Kia Seltos 2026 Exterior Design Fully Revealed; Explained in 9 Images

The next-generation Kia Seltos is now officially revealed, and the compact SUV steps out with a completely new exterior design that pushes it closer to Kia’s global SUV family. The new Seltos dons a boxier, more upright stance, a larger grille, and an overall cleaner, more mature look. These changes position the 2026 Seltos as a far more modern and premium take on one of Kia’s most successful models in India.

If you have been eyeing the new Kia Seltos, here’s everything new with its exterior design:

Front

The new Seltos adopts a far more assertive front end. Kia reworked the digital tiger-nose grille into a larger, more cohesive panel. It now gets squared-off LED headlamps with vertical LED DRL strips for a design signature that now runs along the edges of the bonnet and down the bumper for a clean, high-tech look.

The bonnet sits higher and flatter, giving the compact SUV a more upright stance. The lower bumper is more sculpted with a chunkier air dam and satin-silver or dark gunmetal skid plates, depending on the trim. Overall, the front now looks far more premium, more modern and distinctly more global than before.

Side

From the side as well, the Seltos has seen a design revolution, with a lower, and sleeker stance, albeit with a lot of muscle to the styling. Character lines running from the headlamps to the tail are sharper, the shoulder looks more muscular, and the wheel arches now have a more squared-off profile.

Wheel sizes vary by trim and go up to 18-inch crystal-cut alloys on GTX and X-Line variants: a big visual upgrade over the 16-inch and 17-inch wheels on lower trims. Flush-fit automatic door handles further clean up the look on higher trims, while dual-tone roof options continue to add a touch of sportiness.

Rear

The rear of the new Seltos packs some majorchanges. Kia has fully redesigned the tail lamps into a C-shaped  LED-connected light bar, stretching across the width of the vehicle. This instantly gives the SUV a wider stance and aligns it with global Kia models such as the Sportage. 

The tailgate looks cleaner, with fewer cuts and creases, while the bumper has neater detailing with more integrated and a neater reflector layout. All these small updates combine to make the rear feel more premium, and more cohesive than the outgoing version.

About The Kia Seltos 2026

Kia’s new Seltos is here, and it is bigger, badder and a lot more loaded! Besides an all-new exterior design, it also gets an updated interior with a new ‘trinity display’ layout from the Syros along with a new steering wheel and a more spacious interior, owing to the longer wheelbase. In terms of features, it gets three screens including 12.3-inch displays for the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment along with a smaller 5-inch screen in the middle to control AC settings. It also gets a panoramic sunroof, 10-way power adjustable driver seat, ventilated front seats, wireless charger, an 8-speaker Bose sound system and ambient lighting.

Safety-wise, it gets 6 airbags as standard, electronic stability control, electronic parking brake with auto-hold, hill hold control, 360 degree camera, front, rear and side parking sensors, front and rear dashcam, all-wheel disc brakes and highline tyre pressure monitoring system.

Under the hood, it still retains a choice of 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines, with manual, iMT, CVT, DCT and AT gearbox options. You can check out this story for a closer look under the hood of the Seltos 2026.

Rivals to Watch Out For

When launched next month, the new Seltos will compete with other compact SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Victoris, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Tata Sierra and Curvv, Honda Elevate, MG Astor, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun.

ZigSays…

The new-gen Seltos sharpens every surface and detail to make the SUV look fresh. The lighting, surfacing, and stance now feel more international, and if the interior and powertrain updates match the design effort, Kia could have another strong run ahead.

Do these design upgrades make the Seltos your top pick among other compact SUVs? Let us know in the comments.