The Tesla Model Y is the best-selling vehicle in South Korea for the third month in a row.
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 is estimated to lead both the foreign and overall rankings with over 10,000 sales. 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. Detailed September data for foreign models will be uploaded to this article when made available to us.
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 and Top 55 All local models 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 | – |
Source: KAIDA, manufacturers
