South Korea September 2026: Tesla Model Y overall leader again, Hyundai Grandeur tops local models
The Tesla Model Y is the best-selling vehicle in South Korea for the third month in a row.
14/10 update: Now with Top 50 foreign models ranking.
The South Korean new light vehicle market continues to perform poorly in September at -14.5% year-on-year to 134,717 units. This is solely due to the weakness of local manufacturers at -20% to 99,813 whereas foreigners gain 6.3% to 34,904. The year-to-date tally is down -2.4% to 1,228,524, with locals off -8.2% to 948,814 and foreigners up a splendid 24.2% to 279,710.
In the brands ranking, Kia (-6.6%) widens the gap with sister brand Hyundai (-23.3%), cementing its YTD leadership at 35.6% share vs. 31.4%. Tesla (+36.4%) is #3 again and reaches its second best ever volume at 12,372 units (record is 13,190 last April) BMW (-8.2%) and Mercedes (-20.7%) round out the Top 5. BYD (+156.3%) surges year-on-year and ranks #7 with 1.9% share, with Polestar (+113%) and Volkswagen (+188.6%) also posting tremendous gains. We welcome Zeekr in the ranking at #23.
Over in the local models ranking, the Hyundai Grandeur (+64.8%) takes the lead for the third time in the past four months while the Hyundai Avante (-4.8%) is back up 17 spots on August to #2. The Kia Sorento (-22.5%), Sportage (-14.3%) and Seltos (+9.2%) follow, with the Sorento keeping the year-to-date lead by a solid margin. The Kia Ray (+5.7%) also defies the negative market at #7, as do the Kia Morning (+39.7%) at #14 and the Kia EV5 (+694.1%) celebrating one year in market at #16.
The Tesla Model Y leads both the foreign and overall rankings with a record 11,421 sales (+36.6%). This is the fourth time the Model Y is the best-selling vehicle in South Korea outright after last May, last July and last month. The Mercedes E Class (-16%) is back up to #2, passing its archenemy the BMW 5 Series (-18.9%) both for the month and YTD. The new BYD Dolphin remains among the best-selling foreigners at #4 while the Mercedes S Class (+78.5%) is up 7 spots on August to round out the Top 5.
Previous month: South Korea August 2026: Tesla Model Y distant leader above Kia Sorento, market off -20.8%
One year ago: South Korea September 2025: Market up 20.8%, Tesla breaks record, Kia EV5 lands
Full September 2026 Top 31 All brands, Top 55 All local models and Top 50 foreigners below.
South Korea September 2026 – brands:
| Pos | Brand | Sep-26 | % | /25 | Aug | 2026 | % | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Kia | 45,963 | 34.1% | – 6.6% | 1 | 437,542 | 35.6% | + 5.4% | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Hyundai | 43,280 | 32.1% | – 23.3% | 2 | 385,440 | 31.4% | – 13.8% | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Tesla | 12,372 | 9.2% | + 36.4% | 3 | 89,148 | 7.3% | + 104.4% | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | BMW | 6,066 | 4.5% | – 8.2% | 4 | 57,929 | 4.7% | + 0.2% | 5 | 4 |
| 5 | Mercedes | 5,477 | 4.1% | – 20.7% | 6 | 43,249 | 3.5% | – 10.4% | 6 | 5 |
| 6 | Genesis | 5,472 | 4.1% | – 42.6% | 5 | 62,471 | 5.1% | – 29.2% | 4 | 3 |
| 7 | BYD | 2,614 | 1.9% | + 156.3% | 7 | 20,137 | 1.6% | + 578.7% | 9 | 16 |
| 8 | Renault Korea | 2,289 | 1.7% | – 45.3% | 9 | 27,204 | 2.2% | – 32.2% | 8 | 7 |
| 9 | KGM | 2,100 | 1.6% | – 48.8% | 8 | 28,817 | 2.3% | – 6.9% | 7 | 8 |
| 10 | Volvo | 1,414 | 1.0% | + 1.1% | 13 | 10,612 | 0.9% | + 1.1% | 11 | 9 |
| 11 | Lexus | 1,064 | 0.8% | – 24.9% | 11 | 11,197 | 0.9% | – 3.7% | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | Toyota | 971 | 0.7% | + 6.5% | 10 | 8,513 | 0.7% | + 20.3% | 13 | 14 |
| 13 | Audi | 900 | 0.7% | – 36.9% | 12 | 9,982 | 0.8% | + 12.7% | 12 | 12 |
| 14 | Porsche | 877 | 0.7% | + 9.2% | 14 | 6,573 | 0.5% | – 21.2% | 15 | 13 |
| 15 | Polestar | 769 | 0.6% | + 113.0% | 18 | 3,719 | 0.3% | + 67.0% | 18 | 20 |
| 16 | Chevrolet | 709 | 0.5% | – 41.3% | 15 | 7,340 | 0.6% | – 36.8% | 14 | 11 |
| 17 | Land Rover | 656 | 0.5% | – 9.1% | 19 | 3,695 | 0.3% | – 9.1% | 19 | 17 |
| 18 | Mini | 641 | 0.5% | – 19.7% | 16 | 6,066 | 0.5% | + 8.2% | 16 | 15 |
| 19 | Volkswagen | 609 | 0.5% | + 188.6% | 17 | 4,199 | 0.3% | + 7.5% | 17 | 18 |
| 20 | Jeep | 119 | 0.1% | – 47.6% | 20 | 873 | 0.1% | – 41.6% | 20 | 21 |
| 21 | GMC | 63 | 0.0% | + 250.0% | 22 | 633 | 0.1% | + 242.2% | 21 | 30 |
| 22 | Lamborghini | 59 | 0.0% | + 40.5% | 21 | 403 | 0.0% | + 22.5% | 25 | 26 |
| 23 | Zeekr | 49 | 0.0% | new | – | 49 | 0.0% | new | 31 | – |
| 24 | Peugeot | 44 | 0.0% | – 62.1% | 23 | 447 | 0.0% | – 37.5% | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | Cadillac | 43 | 0.0% | – 55.7% | 26 | 428 | 0.0% | – 21.2% | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | Bentley | 32 | 0.0% | – 61.0% | 24 | 329 | 0.0% | + 33.2% | 28 | 27 |
| 27 | Honda | 24 | 0.0% | – 68.8% | 25 | 467 | 0.0% | – 68.5% | 22 | 22 |
| 28 | Ferrari | 19 | 0.0% | – 45.7% | 27 | 177 | 0.0% | – 35.2% | 29 | 28 |
| 29 | Rolls-Royce | 15 | 0.0% | + 36.4% | 29 | 129 | 0.0% | – 8.5% | 30 | 31 |
| 30 | Lincoln | 4 | 0.0% | – 95.6% | 30 | 367 | 0.0% | – 62.3% | 27 | 23 |
| 31 | Ford | 3 | 0.0% | – 99.1% | 28 | 387 | 0.0% | – 89.4% | 26 | 19 |
| – | Total local manufacturers | 99,813 | 74.1% | – 20.0% | – | 948,814 | 77.2% | – 8.2% | – | – |
| – | Total foreign manufacturers | 34,904 | 25.9% | + 6.3% | – | 279,710 | 22.8% | + 24.2% | – | – |
| – | Total market | 134,717 | 100.0% | – 14.5% | – | 1,228,524 | 100.0% | – 2.4% | – | – |
South Korea September 2026 – local models:
| Pos | Model | Sep-26 | /25 | Aug | 2026 | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Hyundai Grandeur | 8,898 | + 64.8% | 2 | 61,751 | + 27.0% | 2 | 5 |
| 2 | Hyundai Avante | 7,305 | – 4.8% | 19 | 39,980 | – 34.6% | 6 | 2 |
| 3 | Kia Sorento | 6,957 | – 22.5% | 1 | 74,933 | + 1.7% | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Kia Sportage | 5,497 | – 14.3% | 5 | 46,015 | – 17.4% | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Kia Seltos | 5,422 | + 9.2% | 8 | 39,701 | – 7.8% | 7 | 9 |
| 6 | Kia Carnival | 5,286 | – 21.8% | 4 | 46,591 | – 25.4% | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | Kia Ray | 4,230 | + 5.7% | 6 | 37,506 | + 2.7% | 9 | 12 |
| 8 | Hyundai Sonata | 4,153 | – 13.2% | 11 | 42,181 | + 12.6% | 5 | 11 |
| 9 | Hyundai Porter | 3,420 | – 35.8% | 3 | 37,879 | – 13.4% | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 3,217 | – 44.2% | 7 | 31,146 | – 31.7% | 10 | 7 |
| 11 | Hyundai Staria | 3,088 | – 0.4% | 13 | 23,068 | – 23.1% | 17 | 15 |
| 12 | Hyundai Palisade | 2,965 | – 27.1% | 16 | 27,068 | – 41.6% | 11 | 6 |
| 13 | Kia K5 | 2,916 | – 6.7% | 15 | 22,945 | – 13.9% | 18 | 16 |
| 14 | Kia Morning | 2,522 | + 39.7% | 21 | 19,335 | + 71.0% | 21 | 25 |
| 15 | Kia Bongo | 2,347 | – 27.3% | 12 | 23,993 | – 13.9% | 15 | 17 |
| 16 | Kia EV5 | 2,160 | + 694.1% | 10 | 24,705 | + 8982.7% | 13 | 49 |
| 17 | Hyundai Bus/Truck | 2,016 | – 26.3% | 18 | 16,405 | + 8.5% | 23 | 23 |
| 18 | Genesis G80 | 1,959 | – 41.6% | 20 | 22,280 | – 28.5% | 19 | 13 |
| 19 | Genesis GV70 | 1,959 | – 29.8% | 22 | 19,132 | – 24.8% | 22 | 18 |
| 20 | Kia PV5 | 1,888 | + 181.0% | 17 | 21,104 | + 2433.5% | 20 | 45 |
| 21 | Hyundai Kona | 1,872 | – 47.8% | 26 | 23,536 | – 0.8% | 16 | 19 |
| 22 | Hyundai Tucson | 1,825 | – 64.4% | 35 | 24,209 | – 39.0% | 14 | 10 |
| 23 | Kia K8 | 1,734 | – 19.7% | 14 | 15,896 | – 25.4% | 25 | 21 |
| 24 | Kia EV3 | 1,627 | – 15.6% | 9 | 26,699 | + 40.8% | 12 | 22 |
| 25 | Kia Niro | 1,351 | + 28.9% | 25 | 12,158 | + 24.3% | 27 | 27 |
| 26 | Hyundai Casper | 1,337 | – 37.6% | 27 | 11,927 | – 2.5% | 28 | 24 |
| 27 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 1,262 | – 44.4% | 23 | 16,361 | + 32.9% | 24 | 26 |
| 28 | Genesis GV80 | 1,261 | – 50.8% | 24 | 15,511 | – 35.0% | 26 | 20 |
| 29 | Renault Korea Grand Koleos | 1,007 | – 66.6% | 28 | 11,183 | – 65.1% | 30 | 14 |
| 30 | Hyundai Ioniq 9 | 760 | – 40.3% | 29 | 9,984 | + 43.8% | 31 | 33 |
| 31 | KGM Musso | 717 | + 85.3% | 34 | 9,870 | + 241.6% | 32 | 44 |
| 32 | Renault Korea Arkana | 691 | + 30.4% | 33 | 4,391 | + 16.2% | 40 | 40 |
| 33 | Renault Korea Filante | 591 | new | 36 | 11,272 | new | 29 | – |
| 34 | Chevrolet Trax Crossover | 588 | – 41.9% | 31 | 6,007 | – 36.0% | 37 | 29 |
| 35 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 545 | – 17.0% | 39 | 6,535 | + 46.6% | 36 | 42 |
| 36 | Kia EV4 | 498 | – 56.7% | 30 | 9,816 | + 39.5% | 33 | 34 |
| 37 | KGM Tivoli | 428 | – 14.6% | 32 | 4,181 | + 10.4% | 42 | 41 |
| 38 | Kia EV6 | 410 | – 69.0% | 40 | 7,197 | – 11.6% | 34 | 30 |
| 39 | Kia Tasman | 404 | – 48.0% | 42 | 3,200 | – 53.8% | 45 | 32 |
| 40 | KGM Torres | 397 | – 40.1% | 37 | 3,631 | – 40.9% | 44 | 31 |
| 41 | Kia Bus/Special | 364 | + 8.0% | 46 | 2,892 | + 85.3% | 46 | 46 |
| 42 | Genesis G90 | 348 | – 39.5% | 45 | 3,705 | – 34.6% | 43 | 36 |
| 43 | KGM Actyon | 347 | – 67.2% | 38 | 4,509 | – 13.5% | 39 | 35 |
| 44 | Hyundai Nexo | 326 | – 73.7% | 44 | 4,377 | + 5.0% | 41 | 39 |
| 45 | Kia EV9 | 289 | + 96.6% | 43 | 2,595 | + 116.3% | 47 | 53 |
| 46 | Hyundai Venue | 146 | – 85.4% | 41 | 7,084 | – 12.2% | 35 | 28 |
| 47 | Hyundai ST1 | 145 | – 53.2% | 48 | 1,054 | – 16.4% | 50 | 55 |
| 48 | Chevrolet Trailblazer | 121 | – 36.3% | 49 | 1,291 | – 36.6% | 48 | 48 |
| 49 | Genesis G70 | 116 | – 32.9% | 51 | 1,055 | – 26.8% | 49 | 50 |
| 50 | KGM Musso EV | 107 | – 88.8% | 47 | 5,148 | – 18.4% | 38 | 37 |
| 51 | KGM Rexton New Arena | 86 | – 15.7% | 53 | 723 | – 28.8% | 54 | 57 |
| 52 | Genesis GV60 | 85 | + 4.9% | 52 | 849 | + 38.0% | 52 | 58 |
| 53 | Kia K9 | 61 | – 44.0% | 54 | 881 | – 28.1% | 51 | 54 |
| 54 | KGM Torres EVX | 18 | – 88.8% | 50 | 753 | – 55.5% | 53 | 52 |
| 55 | Genesis GV60 Magma | 14 | new | 55 | 93 | new | 56 | – |
South Korea September 2026 – foreign models:
| Pos | Model | Sep-26 | /25 | Aug | 2026 | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 11,421 | + 36.6% | 1 | 73,123 | + 97.5% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Mercedes E Class | 2,748 | – 16.0% | 3 | 17,520 | – 12.0% | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | BMW 5 Series | 1,781 | – 18.9% | 2 | 17,439 | – 4.2% | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | BYD Dolphin | 1,221 | new | 4 | 8,198 | new | 5 | – |
| 5 | Mercedes S Class | 878 | + 78.5% | 12 | 3,323 | – 5.4% | 16 | 12 |
| 6 | Tesla Model 3 | 821 | + 16.0% | 6 | 11,906 | + 85.2% | 4 | 5 |
| 7 | BYD Sealion 7 | 753 | – 8.7% | 5 | 7,109 | + 758.6% | 6 | 25 |
| 8 | BMW X3 | 737 | + 27.7% | 7 | 6,031 | + 23.2% | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | Polestar 4 | 688 | + 90.6% | 23 | 3,608 | + 91.8% | 14 | 26 |
| 10 | BMW 3 Series | 527 | – 5.2% | 11 | 4,670 | + 2.1% | 11 | 9 |
| 11 | BMW X5 | 504 | – 16.8% | 10 | 5,012 | + 9.0% | 9 | 10 |
| 12 | Mercedes GLC | 481 | – 46.6% | 8 | 6,421 | – 3.5% | 7 | 4 |
| 13 | Audi A6 | 447 | #DIV/0! | n/a | 2,199 | + 129.1% | 27 | 51 |
| 14 | BMW 7 Series | 431 | + 9.7% | 14 | 3,963 | + 1.1% | 13 | 13 |
| 15 | Lexus RX | 426 | + 51.1% | 25 | 2,272 | + 25.6% | 25 | 33 |
| 16 | Volvo EX30 | 419 | + 458.7% | n/a | 1,833 | + 85.7% | 32 | 47 |
| 17 | Toyota RAV4 | 406 | + 96.1% | 15 | 2,396 | + 51.0% | 22 | 30 |
| 18 | Lexus NX | 394 | + 21.6% | 16 | 4,049 | + 17.9% | 12 | 18 |
| 19 | Mercedes GLE | 377 | – 45.5% | 13 | 5,010 | + 9.9% | 10 | 6 |
| 20 | Mercedes G Class | 363 | + 62.8% | 28 | 2,190 | – 11.2% | 28 | 21 |
| 21 | Porsche Cayenne | 312 | + 6.5% | 22 | 1,869 | – 38.5% | 31 | 17 |
| 22 | BYD Sealion 6 | 311 | new | 9 | 868 | new | 59 | – |
| 23 | Mini Cooper Hatch | 307 | – 13.8% | 18 | 2,949 | + 7.3% | 19 | 15 |
| 24 | Volvo EX90 | 273 | new | n/a | 352 | new | 96 | – |
| 25 | BMW X7 | 252 | – 25.4% | 21 | 3,073 | – 10.9% | 18 | 14 |
| 26 | Volvo XC60 | 248 | – 60.0% | 20 | 3,431 | – 16.7% | 15 | 11 |
| 27 | BYD Atto 3 | 227 | + 56.6% | 17 | 2,668 | + 39.8% | 20 | 22 |
| 28 | Audi Q5 | 223 | + 104.6% | 29 | 2,355 | n/a | 24 | 70 |
| 29 | VW ID.5 | 219 | + 630.0% | – | 444 | – 32.5% | 83 | 68 |
| 30 | BMW i5 | 218 | + 240.6% | 26 | 2,382 | + 108.6% | 23 | 36 |
| 31 | VW Golf | 216 | + 369.6% | 36 | 1,345 | + 108.5% | 38 | 54 |
| 32 | Range Rover | 213 | + 8.1% | n/a | 1,025 | – 1.3% | 49 | 44 |
| 33 | Toyota Alphard | 212 | + 32.5% | 32 | 1,463 | + 28.9% | 37 | 42 |
| 34 | Range Rover Sport | 209 | + 2.5% | n/a | 1,117 | – 2.6% | 46 | 45 |
| 35 | Porsche Taycan | 198 | + 46.7% | 40 | 1,655 | + 15.2% | 34 | 35 |
| 36 | Toyota Camry | 163 | – 23.5% | 27 | 1,823 | + 5.7% | 33 | 31 |
| 37 | Porsche Macan EV | 155 | – 11.4% | 33 | 1,040 | – 9.0% | 48 | 41 |
| 38 | BMW 2 Series Active Tourer | 148 | + 102.7% | 48 | 723 | + 0.7% | 67 | 48 |
| 39 | BMW iX1 | 146 | + 175.5% | 37 | 902 | + 138.6% | 55 | 86 |
| 40 | BMW X6 | 146 | – 52.6% | 34 | 2,162 | – 22.1% | 29 | 19 |
| 41 | BMW iX3 | 141 | n/a | 30 | 632 | + 87.0% | 72 | 69 |
| 42 | BMW X1 | 139 | – 35.6% | 39 | 1,491 | – 22.9% | 36 | 28 |
| 43 | Land Rover Defender | 137 | – 9.3% | n/a | 893 | + 52.4% | 57 | 49 |
| 44 | Mercedes CLE | 134 | – 52.0% | 24 | 2,210 | – 11.4% | 26 | 20 |
| 45 | Volvo EX30 CC | 133 | + 269.4% | – | 756 | n/a | 66 | n/a |
| 46 | Tesla Cybertruck | 130 | new | n/a | 466 | new | 81 | n/a |
| 47 | Lexus UX | 127 | + 30.9% | 49 | 885 | + 80.2% | 58 | 60 |
| 48 | BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe | 123 | + 241.7% | 45 | 682 | + 303.6% | 69 | n/a |
| 49 | Porsche Panamera | 115 | – 5.0% | 38 | 1,145 | – 33.3% | 45 | 34 |
| 50 | VW ID.4 | 115 | + 11400.0% | n/a | 1,571 | + 8.8% | 35 | 43 |
Source: KAIDA, manufacturers
