A Kia Telluride Hybrid Is Coming, and Soon

• During its Investor Day presentation, Kia executives confirmed plans for a hybrid version of the popular Telluride SUV.
• Kia is expanding its hybrid lineup across the board.
• Meanwhile, the South Korean brand is working on an all-electric pickup truck for the U.S. market.

At Kia's Design Week installation in Milan, Italy, the brand's top vehicle designers are looking into the future and talking all things EV, but that doesn't mean the brand's core models are getting ignored. Kia confirmed to Edmunds that it's going to offer a hybrid version of the Telluride, the brand's extremely popular family hauler. Kia had a hit on its hands in 2020 when it launched the Telluride, and it doesn't look to be resting on its laurels.

The Telluride isn’t the only model getting the hybrid treatment either: Kia revealed this morning that it would be “diversifying its hybrid lineup across all segments.” In a statement released early today, Kia cited uncertain environmental regulations and increasing demand for hybrid models. Its plan is to double its hybrid sales by 2030 from nearly 500,000 in 2025 to a total of 1 million in 2030. Overall, the automaker is working toward 2.33 million electrified models — EVs, hybrids and plug-in hybrid models — out of a total of 4.19 million globally by 2039.

Currently, every Telluride is equipped with a 3.8-liter V6 making 291 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. During our real-world fuel economy evaluation, our Telluride achieved about 23 mpg combined with all-wheel drive, while the EPA says it is good for 20 mpg. (Front-wheel-drive Tellurides are estimated to get 22 mpg combined.) A hybrid model should not only improve those numbers but add a little more oomph to its acceleration.

For comparison, rival Toyota makes a hybrid AWD Grand Highlander that gets 34 mpg combined. That’s a big difference, reducing your number of trips to the pump overall and saving you cash. Hybrids are hot right now, and combining the Telluride's winning formula with better fuel efficiency seems like an easy win. Especially when you consider the Grand Highlander Hybrid impressed us so much it won an Edmunds Top Rated award for 2025.

But wait, there’s more: We already knew that we weren't getting the new Kia Tasman (pictured below), and that was a bummer, but we won't have to wait too long for something even more interesting. The company has confirmed that an all-electric pickup is coming to American shores. The brand says the pickup will be based on a new EV platform, designed for both highway and off-pavement use. Considering that the Telluride is far more capable than most drivers realized — it has been piloted by professional driver Verena Mei for multiple years across the desert for the punishing Rebelle Rally off-road competition — the new pickup will surely have some durable chops, too.

This is a smart move for Kia, which clearly isn’t abandoning its EV plans even as it pursues more hybrids. Kia has the EV2, EV3, EV4 and EV5 in the works for varying parts of the world, with the multi-use PV5 van also on the way in July. Like Toyota, Kia is hedging its bets with a full array of powertrain options. That's a sound strategy for the brand, which is only becoming a bigger player year after year.