Published : 11 December 2025
Read Time : 5 min
Author: Mahesh Yadav
In this variant explained article, you'll find out which variant of the Kia Seltos you should buy based on ex-showroom prices, variant-wise features and value for money for a balanced ownership experience. Here we compare and objectively analyse the 2026 Seltos’s petrol and diesel variants and their features. Then we will compare the engine specs, dimensions and mileage of the 2026 Kia Seltos with its competitors and other petrol- & diesel-powered crossovers and SUVs such as the Hyundai Creta, Tata Sierra, Maruti Vitara, Victoris, MG Astor and Honda Elevate.
Update (Dec 11, 2025): In this article, you will find variant wise features of the new Seltos 2026. Variant-wise buying recommendations will be available once we have the full price list from Kia.
2026 Kia Seltos Variant-Powertrain Combinations
The Kia Seltos is available with the following 6 powertrain options:
- 1.5L normal petrol-manual (6MT)
- 1.5L normal petrol-automatic (CVT)
- 1.5L turbo petrol-auto-clutch manual (6ACMT)
- 1.5L turbo petrol-automatic (7DCT)
- 1.5L turbo diesel-manual (6MT)
- 1.5L turbo diesel-automatic (6TC)
The following table presents the variant-engine-transmission combinations of the Kia Seltos 2026:
Kia Seltos HTE — Base Model Standard Features
The base model of the Seltos is available with 1.5L normal petrol-manual and 1.5L turbo diesel manual powertrain options.
The base model of the Seltos gets the following notable features:
For a car expected to cost around Rs. 11.0 lakh ex-showroom, the Seltos base variant seems quite well loaded with only a few missing features such as:
- Auto AC
- Tilt steering
- Rear armrest
- Rear parcel tray
- Rear window sunshades
- Rear split-folding seat backs
- Rear adjustable headrests
- Rear defogger
Kia Seltos HTE vs HTE (O) Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The HTE (O) variant of the Seltos is available with all powertrain options except for the turbo petrol-automatic.
The 2026 Seltos HTE (O) variant offers the following additional notable features:
* = Expected but not confirmed
This variant misses out on the following features:
- Rear window sunshades
- Front parking sensors
- Rear parcel tray
- Tilt steering
- Auto AC
- Power folding mirrors
Kia Seltos HTE (O) vs HTK Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
In the Seltos HTK variant also, you get the same powertrain options as the lower HTE (O) trim.
This variant adds the following features to the mix:
You may miss the following features in the Seltos HTK variant:
- Auto AC
Kia Seltos HTK vs HTK (O) Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The HTK (O) variant of the Seltos is the only one in the entire lineup to get all powertrain options.
The Seltos HTK (O) variant adds the following notable features over the HTK trim:
You may miss the following features in the Seltos HTK (O) variant:
- Auto AC
Kia Seltos HTK (O) vs HTX Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The HTX variant misses out on the turbo petrol-ACMT powertrain but gets everything else.
It offers the following notable features over the lower HTX variant:
This variant actually feels quite well loaded for its expected asking price.
Kia Seltos HTX vs HTX (A) Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The Seltos HTX (A) variant doesn’t get turbo petrol-ACMT and diesel-manual powertrains, but gets the rest.
The Seltos HTX (A) trim offers the following notable features over the lower HTX variant:
In this variant, you may miss features like:
- Power tail gate
- Power passenger seat
Kia Seltos HTX vs GTX Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The GTX variant of the Seltos gets only automatic transmission options.
It offers the following notable features over the HTX variant:
In this variant, you may miss features like:
- Power tail gate
- Power passenger seat
Kia Seltos GTX vs X Line Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The X Line variant of the Seltos also gets only 3 automatic transmission options with the 3 engines but no manual at all.
It offers the following notable features over the lower X Line variant:
In this variant, you may miss features like:
- Power tail gate
- Power passenger seat
Kia Seltos GTX & X Line vs GTX (A) X Line (A) Variant — Price, Feature Comparison
The X Line (A) and GTX (A) variants of the Seltos also get the same automatic transmission options as the lower GTX and X Line trims.
It offers the following notable features over the lower GTX or X Line variant:
In this variant, you may miss features like:
- Power tail gate
- Power passenger seat