Korean Brands Performing Well in America
Hyundai and Kia tend to appear on recall lists, and 2025 was no different, with both brands making the top 10 for recalls that year. But that’s only part of the picture. While those headlines grab attention, they run alongside a bigger story: both brands have been quietly racking up steady, sometimes record-breaking sales.
In the months leading up to the end of 2025, Hyundai and Kia were already posting strong month-over-month numbers, quietly stacking records as the year went on. With the full-year figures now confirmed, the outcome feels more like validation than surprise.
Kristen Brown
Hyundai’s Best Year Keeps Getting Better
Hyundai closed out 2025 with its fifth consecutive year of record retail sales and its third straight year of record total sales in the US market. The brand reported total annual sales of 901,686 vehicles, an eight-percent increase over 2024, while retail sales reached 772,712 units, also an all-time high.
Much of that growth came from Hyundai’s wide SUV lineup. The Tucson, Santa Fe, and Palisade each set their own sales records, showing just how well these models fit what buyers want right now. Electrified vehicles also played a bigger role, making up about 30 percent of Hyundai’s retail sales. Hybrids, in particular, saw double-digit growth as more buyers looked for better fuel economy without jumping straight to a full EV.
December capped things off with Hyundai’s best-ever sales for that month, a sign that demand stayed strong right up to the end of the year. Looking at the full picture, 2025 didn’t just keep Hyundai’s winning streak alive – it put the brand in an even stronger spot as it heads into 2026.
Hyundai
Kia Hits Another All-Time High
Kia’s 2025 results follow a similar pattern, but the headline is even simpler: the brand just had its best sales year ever in the US, moving 852,155 vehicles and breaking past the 800,000 mark for the first time. That’s a seven percent jump over 2024, and it’s the third year in a row Kia has set a new annual sales record.
SUVs continued to be the core of Kia’s lineup. The Sportage had the best sales year of any Kia model to date, and both the Telluride and Carnival set new records of their own. Electrified models also gained ground, posting double-digit growth compared to last year.
Retail sales climbed for the eighth straight year, giving Kia its highest-ever US market share. At this point, consistency is doing much of the talking. Kia has built a momentum across multiple segments, and 2025 made that increasingly clear.
Kia
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