the breakdown
- Kia is killing the Niro PHEV for 2026.
- The company cites 'changing market conditions.'
- The gas Niro and Niro EV will live on.
Another one bites the dust. With nine vehicles already slated to disappear by 2027, Kia is adding one more to the list. The Niro PHEV is dead for 2026.
The company confirmed the news in a statement to Kelley Blue Book, saying, "Due to changing market conditions, the 2026 Niro PHEV will no longer be available in the US market."
This move shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The plug-in hybrid was always the odd one out in the Niro lineup, playing third fiddle to both the standard gas model and the fully electric version.
Kia sold just 31,182 Niro models in total last year, with the PHEV likely accounting for the smallest slice of that figure (the company doesn’t break down sales by powertrain). The good news—for now—is that the gas-powered Niro and the Niro EV are expected to stick around through 2027.
Motor1's Take: This isn’t the first plug-in hybrid to meet its maker in 2027, and it likely won’t be the last. With fewer buyers seemingly interested in plug-in hybrids in the US, companies are killing off the slow-selling models seemingly by the dozen.
Source: Kelley Blue Book
