Kia’s Best-Selling Car in January Was the K4

In a world where SUVs dominate sales, something strange happened at Kia last month: The company’s best-selling vehicle was … a sedan. The Kia Forte and its replacement, the K4, sold a combined 11,616 units in January, beating out the Sportage for the top spot. Weird.

Kia says this was the K4 and Forte’s best January ever, representing a 29-percent increase over last year’s sales. Still, it was just barely enough to beat out the Sportage crossover, which moved 11,357 units. The three-row Telluride slotted into third place with 8,771 sales.

The K4 wasn’t the only sedan in Kia’s lineup to have a glow-up. Sales of its bigger four-door, the K5, were up 32.5 percent, to 4,357 units. The Carnival, Kia’s minivan, also saw healthy gains, increasing 21 percent year-over-year to 3,665 units.

While SUVs tend to conquer parking lots in America, we’re not exactly surprised to see cars like the K4 selling well in 2025. With a starting price of $23,145, it’s one of the cheapest cars on sale today, making it especially appealing for an increasing number of budget-strapped buyers. It’s also physically small in a sector of ever-growing SUV behemoths. Not everyone needs a one-bedroom apartment on wheels. 

Not every car in Kia’s lineup had a good sales month. The Niro and the Seltos, two of the company’s small SUVs, were down 41.7 percent and 29 percent, respectively. The three-row EV9 also saw a modest drop of 12.5 percent versus last January.

Overall, Kia sales increased 11.5 percent over last January, to 57,007 units. You can see the full sales chart here: