The next victim of Australia's fuel efficiency standard is Kia's petrol V6 in the Sorento and Carnival, leaving four-cylinder diesel and hybrid options.
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Petrol-only grades of the Kia Sorento and Carnival have been axed in Australia, leaving the models without a V6 engine, a powertrain which has been commonplace throughout their 20-plus-year history.
The Sorento and Carnival will continue to offer 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel power and a 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid in Australia.
Plug-in hybrid power is also offered in the Sorento at an $11,500 premium over an equivalent non-plug-in hybrid all-wheel-drive grade.
"Petrol variants… are now limited to dealer stock. Please consult with your local Kia dealer for stock availability," a customer notice on the webpage of each model says.
A Kia Australia spokesperson told Drive "these variants will end sale in early 2026" and "this is due to NVES".
Diesel versions of the Carnival and Sorento have accounted for around 80 per cent of sales in recent years, though the brand recently expanded its Sorento Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid range in Australia, and launched the Carnival Hybrid.
The 3.5-litre petrol V6 was the highest-emitting engine in Kia's line-up, at 220 grams per kilometre for the Carnival and 222g/km for the Sorento, against a Type 1 'headline' target of 117g/km for 2026.
In comparison, the Carnival diesel is rated at 170g/km, Carnival Hybrid at 132g/km, Sorento diesel at 158g/km, Sorento Hybrid FWD at 122g/km, Sorento Hybrid AWD at 129g/km, and Sorento PHEV AWD at 36g/km.
The Sorento and Carnival V6s are the second confirmed victims of NVES, following rear-wheel-drive grades of the Ford Everest and the Isuzu MU-X, excluding the entry-level LS-M 2.2-litre.
Kia Australia product planning boss Roland Rivero told Drive last month "it hasn’t been a problem" converting Sorento and Carnival buyers from the petrol V6 to the diesel or the hybrid.
"Interestingly enough, it hasn’t been a problem, particularly in Carnival," Rivero said.
"We had some issues getting [Carnival] V6 supply because most of it went to the United States.
"Our dealer network’s done a pretty good job in keeping customers and still [helping Carnival remain] the volume-selling people mover in the market with predominantly diesel, and now with the hybrid offering.
"We don’t foresee any issues in hybrid, in both Sorento and Carnival for that matter, pushing them into hybrid and diesel."
There are now 16 Sorento variants available to order in Australia, down from 20, with diesel AWD, hybrid FWD, hybrid AWD and plug-in hybrid AWD offered for each grade: S, Sport, Sport+ and GT-Line.
Pricing for the 2026 Sorento now starts from $54,630 before on-road costs for the S diesel AWD, or $56,630 for the S hybrid FWD, up from $51,630 for the S petrol V6 FWD.
A $1500 price rise has been applied to Carnival diesel grades, pushing its entry price from $50,570 for the outgoing petrol V6 to $54,630 for the diesel, while the hybrids remain unchanged, reducing their premium to $1800 over the diesel, down from $3300.
2026 Kia Sorento price in Australia
2026 Kia Carnival price in Australia
Note: All prices above exclude on-road costs.
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
