Kia UK sets new sales record in 2023

Kia UK posted record-breaking sales figures in 2023, having registered a total of 107,765 cars to UK customers! 

This achievement eclipses the previous year's then-record total of 100,191 sales in 2022. 

Kia finished 2023 as the sixth-best selling automotive brand in the UK, with a 5.7% market share. The Korean brand was also the third-best seller of electrified models last year, with its wide range of hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and fully electric vehicles (EV).

Kia's electrified range made up almost half of all their total sales (45%). Popular models such as the Sportage and Niro offer a range of powertrain options, including Mild Hybrid (MHEV), HEV, PHEV and EV, providing a variety of eco-friendly choices for drivers. 

Kia also set a record for sales of electric vehicles - totalling 17,345 - with the EV6, Niro EV and Soul EV accounting for a 5.5% share in the EV market. 

Paul Philpott is the President and CEO of Kia UK. “Reaching 100,000 new car sales in 2022 was a hugely significant milestone in the company's 32-year history,” he commented. 

“Achieving 107,765 in 2023 shows true and organic growth, rather than a one-off achievement. Setting a new record for EV sales for the year also shows genuine customer appetite for our award-winning range of fully electric vehicles.” 

He continued: “This success is a testament to our ever-evolving product line-up and expanding range of innovative customer services. The achievement would also not be possible without the hard-work and dedication of each of our dealer partners across the country, who place huge trust and investment in the Kia brand.” .

Kia started the year in fine form, riding high from the success of a record-breaking 2022. The brand recorded its biggest-ever quarterly sales figures by the end of March, with 32,255 new car sales. 

March 2023 also became Kia UK's biggest ever sales month on record. The Sportage continued its dominance as Kia's overall best-selling model too. 

The popularity of the Sportage, along with the Niro family and XCeed, helped catapult Kia to the position of best-selling Compact SUV brand - a rank it would hold onto for the rest of 2023. 

Kia's sales momentum continued throughout the year - May, June and July all saw record-breaking monthly sales figures. July also marked the 50,000 EV sold by Kia in the UK, since the first Soul EV went on sale back in 2015. 

In August, the compact Kia Picanto celebrated a milestone of its own - 250,000 UK in its 19-year lifespan. The efficient city car showed its quality by finishing the year as the second-best seller in its class, with a 22% market share in the UK A-segment.

Kia's 100,000th car sold in 2023 came on 21st November - a full month and nine days ahead of the same milestone in the previous year. Fittingly as Kia's most popular model in the UK and worldwide, it was Sportage that was bestowed with this honour.

The Sportage - available with a range of powertrain options, including MHEV, HEV and PHEV - finished the year as the second-best selling the C-SUV segment, and the overall fourth-best selling car of the year. A total of 36,135 Kia Sportages was registered in the UK in 2023.