Identify the engine before comparing litres
Kia China’s July 2025 release for the 2026 Seltos identifies 1.5L with IVT and 1.4T with seven-speed DCT. Its July 2026 all-new introduction describes a different offering, including 1.5T with eight-speed automatic. A fuel claim copied between those releases may describe the wrong car.
Use the Seltos powertrain guide to record the build, original market and transmission together. Registration in a later year does not automatically give an older vehicle the later mechanical specification. Check any official consumption reference against the identified version and its stated test method.
Describe the customer’s city route
Record distance, typical journey length, waiting time, passenger load and climate-control use. A long urban commute with steady sections is different from frequent short collections with substantial stationary time. Both may be advertised as city driving, which makes that label insufficient for a meaningful comparison.
Ask whether the customer expects regular highway travel or seasonal changes. Keep these periods separate when they differ substantially. A dealer serving several customers should create a use profile for each case rather than advertising one estimated running cost as the result every buyer will obtain.
Ask what the driving record measures
Request the distance covered, fuel added and dates behind any claimed result. Check whether it is a repeated refuelling record, a dashboard average since reset or a brief demonstration. Preserve the measurement method and relevant conditions; these details can explain differences without assuming a fault or declaring one figure false.
A record tied to a previous driver remains useful background, but it does not predict the next owner’s exact consumption. For a used candidate, ask whether the tyres, load or mechanical condition changed during the period. Avoid combining unrelated journeys into a precise-looking average that cannot be traced back to its inputs.
Calculate an illustrative monthly amount
Monthly fuel volume equals monthly kilometres multiplied by assumed litres per 100 kilometres, divided by 100. Multiply that volume by the customer’s local price per litre. Keep currency and units on the worksheet so a price supplied in another unit does not enter the calculation unnoticed.
For an arithmetic example only, 1,500 kilometres at an assumed 8 L/100 km uses 120 litres. At an assumed 1.20 currency units per litre, the cost is 144 currency units. These are invented planning inputs, not a tested Seltos result, fuel-price quotation or prediction for a particular destination.
Test the budget against uncertainty
Using the same illustrative distance and price, 10 L/100 km would mean 150 litres and 180 currency units. That 36-unit difference shows why a budget should tolerate a change in actual use. Replace both consumption assumptions with suitable evidence when available; do not choose the favourable case merely to support a sale.
Keep maintenance, insurance, tyres and purchase preparation outside the fuel subtotal. The complete ownership budget gives those costs their own place. A car with a lower fuel estimate can still have a higher overall cost if the purchase premium or necessary work is substantial.
Investigate unusual use through an inspection
If a seller reports an unexplained change, ask a competent workshop to assess the vehicle and its operating context. Do not diagnose an engine or transmission from one fuel number. The service-planning review helps connect the current finding with the correct maintenance history and applicable guidance.
For an older dual-clutch candidate used in queues, the DCT traffic assessment is a separate condition check, not a fuel-consumption test. For two similar candidates, compare condition evidence before crediting small fuel differences. A documented preparation requirement belongs in the purchasing decision even if its exact effect on consumption is unknown. Record the finding as a cost or outstanding assessment, rather than inventing a guaranteed saving after repair.
Put fuel expectations into the enquiry
Tell Panda the accepted Seltos versions, new or used preference, destination and normal journey pattern. If running cost is decisive, request the evidence needed to build a realistic range. Ask for any supplied fuel claim to identify its source and vehicle context.
When a substitute is proposed, revisit the worksheet if its engine, gearbox or other relevant specification differs. Keep the original assumptions with the accepted offer so the retail customer can see how the estimate was formed and which inputs still depend on their own driving and local costs.
