Why The 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid Is One Of The Best Cars Of The Year

8 minutes reading

Monday, 28 Sep 2026 15:00 0 66 autotech

Hybrid shmybrid. It’s almost easy to think there’s only one company really crushing this category, and that’s Toyota, which practically invented it with the Prius decades ago. But then you drive an awesome animal like the recently revamped Kia Telluride Hybrid and are reminded — yet again — that this Korean carmaker just keeps upping the ante.

The Telluride Once Again Looks Awesome Inside

2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid
TopSpeed | Michael Frank
2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid
TopSpeed | Michael Frank
2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid
TopSpeed | Michael Frank

When the Telluride first hit the scene about a decade ago, it was the model that made Kia. Before that, Kia was either the brand you looked at because you couldn’t afford something else, or the brand you only knew because you rented one once. But once the Telluride arrived, it was game-changing.

A Squoval Wheel And Intelligent Screen Space

It’s worth dwelling on what you’re seeing in that shot. Not only is the center storage space finished in a grained, high-tech engineered wood that also graces the accent-lit dash. You’ll also note that the instrument cluster and infotainment panels are bridged by a separate climate-control touchscreen. Here, tap where you want the vents to blow, or flip on the A/C or change the temperature. It’s all quickly accessible, with no menu diving required. There’s a similar pragmatism to incorporating a roundish, but still squared-off steering wheel. Sharper corners of that wheel make maneuvering a three-row SUV a tad easier. You’ve seen the rise of this trend in sports cars, which the Telluride is not. Yet a tiller that enables simpler parallel parking and a separate climate-control panel are of a piece with a vehicle that’s not just gorgeous inside, but also elegantly functional.

I Got 30 MPG In Combined City And Highway Driving

Two aspects of this Kia’s hybridization stand out. First, the powertrain is exceptionally quiet. Also, while the Telluride Hybrid is rated at 30 city/32 highway, you seldom see “actual” mileage stand up to the EPA’s figures. Then there’s the fact that this hybrid often shuts off the gas motor even at highway speeds. I’d hit a flat or downhill section while cruising at 70 MPH and the gas motor would go to sleep for a 20-second stint of shut-eye. The already-quiet Telluride would whisper along like an EV, and you could see the battery still being recharged (this isn’t a PHEV, so the battery is only charged by the Telluride’s motion). Cantankerous prior-gen hybrids would whine and shudder, as if the gas engine were being tortured. This hybrid never feels taxed or overwrought. It’s simply lovely to drive.

Enough Muscle For Everything

The powertrain consists of a 2.5-liter four-cylinder that, on its own, produces 258 HP and 260 pound-feet of torque. But it’s never flying solo, because there’s also a 17-horsepower front and 75-horsepower rear motor that together deliver a combined 199 pound-feet of torque. All told, the combined output is 329 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque. While it’s almost funny to say, since so many carmakers are seeking ever-more gears, the six-speed automatic in the Telluride has just enough gears. The transmission never hunts for the right gear, and if you plant your right foot, the Telluride stands to attention and sprints forward. Doing that while also delivering especially strong fuel economy in a seven-passenger SUV is impressive.

It’s Japanese Rival Trumps It In Size

The most obvious rival of the Telluride has to be Toyota’s Grand Highlander Hybrid Max — on sheer size alone. The Grand Highlander wins on overall cargo capacity, which is 97.5 cubic feet vs. 88.3 cubes for the Kia. They essentially tie with 21 cubic feet behind the third row, but the Toyota offers a more useful 58 cubic feet vs. 47 for the Telluride. In both vehicles, seats fold completely flat, making loading and unloading significantly easier, but the Toyota is the roomier family hauler.

Smarter Tech

I attached a bike rack to the receiver of the Kia. Naturally, the parking sensor went into a meltdown the first time I threw the Telluride into reverse. No problem: Within the towing settings, there’s an accessory mode that lets you tell the car you’ve attached a bike rack. From then on, upon restart, the vehicle stopped pestering me. You know how many other vehicles I’ve tested where that was not the case? Let’s just say: many. Too many. Most are set up to “know” when you’ve attached a trailer, because the wiring connector that enables a trailer’s brake lights integrates into the vehicle’s network. But bike racks mostly don’t have an electrical port. And yet on SUVs, they’re a very common accessory. Someone at Kia knows this. Can they please alert other carmakers, too?

Enough Power — And Better MPG Than The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max

The Grand Highlander Hybrid comes in both a weaker, 2.5-liter four-cylinder with a combined 245 horsepower, and the Hybrid Max, with a 2.4-liter and one electric motor for a combined 362 horsepower. The latter stacks up better against the Telluride, no question, and most outlets that measure 0-60 MPH times have found that the Toyota edges the Kia. Meanwhile, the Telluride can still get to 60 MPH in the mid-six-second range. I found it had plenty of power for passing duty — and the Toyota’s combined 27 MPG trails the Telluride’s. Where this will really be evident is the Kia’s 30 city MPG, which is significantly superior to the Grand Highlander Hybrid’s 26 MPG. Since this is a family rig, most of the gas will be burned around town. A four MPG difference may not seem like a lot, but have you noticed the price of gas lately?

Huge Discounts Put The EV9 In Play

Rear 3/4 shot of 2025 Kia EV9 in blue being driven

You might want to cross-shop the Telluride Hybrid against its sibling, the EV9. My loaner Telluride Hybrid stickered at $61,180. The EV9 AWD runs a more expensive $65,545 — save that Kia is offering national discounts of $10,000 off, and some state incentives make it even cheaper than that. Our partners at CarBuzz found the base EV9 retailing at an astonishing $40,694, and the EV9 Light Long Range at $44,785. With 379 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, the EV9 mops the floor against the Telluride and Grand Highlander hybrids. Buy the electric Kia, and you’d ignore the price of gas, which has risen nearly 40% this year, to a national average of $4.43 a gallon today.

A Cheaper EV Stays Cheaper Than The Telluride

Side 3/4 shot of 2025 Kia EV9 in blue parked off-road

Your retort might be that the price of electricity has also risen, but it’s not going up nearly as quickly, rising only about 5% in a year. You can figure out the fueling costs of operating the EV9 vs. the Telluride fairly easily. With an 18.2-gallon tank, the Telluride Hybrid will run you $80.62 to refuel at $4.43 a gallon — plug in your own local gas price here if you’d prefer. If you get the 31 MPG EPA average, you can roll 564 miles on that tank.

That’s basically double the range of the EV9 AWD on a full charge: 283 miles. At a national average kilowatt-hour cost of 18.34 cents, multiplied by what the EPA says the EV9 needs to go 100 miles, which is 40 kilowatts, you land at $7.33 — or $41.34 to travel that same 564 miles if you were driving the Telluride. Simply put, fueling the EV9 costs about half as much. If you can buy one at or near parity with the Telluride, it’s a reasonable alternative.

TopSpeed’s Take

The Telluride Hybrid is excellent. It’s one of the best vehicles I’ve driven all year, and with great fuel economy, the ability to haul seven passengers, and brilliant interior design there aren’t a lot of family utes I’d rather daily drive. I also think Kia is crushing it with tech interfaces, making daily operation enjoyable rather than annoying or overwhelming. If you’re definitely not considering the EV9, then besides the Toyota Grand Highlander, you ought to also look at the Hyundai Palisade. That car won a Buzz Award last year for Best Family Vehicle, and the kicker is that both the Palisade and Telluride are IIHS Top Safety Pick+ winners, making them not just excellent to drive, but also among the safest options to protect you and your family.