2026 Kia Sportage price and specs: More tech, more hybrids, higher prices

Pricing and specifications for the facelifted 2026 Kia Sportage have been announced for Australia as first vehicles arrive in showrooms, and the upgraded mid-size SUV lineup brings more more hybrid variants, more standard equipment, and the introduction of Kia Connect services, accompanied by price increases of up to $4070.

As before, the Sportage will be offered in S, SX, SX+ and GT-Line trim levels, with no less than five different drivetrain variants available. The six-speed manual is dead, and 1.6T AWD variants swap out their dual-clutch automatic transmission for an eight-speed torque converter unit.

Further, hybrid (HEV) versions of the SX and GT-Line are now available in both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) form, taking the total number of hybrid options to four. Revised design details, new alloy wheel options and increased tech levels round out the highlights.

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Pricing for the MY26 Kia Sportage starts from $37,990 before on-road costs, which is $5000 higher than the old base manual and $3000 more than the outgoing entry-level S automatic. These price rises are somewhat offset by enhanced specification levels, as detailed further down.

Pricing

Prices are up across the board, by at least $500 and an average of around $3000 depending on the model variant.

Drivetrains and Efficiency

Kia has confirmed a four-strong engine lineup and changes like a new eight-speed auto for the 1.6T and the availability of AWD for the 1.6T Hybrid (HEV), though further details like outputs (if changed) and fuel consumption are still to be confirmed.

*Figures quoted are for pre-facelift vehicles

Dimensions

Kia Australia hasn’t confirmed any changes to the Sportage’s dimensions – see below for pre-facelift figures.

Servicing and Warranty

The updated Kia Sportage, like the Korean brand’s other models, will be covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre new vehicle warranty. Hybrid vehicles are also subject to a seven-year/150,000km high-voltage battery and component warranty.

Kia Australia offers seven years of capped-price servicing across its lineup, though finer details around intervals and pricing for the updated Sportage range are still to be confirmed.

For reference, the 2.0L petrol and turbo-diesel models in the pre-facelifted range have 12-month/15,000km intervals, while the turbocharged 1.6L petrol and HEV versions have shorter 10,000km distance intervals.

Safety

The updated Kia Sportage is expected to retain its five-star ANCAP safety rating, based on 2022 Euro NCAP tests.

While there have been some feature upgrades – such as a more advanced semi-autonomous Highway Driving Assist (HDA) system from SX+ level and up – the fundamentals appear to be the largely same.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• 7 airbags incl. front-centre
• Smart Cruise Control 2 – SCC 2 (NEW)
  • incl. emergency assistance (NEW)
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB)
  • Pedestrian, cyclist detection
  • Junction assist
• Blind-spot assist
• Intelligent speed limit assist
• Lane Following Assist (centring)
• Lane-keep assist
• Multi Collision Brake
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Parking sensors – front (NEW), rear
• Reversing camera
• Tyre pressure monitor

SX+ adds:

• Highway Driving Assist (NEW)
  • Navigation-based semi-autonomous highway mode
  • Adaptive cruise control + Lane Following Assist

GT-Line adds:

• AEB – reverse
• Blind Spot View Monitor
• Surround View Monitor – 360 cameras

Standard Equipment

Kia has confirmed preliminary specifications across the range, with each trim level scoring new equipment.

2025 Kia Sportage S equipment highlights:

• Kia Connect Services (NEW)
• 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment – ccNC Lite (NEW)
• Over the air (OTA) updates (NEW)
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Full-size alloy spare wheel
• Cloth upholstery
• Electronic park brake incl. Auto Hold
• Leather steering wheel
• PVC shift selector

Sportage SX adds:

• 12.3-inch navigation system – ccNC (NEW)
• 18-inch alloy wheels
• Rain-sensing wipers
• 2-way lumbar support – driver
• Premium shift selector – Petrol, Diesel
• Dial-type shift selector – HEV
• Remote folding second-row seats
• Dual-zone climate control
• Temporary spare wheel – HEV

Sportage SX+ adds:

• Wireless phone charger (NEW)
• Heated steering wheel (NEW)
• 19-inch alloy wheels – Petrol, Diesel
• Power driver seat
• Heated front seats
• Harman Kardon premium audio
• Power tailgate
• Rear privacy glass
• Artificial leather upholstery

Sportage GT-Line adds:

• Head-up display (NEW)
• Dynamic welcome light – front, rear (NEW)
• Heated steering wheel (NEW for Petrol, Diesel)
• 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
• Memory function – driver seat
• Power front passenger seat
• Ventilated front seats
• Ambient mood lighting
• Panoramic sunroof
• LED interior lighting
• Alloy sports pedals
• Dial-type shift selector – all variants

Further details will be confirmed at the Australian media launch next week.

Colours

Two new paint options join the Sportage’s palette, while the outgoing model’s Dawning Red has been discontinued.

Standard: $NCO

• Clear White

Premium paint: $TBC

• Heritage Blue (NEW)
• Wolf Grey (NEW)
• Steel Grey
• Gravity Grey
• Fusion Black
• Vesta Blue
• Snow White Pearl – SX+, GT-Line only
• Jungle Wood Green – SX+, GT-Line only

MORE: Everything Kia Sportage