If you’re in a warmer climate, ventilated seats are a great addition to your car, and more manufacturers than ever are including this option. That includes Kia, who have started adding ventilated seats to most of their model range. Just like their sister company Hyundai, there are plenty of Kia vehicles with ventilated seats as standard, but it’s not available on every car.
To help you find the right Kia model, we’ve put together a guide to their ventilated seats. In this article, we’ll take you through which models include the feature as standard and which don’t. We’ll also cover how ventilated seats work in your Kia, and if we think it’s an option worth getting.
Let’s get started!
How do ventilated seats work?
In most cars, ventilated seats are created through a set of fans built into the seat itself. When turned on, they create colder air, which is set to different intensity levels depending on what you need. It’s a simple system, but on warmer days, it can have a major effect on leather seats if they’ve been exposed to the sun.
It’s worth pointing out that ventilated seats are different from cooled seats. Cooled seats are only available in luxury cars, and they use a system of tubes filled with cooling liquid. It’s more powerful than ventilated fans but a lot more expensive.
How to use ventilated seats in your Kia
Controlling your ventilated seats depends on your Kia model. There are two methods for controlling the ventilated seat function:
- On older and lower-spec Kia models, the ventilated seat function is controlled with a button on the center console or dashboard. This is usually an icon with a seat and fan showing and located near the heated seat button. You’ll have three levels of intensity on your ventilated seats.
- On higher-spec Kia models, you may find the ventilated seat controls within your infotainment screen. On the main menu, there will be a ‘Climate’ menu, and within that section, you can find the controls to turn on and adjust your ventilated seats.
If your Kia model has rear ventilated seats, you’ll find those controls in the infotainment menu or built into the rear door panels.
Does every Kia model come with ventilated seats?
The short answer to this is no – only certain Kia models have ventilated seats. In the next section, we’ve listed every current Kia vehicle with ventilated seats as standard.
We’ve also included those Kia’s with ventilated seats as an optional extra and the cost for this feature. Finally, there’s a list of every Kia without ventilated seats included.
Kia models with ventilated seats as standard
The below models include ventilated seats at no extra cost. As you’d expect, these are the highest trim levels for most of the Kia range and their most expensive vehicles. Their newest electric vehicles, including the Niro EV and EV6, come with ventilated seats too.
- Sportage SX Prestige
- Sportage X-Pro Prestige
- Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
- Sportage Plug-in Hybrid X-Line Prestige
- Sorento SX Prestige
- Sorento X-Line SX Prestige
- Sorrento Hybrid SX Prestige
- Sorrento Plug-in Hybrid SX Prestige
- Carnival SX
- Carnival SX Prestige
- Telluride EX
- Telluride EX X-Line
- Telluride SX
- Telluride SX X-Line
- Telluride SX X-Pro
- Telluride SX Prestige
- Telluride SX Prestige X-Line
- Telluride SX Prestige X-Line Pro
- Niro Hybrid SX
- Niro Hybrid SX Touring
- Niro Plug-in Hybrid SX Touring
- Niro EV Wave
- EV6 Wind
- EV6 GT-line
- K5 EX
- Stinger GT2
Kia models with ventilated seats as an optional extra
A handful of Kia models include ventilated seats as an optional extra. Costs vary between these Kia models, as the options pack includes a variety of features.
- Forte GT-Line – $1,000 (part of the Sport Premium Package)
- Forte GT – $1,900 (part of the GT2 Package)
- K5 GT – $4,200 (part of the GT1 Package)
Kia models without ventilated seats
The list below covers every Kia model without ventilated seats as a feature. These are the entry-level trims for most of the Kia range, so they are missing plenty of features you can find in the higher-spec models.
- Soul S
- Soul LX
- Soul GT-Line
- Soul EX
- Seltos LX
- Seltos S
- Seltos Nightfall Edition
- Seltos EX
- Seltos SX
- Sportage LX
- Sportage EX
- Sportage X-Line
- Sportage SX
- Sportage X-Pro
- Sportage Hybrid LX
- Sportage Hybrid EX
- Sportage Plug-in Hybrid X-Line
- Sorento LX
- Sorento S
- Sorento X-Line S
- Sorento EX
- Sorento SX
- Sorrento Hybrid EX
- Sorrento Plug-in Hybrid SX
- Carnival LX
- Carnival EX
- Telluride LX
- Telluride S
- Niro Hybrid LX
- Niro Hybrid EX
- Niro Hybrid EX Touring
- Niro Plug-in Hybrid EX
- Niro EV Wind
- EV6 GT
- Rio LX
- Rio S
- Forte LX
- Forte LXS
- Forte GT Manual
- K5 LXS
- K5 GT-Line
- Stinger GT-Line
FAQs
Are ventilated seats better than cooled seats?
Overall, cooled seats are more effective than ventilated seats. This is due to the liquid used in cooled seats, which is more effective than the fans built into ventilated seats.
Do ventilated seats require maintenance?
Ventilated seats do not require any regular maintenance. Like all mechanical components, they will eventually need replacing, but with Kia parts reliability, we would expect the ventilated seats to last a number of years.
Do any Kia models have rear ventilated seats?
A handful of Kia models in their current range have rear ventilated seats. These include the highest spec Telluride models
How much does it cost to add ventilated seats to your Kia?
Adding ventilated seats costs between $1,000 to $4,000, depending on the Kia model
Are ventilated seats worth buying?
If you’re in a warmer region, ventilated seats are an excellent feature to have. Especially with leather material, it can be a must-have option on hotter days, and it’s a useful feature on longer drivers to keep you focused.
We would like to see Kia include ventilated seats on more models, but it’s still a reasonable range. With Kia expanding their lineup of electric vehicles, hopefully, they will keep ventilated seats as an option there.
To find out more about Kia and features from rival manufacturers, check out the links below:
Which Hyundai Models Have Ventilated Seats?
Which Subaru Has The Best Fuel Economy?
The Hyundai Convenience Package Explained
Which Hyundai Models Have Ambient Lighting?
The Lexus Luxury Package Explained
