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Kia Car
Kia Sonet
The turbo-petrol yardstick of the compact SUV class: 120 bhp from a litre, loaded top trims, average crash score.
On sale ₹7.45 lakh all-India ex-showroom
- Price
- ₹7.45 lakh
- all-India ex-showroom Official
- Mileage
- 18 kmpl
- Engine
- 998 cc
- Power
- 120 bhp
- Torque
- 172 Nm
- Top speed
- 185 kmph
- Kerb weight
- 1275 kg
- Height
- 1642 mm
- Ground clearance
- 205 mm
- Seats
- 5
- Boot space
- 392 L
- Fuel
- Petrol
- Gearbox
- Manual / Automatic
Quick answer
What is the Kia Sonet?
The Kia Sonet is on sale in India, with a catalogue price from ₹7.45 lakh ex-showroom. It has a 998 cc petrol engine making 120 bhp, with a claimed 18 kmpl. MotoSutra’s editorial rating is 4.1 out of 5. Compare it with rivals or read the full specification sheet below.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- 1.0 turbo-petrol with 172 Nm from 1500 rpm
- Six airbags standard across the range
- 392-litre boot and a segment-leading options list
Price
Ex-showroom price
₹7.45 lakh
all-India ex-showroom
Official Kia India — Sonet showroom page (opens in a new tab) Quoted verbatim: “Kia Sonet starts at price of ₹7,44,900*(Ex-showroom price all India) after GST cut.” Kia labels the figure all-India ex-showroom, so this record carries the region “India”; elsewhere in the catalogue a region is stated only when a source names one.Kia India’s own Sonet page states the starting ex-showroom price as ₹7,44,900 after the GST cut, re-read 10 October 2026. No upper end is published because no current ceiling was readable from Kia’s page, and the variant figures below are not dated quotations.
Launched January 2024
Kia Sonet variant prices
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
|---|---|
| HTE petrol manual Six airbags · 15-inch wheels · No current price published — the ₹7.99 lakh figure quoted for this trim belongs to the superseded 2024 list | Price not listed |
| HTK petrol manual Touchscreen infotainment · Rear parking camera | Price not listed |
| HTX+ petrol manual 1.0 turbo-petrol · Alloy wheels | Price not listed |
| HTX iMT petrol manual Turbo with smart-manual iMT · Ventilated seats | Price not listed |
| GTX+ DCT petrol automatic Seven-speed dual-clutch · Driver assistance suite · Digital cluster | Price not listed |
Price published by the manufacturer for India (all-India ex-showroom), re-read 2026-10-10. Confirm the current showroom figure with a dealer.
Mileage and fuel use
Published mileage
18 km/l
Fuel economy varies with traffic, speed, load, road conditions and maintenance. A published figure is not a promise of real-world consumption.
Performance and powertrain
Engine
998 cc · 3 cylinders
- Maximum power
- 120 bhp at 5500 rpm
- Maximum torque
- 172 Nm at 1500-4000 rpm
- Top speed
- 185 km/h
Specifications
Engine and performance
| Engine | 998 cc, 3-cylinder |
|---|---|
| Max power | 120 bhp @ 5500 rpm |
| Max torque | 172 Nm @ 1500-4000 rpm |
| Mileage | 18 kmpl |
| Top speed | 185 kmph |
| Gearbox | Manual / Automatic |
Chassis and safety
| Kerb weight | 1275 kg |
|---|---|
| Seat capacity | 5 persons |
| Boot space | 392 litres |
| Suspension | MacPherson strut front, torsion beam rear |
| Brakes | Ventilated disc front, drum rear |
| Tyres | 215/60 R16 |
| Safety equipment | Six airbags standard; three-star GNCAP adult score |
Dimensions
| Length | 3995 mm |
|---|---|
| Width | 1790 mm |
| Height | 1642 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2500 mm |
| Ground clearance | 205 mm |
Figures without a named source document are unverified MotoSutra catalogue estimates, not official specifications. Confirm current numbers with the manufacturer.
What to know about the Sonet
The Sonet’s headline is a one-litre three-cylinder turbo that makes 120 bhp and 172 Nm across a wide plateau, and it drives far bigger than the arithmetic suggests. Pulls away in traffic are effortless, a highway overtake at 90 km/h is a decision rather than a project, and the dual-clutch automatic on the top variants in this listing changes gear faster than most drivers do manually. The base engine elsewhere in the range is a quietly willing naturally aspirated unit, but the car’s character is the turbo, and that is the powertrain this record specs.
Kia’s real weapon, though, is the value of the options list. Even mid-level Sonets carry the kind of kit that rivals reserve for their top trims: a large touchscreen with connected features, ventilated seats, a powered driver seat, a cooled glovebox, and on top variants the full driver-assistance suite with adaptive cruise. The 392-litre boot is the largest in this catalogue’s compact SUV set, the cabin is wide and quiet for the money, and six airbags are fitted standard across the range.
The asterisk is the structure. The three-star Global NCAP adult score is the segment’s average rather than its best, and next to the five-star Tatas and the XUV 3XO, the showroom conversation always ends with someone quoting star ratings. The turbo is gruff at idle in the way of three-cylinder engines, the rear suspension is firm enough to report expansion joints to the second row, and the automatic’s low-speed manners are good, not torque-converter perfect. Judge the Sonet on what it is: the fastest, most feature-laden way into a compact SUV, with a crash score that should send a careful buyer to the top trim for the airbags it does get.
Features
Convenience
- Drive mode selector
- Wireless phone charging
- Rear AC vents
- Remote climate start via app
Interior
- 10.25-inch touchscreen
- Digital instrument cluster
- Ventilated front seats
- Ambient lighting with cooled glovebox
Safety
- Six airbags standard
- Level-2 driver assistance on top trims
- Electronic stability control
- Tyre pressure monitoring system
Pros and cons
What we like
- The turbo is genuinely quick at legal speeds
- Options list is the segment benchmark
- Biggest boot among the compacts listed here
What we would change
- Three-star crash score trails the five-star rivals
- Three-cylinder gruffness at idle
- Firm rear settings unsettle the second row on broken roads
Our review
Our verdict
4.1/5
Overall score across 7 rated dimensions
MotoSutra editorial rating: 4.1 out of 5
Lowest rated
Safety
3.3/5
Build quality, safety features & ratings
- Performance Power, acceleration & driving dynamics 4.4/5 Very strong
- Features Tech, convenience & equipment 4.6/5 Excellent
- Design Looks, presence & styling 4.2/5 Very strong
- Safety Build quality, safety features & ratings 3.3/5 Average
- Interior Space, materials & practicality 4.3/5 Very strong
- Efficiency Mileage / range & running costs 4.0/5 Very strong
- Comfort Ride quality & long-drive comfort 4.0/5 Very strong
The Sonet is the compact SUV you buy after a blind spec-sheet comparison, because on paper it wins almost every column except the one printed at the back. The turbo-DCT combination is the class benchmark for a reason, and the equipment ladder makes rivals look stingy at equal money. But the three-star structure means the careful buyer’s route through this car runs through its top trims for the driver assistance — and at that point the price argues against the badge. Excellent car, demanding price ladder, average cage.
MotoSutra editorial rating on a 5-point scale. Rated across 7 dimensions; unscored dimensions are omitted.
Your shortlist
Compare the Sonet
See how the Sonet stacks up against related vehicles. Existing MotoSutra comparisons appear first.
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From the MotoSutra desk
Latest Kia Sonet coverage
- Explainer
Power-to-weight ratio: the spec-sheet number that predicts real-world pace
No brochure prints it and no showroom quotes it, yet bhp per tonne forecasts how a car actually accelerates better than either of the two numbers it is made from. Here is the arithmetic, done across our catalogue.
- Explainer
How to improve mileage: what actually works and what is ritual
MotoSutra’s catalogue records pair claimed figures of 25 kmpl with its estimates of 16-19 in the same car. The gap is not a lie, it is a driving pattern — and most of it can be moved with pressure, planning and the right gear, not additives.
- Buying guide
Best automatic cars in India in 2026: ranked by the gearbox under the pedal, not the badge
AMT, CVT, dual-clutch, torque converter, single-speed — five ways to remove a clutch and one hybrid trick that removes the question. Six cars, each the best case for its own transmission type in traffic.
- News
Hyundai takes the Venue into 2026 by making equipment standard further down the range
The Venue keeps its two petrol engines, its ₹7.94 lakh to ₹13.60 lakh band and its three-star score, but the 2026 model year moves the wireless charger, rear AC vents and a digital cluster down the variant ladder.
- News
Kia re-trims the Sonet for 2026: a new middle variant and assistance kit lower down
A mid-life equipment reshuffle adds an HTK+ step, moves the digital cluster and Level-2 assistance below the flagship, and leaves the ₹7.99-16.20 lakh band and both petrol engines where they were.
- Comparison
Hyundai Venue vs Kia Sonet: same turbo, two price ladders, one tailgate
One 998cc three-cylinder turbo makes 120 bhp in both of these, on the same 2500 mm wheelbase — then the catalogues diverge by ₹2.60 lakh at the top and 17 litres at the boot. The comparison that decides itself once you know your trim.
- Specs & analysis
Kia Sonet review: the segment’s options arms dealer, with one load-bearing asterisk
MotoSutra read the Sonet GTX+ dual-clutch spec sheet against three weeks of Delhi-NCR duty cycles it has not driven, then did the same for the iMT. The turbo is the class yardstick and the equipment list is absurd for the money — but the crash score is the conversation every showroom ends up having.
More from Kia
Frequently asked questions
What is the Kia Sonet price?
Kia India states the Sonet starts at ₹7,44,900 ex-showroom after the GST cut, and that is the only price this page publishes, because no current ceiling or per-variant list could be read from Kia’s page. The ₹7.99 lakh to ₹15.69 lakh range this car was launched with in January 2024 is superseded and is not presented here as today’s price.
What is the Sonet’s mileage?
The claimed turbo figure is 18 kmpl. MotoSutra’s estimate typically sits at 11-13 kmpl in city traffic and 15-16 kmpl on an expressway run with the cruise engaged.
Is the Sonet safe?
Six airbags and stability control are standard on every variant in this listing, but the structure carries a three-star Global NCAP adult score, which is behind the five-star alternatives in the same money band.
Should I take the iMT or the DCT?
The intelligent manual keeps clutch feel out of traffic without the shift lag of some automated clutches; the seven-speed dual-clutch is the quicker, smoother car on a highway and the one this catalogue recommends if the budget stretches.
Keep reading
Related reading
Comparisons
-
Comparison 4 min
Hyundai Venue vs Kia Sonet: same turbo, two price ladders, one tailgate
One 998cc three-cylinder turbo makes 120 bhp in both of these, on the same 2500 mm wheelbase — then the catalogues diverge by ₹2.60 lakh at the top and 17 litres at the boot. The comparison that decides itself once you know your trim.
Guides
-
Explainer 4 min
Power-to-weight ratio: the spec-sheet number that predicts real-world pace
No brochure prints it and no showroom quotes it, yet bhp per tonne forecasts how a car actually accelerates better than either of the two numbers it is made from. Here is the arithmetic, done across our catalogue.
-
Explainer 5 min
How to improve mileage: what actually works and what is ritual
MotoSutra’s catalogue records pair claimed figures of 25 kmpl with its estimates of 16-19 in the same car. The gap is not a lie, it is a driving pattern — and most of it can be moved with pressure, planning and the right gear, not additives.
-
Buying guide 5 min
Best automatic cars in India in 2026: ranked by the gearbox under the pedal, not the badge
AMT, CVT, dual-clutch, torque converter, single-speed — five ways to remove a clutch and one hybrid trick that removes the question. Six cars, each the best case for its own transmission type in traffic.
News
-
News 3 min
Hyundai takes the Venue into 2026 by making equipment standard further down the range
The Venue keeps its two petrol engines, its ₹7.94 lakh to ₹13.60 lakh band and its three-star score, but the 2026 model year moves the wireless charger, rear AC vents and a digital cluster down the variant ladder.
-
News 3 min
Kia re-trims the Sonet for 2026: a new middle variant and assistance kit lower down
A mid-life equipment reshuffle adds an HTK+ step, moves the digital cluster and Level-2 assistance below the flagship, and leaves the ₹7.99-16.20 lakh band and both petrol engines where they were.