The Kia K4 will receive a full-hybrid system in Europe in 2026, the brand has confirmed, with Australia keen.
The Kia K4 small car has been confirmed to receive a full-hybrid system in Europe in 2026 to rival the Toyota Corolla – and it's likely to become available in Australia.
Kia Australia has expressed interest in the K4 Hybrid, which was announced this week, with a European launch confirmed for late next year after its initial debut with non-hybrid and mild-hybrid turbocharged engines.
"Later in 2026, the powertrain line-up will be expanded to include a full hybrid option," Kia Europe said in a media release detailing the K4, which will replace the Ceed hatch and wagon.
In Australia, the K4 hatch will arrive in November, joining the sedan offered here since January 2025, but hybrid power will not be offered at launch.
The K4 Hybrid is expected to use the same system as the mechanically-related Kia Niro, Hyundai i30 Sedan and Hyundai Kona, with a 1.6-litre non-turbo four-cylinder engine, electric motor and small battery.
Combined fuel consumption in the Hyundai i30 Sedan Hybrid is rated at 3.9L/100km, with the electrified K4 likely to achieve a similar figure if it becomes available in Australia.
Kia Australia product planning boss Roland Rivero told Drive in January that Australia wanted a K4 Hybrid, along with other markets and regions.
"Numerous markets and regions want [a K4 Hybrid], including Australia," Rivero said.
"Obviously Europe really wants it, and rightfully so. The CO2 regulations there are already strict. And we’re the same.
"With big regions, like Europe demanding it and requesting it, we’re quite confident that it's going to come."
The next-generation Kia Seltos small SUV, expected to launch in 2026, is also rumoured to gain a full-hybrid system, likely sharing its underpinnings and engines with the Kia K4, Niro, Hyundai i30 Sedan and Kona.
For 2026, entry-level versions of the K4 hatch and sedan will feature an updated, Atkinson Cycle version of the 2.0-litre non-turbo petrol engine in Australia, while there are no changes to the GT-Line's 1.6-litre turbo and eight-speed auto.
Matched to a continuously variable transmission (CVT) automatic instead of a six-speed torque-converter unit, the revised 2.0-litre engine will use less fuel and reduce emissions, but it's down 2kW and 12Nm to 110kW and 180Nm.
In Europe, the K4 hatch will launch with a non-hybrid 85kW 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine matched to a six-speed manual transmission, or a mild-hybrid version with the manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The non-hybrid 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol will be offered in Europe in 110kW or 132kW tunes with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic – not the eight-speed torque-converter used in Australia's model.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
