyn traffic the Niro is 13 mpg ahead of the Sportage Hybrid and 25 ahead of the Seltos in the city.

On a 12,000-mile year split the way most New Yorkers drive it, the Niro uses roughly 240 gallons, the Sportage Hybrid about 290, the Seltos about 400 and the gas Sportage about 430. The Sportage Plug-in Hybrid changes the math for anyone with a garage outlet: 83 MPGe on battery, 36 mpg combined once it is depleted, and 34 miles of electric range that covers most weekdays. Against the Niro's purchase price advantage over the PHEV, more than $10,000, the Niro remains the cheaper way to burn less fuel.

Does the Niro Have AWD? Which Ones Do?

The Niro does not. Every 2027 Niro Hybrid is front-wheel drive, and with the EV and PHEV gone there is no all-wheel-drive Niro at any price. For a Brooklyn driver that is usually fine, plowed streets and winter tires cover most of the year, but for a driveway in the Catskills or a ski weekend at Hunter Mountain it is the Niro's clearest weakness.

The Sportage offers AWD for $1,800 on LX, EX, SX and SX-Prestige and makes it standard on X-Line, X-Pro and both Plug-in Hybrids; the Sportage Hybrid adds AWD on S and EX for $1,600 and includes it on X-Line and SX-Prestige. The Seltos offers AWD for $1,700 on LX, S and EX and includes it on X-Line S and X-Line SX, with the X-Line SX's 8.1 inches of clearance the most of the three. If AWD is a must, the Niro is out and a Seltos LX with AWD, $26,690, is the cheapest way in.

How Much Do the Niro, Sportage and Seltos Cost?

Niro: LX $29,890, S $30,590 (new for 2027), EX $31,390, SX $35,440 and SX Touring $38,990, all hybrid, all front-wheel drive, with a 12.3-inch touchscreen standard and navigation and a 12.3-inch digital cluster on the top trims. Sportage: gas LX $28,990, EX $30,790, SX $34,590, X-Line $34,790, SX-Prestige $36,590 and X-Pro $39,890; Hybrid LX $30,590, S $31,290 ($32,890 AWD), EX $32,290 ($33,890 AWD), X-Line $35,790 (AWD) and SX-Prestige $40,690 (AWD); Plug-in Hybrid X-Line $40,590 and X-Line Prestige $47,390. Seltos: LX $24,990, S $26,390, EX $28,390, X-Line S $28,990 and X-Line SX $32,790. Destination is $1,495 on all three.

Trim for trim the Seltos is about $4,900 below the Niro and the Sportage Hybrid about $700 above it, so the Niro's premium is really against the Seltos. What it buys is 20 mpg and a quieter, more mature drive; what it gives up is AWD and cargo room. Our Kia Niro trims compared guide walks the LX, S, EX, SX and SX Touring in detail. Check current Kia promotions and incentives, explore financing, and get a Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer on your trade.

Niro, Sportage and Seltos in Stock at Plaza Kia

Every 2027 Niro Hybrid, Sportage, Sportage Hybrid and Seltos on the ground in Brooklyn is listed below. Filter by model, powertrain, trim or price, or call (877) 545-6543 and we will have all three parked together so you can compare cargo bays and back seats in one walk. Free delivery within 25 miles.