The Tesla Model Y is the best-selling vehicle in South Korea for the third month…
South Korea October 2026: Kia Sportage signs first win in 6 years
The Kia Sportage is the best-selling vehicle at home for the first time since November 2021.
The South Korean new car market is up by a sturdy 7.9% year-on-year in October to 136,776 units. This is split between 105,659 local brands (+2.9%) and 31,117 foreigners (+29.3%). The year-to-date however remains in negative at -1.4% to 1,365,300 units including 1,054,473 locals (-7.2%) and 310,827 foreigners (+24.7%). Kia (+26.7%) posts a magnificent month at 37.4% share, outclassing its sister brand Hyundai (-3.7%) at 31.5% share. Tesla (+110.7%) continues to surge ahead but at 6.7% it is below the 7.2% it commands year-to-date, still a fantastic performance given we are at the start of a quarter. Mercedes (+15.5%) also shines at #4, overtaking archenemy BMW (-8.8%). BYD is up 93.4% YoY but drops three spots on last month to #10.
Looking at local models, thanks to its recent refresh the Kia Sportage (+90.1%) almost doubles its sales year-on-year and climbs to the top spot for the first time since November 2021 which was its first monthly win in 17 years. The Hyundai Grandeur (+37.7%) is pushed down to #2 with the Kia Sorento (-0.1%) rounding out the podium but still #1 year-to-date. The Hyundai Avante (-4.7%) disappoints at #4 ahead of the Kia Carnival (+23.4%), Seltos (+43.1%) and Ray (+33%) all in excellent shape. The Kia EV5 (+209.4%) and EV3 (+119.5%) also shine below. Note the new generation Tucson already accounts for 90% of the nameplate’s sales this month.
As for foreign models, the Tesla Model Y (+48.4%) is #1 again but doesn’t top the overall rankings (including locals) for the first time since last June. The Mercedes E Class (+48%) is equally dynamic but not as much as the Tesla Model 3 (+458.6%) climbing to third place. The BMW 5 Series (-17.1%) and X3 (+25.5%) follow. The BYD Dolphin is the best-selling recent launch at #6, distancing the new Lexus ES EV (#12), Volvo ES90 (#13) and BYD Sealion 6 (#17).
Previous month: South Korea September 2026: Tesla Model Y overall #1 again, Hyundai Grandeur tops local models
One year ago: South Korea October 2025: Tesla (+244.4%), BYD (#12) can’t help market off -12.9%
Full October 2026 Top 31 All brands, Top XX All local models and Top 50 foreigh models below.
South Korea October 2026 – brands:
| Pos | Brand | Oct-26 | % | /25 | Sep | 2026 | % | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Kia | 51,110 | 37.4% | + 26.7% | 1 | 488,652 | 35.8% | + 7.3% | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Hyundai | 43,100 | 31.5% | – 3.7% | 2 | 428,540 | 31.4% | – 12.9% | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Tesla | 9,165 | 6.7% | + 110.7% | 3 | 98,313 | 7.2% | + 105.0% | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Mercedes | 6,744 | 4.9% | + 15.5% | 5 | 49,993 | 3.7% | – 7.6% | 6 | 5 |
| 5 | Genesis | 5,942 | 4.3% | – 34.4% | 6 | 68,413 | 5.0% | – 29.7% | 4 | 3 |
| 6 | BMW | 5,633 | 4.1% | – 8.8% | 4 | 63,562 | 4.7% | – 0.7% | 5 | 4 |
| 7 | Renault Korea | 2,703 | 2.0% | – 29.1% | 8 | 29,907 | 2.2% | – 31.9% | 8 | 7 |
| 8 | KGM | 2,037 | 1.5% | – 42.4% | 9 | 30,854 | 2.3% | – 10.5% | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | Volvo | 1,682 | 1.2% | + 17.2% | 10 | 12,294 | 0.9% | + 3.1% | 11 | 9 |
| 10 | BYD | 1,594 | 1.2% | + 93.4% | 7 | 21,731 | 1.6% | + 473.2% | 9 | 16 |
| 11 | Lexus | 1,346 | 1.0% | + 9.8% | 11 | 12,543 | 0.9% | – 2.4% | 10 | 10 |
| 12 | Toyota | 1,038 | 0.8% | + 27.7% | 12 | 9,551 | 0.7% | + 21.1% | 13 | 14 |
| 13 | Volkswagen | 950 | 0.7% | + 564.3% | 19 | 5,149 | 0.4% | + 27.2% | 17 | 18 |
| 14 | Porsche | 768 | 0.6% | + 29.3% | 14 | 7,341 | 0.5% | – 17.9% | 15 | 13 |
| 15 | Chevrolet | 767 | 0.6% | – 34.6% | 16 | 8,107 | 0.6% | – 36.6% | 14 | 11 |
| 16 | Mini | 704 | 0.5% | + 7.2% | 18 | 6,770 | 0.5% | + 8.1% | 16 | 15 |
| 17 | Audi | 461 | 0.3% | – 33.1% | 13 | 10,443 | 0.8% | + 9.4% | 12 | 12 |
| 18 | Polestar | 244 | 0.2% | – 14.7% | 15 | 3,963 | 0.3% | + 57.7% | 18 | 20 |
| 19 | Land Rover | 231 | 0.2% | – 10.8% | 17 | 3,926 | 0.3% | – 9.2% | 19 | 17 |
| 20 | Zeekr | 129 | 0.1% | new | 23 | 178 | 0.0% | new | 30 | – |
| 21 | Honda | 101 | 0.1% | + 16.1% | 27 | 568 | 0.0% | – 63.8% | 22 | 22 |
| 22 | Jeep | 81 | 0.1% | – 36.2% | 20 | 954 | 0.1% | – 41.2% | 20 | 21 |
| 23 | Peugeot | 49 | 0.0% | – 33.8% | 24 | 496 | 0.0% | – 37.1% | 23 | 24 |
| 24 | Cadillac | 44 | 0.0% | – 38.0% | 25 | 472 | 0.0% | – 23.1% | 24 | 25 |
| 25 | Lamborghini | 44 | 0.0% | + 41.9% | 22 | 447 | 0.0% | + 24.2% | 25 | 26 |
| 26 | GMC | 40 | 0.0% | + 73.9% | 21 | 673 | 0.0% | + 223.6% | 21 | 30 |
| 27 | Ferrari | 29 | 0.0% | + 31.8% | 28 | 206 | 0.0% | – 30.2% | 29 | 28 |
| 28 | Bentley | 24 | 0.0% | – 46.7% | 26 | 353 | 0.0% | + 20.9% | 28 | 27 |
| 29 | Rolls-Royce | 10 | 0.0% | + 0.0% | 29 | 139 | 0.0% | – 7.9% | 31 | 31 |
| 30 | Ford | 3 | 0.0% | – 98.6% | 31 | 390 | 0.0% | – 89.9% | 26 | 19 |
| 31 | Lincoln | 3 | 0.0% | – 92.9% | 30 | 370 | 0.0% | – 63.6% | 27 | 23 |
| – | Total local manufacturers | 105,659 | 77.2% | + 2.9% | – | 1,054,473 | 77.2% | – 7.2% | – | – |
| – | Total foreign manufacturers | 31,117 | 22.8% | + 29.3% | – | 310,827 | 22.8% | + 24.7% | – | – |
| – | Total market | 136,776 | 100.0% | + 7.9% | – | 1,365,300 | 100.0% | – 1.4% | – | – |
South Korea October 2026 – local models:
| Pos | Model | Oct-26 | /25 | Sep | 2026 | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Kia Sportage | 7,708 | + 90.1% | 4 | 53,723 | – 10.1% | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Hyundai Grandeur | 6,989 | + 37.7% | 1 | 68,740 | + 28.1% | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | Kia Sorento | 6,784 | – 0.1% | 3 | 81,717 | + 1.5% | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Hyundai Avante | 5,730 | – 4.7% | 2 | 45,710 | – 31.9% | 6 | 2 |
| 5 | Kia Carnival | 5,570 | + 23.4% | 6 | 52,161 | – 22.1% | 4 | 3 |
| 6 | Kia Seltos | 4,816 | + 43.1% | 5 | 44,517 | – 4.1% | 7 | 9 |
| 7 | Kia Ray | 4,497 | + 33.0% | 7 | 42,003 | + 5.3% | 8 | 12 |
| 8 | Hyundai Porter | 3,967 | – 0.3% | 9 | 41,846 | – 12.3% | 9 | 8 |
| 9 | Hyundai Sonata | 3,894 | – 15.4% | 8 | 46,075 | + 9.5% | 5 | 11 |
| 10 | Hyundai Staria | 3,582 | + 48.0% | 11 | 26,650 | – 17.8% | 15 | 15 |
| 11 | Kia EV5 | 3,558 | + 209.4% | 16 | 28,263 | + 1887.6% | 13 | 49 |
| 12 | Hyundai Palisade | 3,322 | – 13.2% | 12 | 30,390 | – 39.4% | 11 | 6 |
| 13 | Kia EV3 | 3,124 | + 119.5% | 24 | 29,823 | + 46.3% | 12 | 22 |
| 14 | Kia Bongo | 2,704 | – 5.0% | 15 | 26,697 | – 13.1% | 14 | 17 |
| 15 | Kia PV5 | 2,688 | + 48.2% | 20 | 23,792 | + 798.8% | 20 | 45 |
| 16 | Kia K5 | 2,683 | – 11.9% | 13 | 25,628 | – 13.7% | 18 | 16 |
| 17 | Hyundai Kona | 2,605 | – 11.7% | 21 | 26,141 | – 2.0% | 16 | 19 |
| 18 | Hyundai Bus/Truck | 2,510 | + 19.8% | 17 | 18,915 | + 9.8% | 23 | 23 |
| 19 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 2,469 | – 49.2% | 10 | 33,615 | – 33.3% | 10 | 7 |
| 20 | Genesis G80 | 2,124 | – 27.8% | 18 | 24,404 | – 28.4% | 19 | 13 |
| 21 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | 1,903 | + 71.6% | 27 | 18,264 | + 36.1% | 24 | 26 |
| 22 | Genesis GV80 | 1,814 | – 36.4% | 28 | 17,325 | – 35.1% | 25 | 20 |
| 23 | Hyundai Tucson | 1,590 | – 59.3% | 22 | 25,799 | – 40.8% | 17 | 10 |
| 24 | Hyundai Casper | 1,526 | + 3.0% | 26 | 13,453 | – 1.9% | 28 | 24 |
| 25 | Kia Morning | 1,495 | – 27.5% | 14 | 20,830 | + 55.8% | 21 | 25 |
| 26 | Genesis GV70 | 1,461 | – 41.8% | 19 | 20,593 | – 26.4% | 22 | 18 |
| 27 | Kia K8 | 1,421 | – 33.3% | 23 | 17,317 | – 26.1% | 26 | 21 |
| 28 | Kia Niro | 1,394 | + 23.6% | 25 | 13,552 | + 24.3% | 27 | 27 |
| 29 | Hyundai Ioniq 9 | 1,099 | + 64.8% | 30 | 11,083 | + 45.6% | 31 | 33 |
| 30 | Renault Korea Arkana | 1,075 | + 140.5% | 32 | 5,466 | + 29.3% | 38 | 40 |
| 31 | Renault Korea Grand Koleos | 1,066 | – 63.7% | 29 | 12,249 | – 65.0% | 29 | 14 |
| 32 | Kia EV4 | 950 | + 45.3% | 36 | 10,766 | + 40.0% | 32 | 34 |
| 33 | Hyundai Venue | 882 | + 58.6% | 46 | 7,966 | – 7.6% | 34 | 28 |
| 34 | KGM Musso | 743 | + 121.8% | 31 | 10,613 | + 229.2% | 33 | 44 |
| 35 | Kia EV6 | 675 | – 9.6% | 38 | 7,872 | – 11.5% | 35 | 30 |
| 36 | Hyundai Ioniq 6 | 615 | + 67.6% | 35 | 7,150 | + 48.2% | 36 | 42 |
| 37 | Renault Korea Filante | 562 | new | 33 | 11,834 | new | 30 | – |
| 38 | Chevrolet Trax Crossover | 556 | – 42.0% | 34 | 6,563 | – 36.5% | 37 | 29 |
| 39 | Kia Tasman | 401 | – 34.4% | 39 | 3,601 | – 52.2% | 45 | 32 |
| 40 | KGM Tivoli | 364 | – 28.1% | 37 | 4,545 | + 5.8% | 42 | 41 |
| 41 | Kia EV9 | 343 | + 138.2% | 45 | 2,938 | + 118.6% | 47 | 53 |
| 42 | KGM Torres | 311 | – 67.5% | 40 | 3,942 | – 44.5% | 44 | 31 |
| 43 | KGM Actyon | 302 | – 56.9% | 43 | 4,811 | – 18.6% | 40 | 35 |
| 44 | Hyundai Nexo | 277 | – 57.1% | 44 | 4,654 | – 3.3% | 41 | 39 |
| 45 | Genesis G90 | 273 | – 44.5% | 42 | 3,978 | – 35.4% | 43 | 36 |
| 46 | Kia Bus/Special | 229 | – 47.7% | 41 | 3,121 | + 56.1% | 46 | 46 |
| 47 | Chevrolet Trailblazer | 211 | + 16.6% | 48 | 1,502 | – 32.2% | 48 | 48 |
| 48 | KGM Musso EV | 193 | – 66.8% | 50 | 5,341 | – 22.5% | 39 | 37 |
| 49 | Genesis GV60 | 152 | + 72.7% | 52 | 1,001 | + 42.4% | 51 | 58 |
| 50 | Hyundai ST1 | 140 | – 29.6% | 47 | 1,194 | – 18.2% | 49 | 55 |
| 51 | Genesis G70 | 98 | – 22.8% | 49 | 1,153 | – 26.5% | 50 | 50 |
| 52 | KGM Rexton New Arena | 75 | – 40.0% | 51 | 798 | – 30.0% | 54 | 57 |
| 53 | Kia K9 | 70 | + 48.9% | 53 | 951 | – 25.3% | 52 | 54 |
| 54 | KGM Torres EVX | 49 | – 39.5% | 54 | 802 | – 54.8% | 53 | 52 |
| 55 | Genesis GV60 Magma | 13 | new | 55 | 106 | new | 56 | – |
| 56 | Genesis GV90 | 5 | new | – | 5 | new | 58 | – |
South Korea October 2026 – foreign models:
| Pos | Model | Oct-26 | /25 | Sep | 2026 | /25 | Pos | FY25 |
| 1 | Tesla Model Y | 5,508 | + 48.4% | 1 | 78,631 | + 93.0% | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Mercedes E Class | 3,683 | + 48.0% | 2 | 21,203 | – 5.3% | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Tesla Model 3 | 3,553 | + 458.6% | 6 | 15,459 | + 118.8% | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | BMW 5 Series | 1,478 | – 17.1% | 3 | 18,917 | – 5.4% | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | BMW X3 | 762 | + 25.5% | 8 | 6,793 | + 23.5% | 8 | 8 |
| 6 | BYD Dolphin | 740 | new | 4 | 8,938 | new | 5 | – |
| 7 | Mercedes S Class | 575 | + 26.1% | 5 | 3,898 | – 1.8% | 14 | 12 |
| 8 | BMW X5 | 532 | + 4.9% | 11 | 5,544 | + 8.6% | 9 | 10 |
| 9 | Mercedes GLC | 527 | – 29.9% | 12 | 6,948 | – 6.2% | 7 | 4 |
| 10 | BMW 3 Series | 503 | – 24.6% | 10 | 5,173 | – 1.3% | 11 | 9 |
| 11 | Mercedes GLE | 494 | – 34.8% | 19 | 5,504 | + 3.6% | 10 | 6 |
| 12 | Lexus new ES EV | 492 | new | n/a | 544 | new | n/a | |
| 13 | Volvo ES90 | 431 | new | n/a | 473 | new | n/a | |
| 14 | Toyota RAV4 | 430 | + 90.3% | 17 | 2,826 | + 55.9% | 20 | 30 |
| 15 | Volvo EX30 | 400 | + 1042.9% | 16 | 2,233 | + 118.5% | 30 | 47 |
| 16 | Lexus NX | 376 | + 71.7% | 18 | 4,425 | + 21.2% | 12 | 18 |
| 17 | BYD Sealion 6 | 363 | new | 22 | 1,231 | new | 44 | – |
| 18 | BMW 7 Series | 356 | – 7.8% | 14 | 4,319 | + 0.3% | 13 | 13 |
| 19 | Mercedes G Class | 334 | + 81.5% | 20 | 2,524 | – 4.8% | 25 | 21 |
| 20 | BYD Sealion 7 | 304 | – 40.7% | 7 | 7,413 | + 452.8% | 6 | 25 |
| 21 | Mini Cooper Hatch | 291 | + 1.7% | 23 | 3,240 | + 6.8% | 18 | 15 |
| 22 | Volvo XC60 | 290 | – 38.0% | 26 | 3,721 | – 18.9% | 16 | 11 |
| 23 | Lexus RX | 276 | + 56.8% | 15 | 2,548 | + 28.4% | 24 | 33 |
| 24 | BMW X7 | 271 | – 27.0% | 25 | 3,344 | – 12.5% | 17 | 14 |
| 25 | VW Golf | 267 | + 2125.0% | 31 | 1,612 | + 145.4% | 38 | 54 |
| 26 | VW Atlas | 266 | + 141.8% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 27 | BMW i5 | 253 | + 8.6% | 30 | 2,635 | + 91.6% | 23 | 36 |
| 28 | Toyota Camry | 251 | + 35.7% | 36 | 2,074 | + 8.6% | 31 | 31 |
| 29 | Mercedes CLE | 241 | – 8.0% | 44 | 2,451 | – 11.1% | 26 | 20 |
| 30 | BMW iX3 | 232 | new | 41 | 864 | + 155.6% | n/a | 69 |
| 31 | Mercedes GLB | 229 | + 218.1% | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 51 |
| 32 | VW ID.5 | 221 | + 22000.0% | 29 | 665 | + 0.9% | n/a | 68 |
| 33 | Porsche Cayenne EV | 199 | new | – | 199 | new | n/a | – |
| 34 | Audi A6 | 196 | n/a | 13 | 2,395 | + 149.5% | 27 | 51 |
| 35 | BMW X6 | 195 | – 16.3% | 40 | 2,357 | – 21.7% | 28 | 19 |
| 36 | Toyota Alphard | 167 | + 7.1% | 33 | 1,630 | + 26.3% | 37 | 42 |
| 37 | BMW iX1 | 165 | + 236.7% | 39 | 1,067 | + 149.9% | 50 | 86 |
| 38 | Porsche Taycan | 165 | – 3.5% | 35 | 1,820 | + 13.2% | 34 | 35 |
| 39 | Mercedes C Class | 161 | – 8.0% | n/a | 1,206 | – 50.1% | 46 | 27 |
| 40 | Porsche Cayenne | 155 | – 4.9% | 21 | 2,024 | – 36.8% | 32 | 17 |
| 41 | BMW X1 | 152 | – 19.1% | 42 | 1,643 | – 22.6% | 36 | 28 |
| 42 | Polestar 4 | 145 | – 49.3% | 9 | 3,753 | + 73.2% | 15 | 26 |
| 43 | Mercedes-Maybach S-Class | 141 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 44 | Mini Electric | 139 | + 0.7% | n/a | 746 | + 6.7% | n/a | n/a |
| 45 | VW ID.4 | 136 | n/a | 50 | 1,707 | + 18.2% | 35 | 43 |
| 46 | Volvo EX90 | 133 | new | 24 | 485 | new | n/a | – |
| 47 | Volvo XC90 | 133 | – 16.4% | n/a | 1,444 | + 0.3% | 39 | 38 |
| 48 | Zeekr 7X | 129 | new | n/a | 178 | new | n/a | – |
| 49 | Porsche Macan EV | 125 | + 17.9% | 37 | 1,165 | – 6.7% | 47 | 41 |
| 50 | Volvo S90 | 123 | – 57.4% | n/a | 1,366 | + 5.9% | 40 | 39 |
Source: KAIDA, Manufacturers
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