Which Kia Models Have Apple CarPlay?

Apple lists 22 Kia models as CarPlay-compatible on its official list of available models (checked September 15, 2026). The earliest is the 2014 Kia Soul; the list runs to 2025. The table below is the whole Kia section of that list, by model and model-year range. What the list leaves out, for every make: whether CarPlay is standard or optional on a given trim, and whether it is wired or wireless. The complete list for every make is on one searchable page.

Kia models on Apple's CarPlay list

A Kia model that is not in this table is not on Apple's list as of September 15, 2026. That is not the same as "cannot have CarPlay": a dealer software update or an aftermarket head unit can add it, and Apple's list would not show that.

Kia and Android Auto

Google keeps its own compatibility page for Android Auto, and it works by brand rather than by model: it lists Kia as "Models from 2014+" (checked September 21, 2026). That is coarser than Apple’s list, so treat it as a floor: a Kia older than 2014 is not on Google’s list, and a newer one may or may not have Android Auto depending on trim. The one-minute check is the same with an Android phone and a cable; if Android Auto launches, the port is a data port.

When did Kia get CarPlay? The models by first year

If you are asking when Kia got CarPlay as a brand, the answer is 2014, the first model year Apple lists for any Kia. If you are asking about your car, the answer is the year its own model first appears, and those are spread from 2014 through 2025. Here is the same list arranged that way.

• 2014: Kia Soul
• 2015: Kia Optima, Kia Optima Hybrid, Kia Sedona, Kia Soul EV
• 2017: Kia Cadenza, Kia Forte, Kia Niro, Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid, Kia Sorento, Kia Sportage
• 2018: Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid, Kia Rio, Kia Stinger
• 2019: Kia K900
• 2020: Kia Telluride
• 2021: Kia K5, Kia K8, Kia Seltos
• 2022: Kia Carnival, Kia EV6
• 2025: Kia Tasman

A model under 2020 means Apple lists CarPlay as available on it from the 2020 model year onward, not that every 2020 car has it; trim still decides. Anything earlier than a model's first year is not on Apple's list.

How to read the year ranges

Apple lists each model by the model years it has CarPlay available. A Kia from a year before its range is not on the list; a car inside the range may still have been sold without CarPlay in a base trim, because Apple's own footnote says CarPlay "is either standard or available as an option," and "some models may support CarPlay or car keys only in certain configurations."

The one-minute check for any Kia

Plug an iPhone into the car's USB port with a cable. If CarPlay appears on the screen, the car has wired CarPlay and that port is the data port. If the phone connects without a cable and no port launches CarPlay when plugged in, the car has wireless-only CarPlay. If nothing appears either way, that particular car does not have CarPlay, whatever the list says about the model.

Why wired or wireless matters

Accessories that plug into CarPlay, such as a wireless CarPlay adapter, an AI Box that adds Android apps to the screen, or a back-seat camera that shows on the screen, all use the wired CarPlay port. A Kia with wired CarPlay can take them; one with wireless-only CarPlay cannot. The 5-point compatibility checklist covers the rest of what to check before buying one, and an adapter or an AI Box comes down to how often you sit parked with the screen on.

Not sure about your exact car?

Send us the year, model and trim and we will tell you what Apple's list says and what to check on the car itself, before you buy anything. Email hello@cabinory.com or message us on Messenger. A person replies, usually within a few hours.

Questions we get

Do all Kias have Apple CarPlay?

Not all of them. Apple lists 22 Kia models, each for a range of model years starting no earlier than 2014, and within a range it can depend on trim. Find your model and year in the table, then run the plug test on the car itself.

When did Kia get Apple CarPlay?

2014, for the Kia Soul, which is the earliest Kia on Apple's list. Other models arrive in later years; the year-by-year list above shows when each one first appears.

Does Kia have Android Auto?

Google lists Kia as "Models from 2014+" for Android Auto (checked September 21, 2026), by brand rather than by model; year and trim decide the specific car.

Does Kia have wireless CarPlay?

Apple's list does not distinguish wired from wireless for any make. The plug test on the specific car is the only reliable answer: if a cable launches CarPlay it has wired; if the phone connects with no cable and no port launches it, it is wireless-only. Some cars have both.

Sources

• Apple, CarPlay available models (checked September 15, 2026), Kia section and the footnote on standard or optional availability and configurations.
• Google, Android Auto compatible vehicles (checked September 21, 2026), brand card for Kia.