Goodbye Kia Ceed! Popular hatch has been sensationally killed off in the UK

The Kia Ceed has been removed from sale in the UK, marking the end of almost 20 years on the market. A Kia spokesperson confirmed the news as the XCeed variant received an update for 2026 with new engines and equipment.

While this crossover edition lives on, the Ceed in its hatchback guise, as well as the Sportswagon estate and ProCeed shooting brake, have ended production and sales. 

Kia said: “The end of Ceed family production frees up our manufacturing plant in Zilina, Slovakia to produce the EV4 – Kia’s first European-built EV – as we prepare to offer an electric C-segment hatchback for the first time. It also frees up space on the production line for EV2, which will be manufactured in Slovakia from early 2026.”

While Kia’s all-electric range of EV-branded vehicles is growing, the Korean firm will maintain a spot in the internal combustion-engined hatch sector with the upcoming K4 - which we’ve already driven over in the US where it’s already on sale. 

The Ceed first went on sale in 2006 – with the ‘Cee’d’ name – and quickly became a huge success for Kia, thanks to its industry-leading seven-year warranty, attractive pricing and solid build quality. Lotus was even involved in the original Cee’d’s suspension tuning, although it was never a hot hatch by any means. 

While you can’t buy a new Kia Ceed anymore you can check out the Auto Express Marketplace, where you’ll find loads of great deals on used Ceeds, including the ProCeed and the Ceed Sportswagon.

Having launched a year after the third and final generation of the Ceed, the XCeed will continue to be produced in Slovakia for the UK market.

Did you know you can sell your car through Auto Express? We’ll help you get a great price and find a great deal on a new car, too.