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241 Kia Sorentos held TLC licenses on October 12, 2026, all as for-hire vehicles (FHVs). The Sorento ranks 55th among TLC models. About a third decode as hybrids, and the fleet is getting newer fast: 66 are model year 2026, more than twice any other year.
Because the Sorento has been sold as gas, hybrid and plug-in hybrid, the model year tells you which versions you can find. This page lines up the TLC counts with the EPA's listings.
About the data
The TLC's FHV list and medallion list have VINs but no models. TLC Help decoded the VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. vPIC gives the model family and fuel type; for 3 Sorentos it gave no fuel type, so they show as "Unknown". Counts are for one day.
2026 is the biggest year
Until 2018, Sorentos come in small numbers (10 or fewer per year). There is a jump to 23 in 2019, steady numbers of 28 and 30 in 2022 and 2023, and then 66 for 2026. Across all FHVs, model year 2026 is only 8.6% of the fleet in TLC's model-year data; for the Sorento it is 27.4%. Overall, 98 Sorentos (40.7%) are 2024 or newer, compared with about 31% of all FHVs.
Only 24 (10.0%) are 2016 or older, the same share as the FHV fleet as a whole. TLC's current FHV rules have no fixed retirement age; see TLC vehicle retirement age.
Hybrid, plug-in or gas: it depends on the year
The TLC data does not split fuel type by model year. The EPA's model listings show gas-only Sorentos for 2020, a Hybrid from 2021, and a Plug-in Hybrid from 2022. So all 83 hybrids should be among the 171 Sorentos from 2021 or later, about half of them. The EPA lists no hybrid for 2020, so a used 2020 Sorento will be gas.
Sources: EPA labels for the Hybrid FWD, Hybrid AWD, Plug-in Hybrid and FWD.
On these ratings, the Hybrid FWD uses about 27 gallons per 1,000 miles and the gas FWD about 38. The plug-in only saves fuel if you can charge it often. Drive type matters too: choosing the AWD hybrid instead of the FWD hybrid costs 3 mpg on the EPA ratings, and the turbo gas engine is the thirstiest version listed. EPA results come from standard tests, so your own mileage in city traffic will differ. Run your own numbers in the lease-vs-buy tool.
Bases and the WAV label
240 Sorentos are at black car bases, the base type app work runs through, and 1 is at a livery base. None are taxis.
TLC's FHV list marks 2 Sorentos as "WAV" and 2 as "PILOT". That is unusual: the Sorento is not on TLC's approved accessible vehicle list (revised October 2, 2026), and the dataset does not define "PILOT". Don't assume a used Sorento qualifies as a WAV; read approved wheelchair accessible vehicles.
Plates
New FHV licenses go only to approved wheelchair accessible vehicles (TLC). For a regular Sorento you need an existing license that is not WAV-restricted. Transfer it within 15 days of DMV registration, then pass TLC inspection (rule 59A-09(a), chapter 59). After that, the car needs three inspections a year (TLC vehicle inspection).
The smaller Kia Sportage is much more often a hybrid. Compare the Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota RAV4 Prime and TLC fleet by make and model.
More in the vehicles topic.
Data on this page
Aggregates of public data. They describe trips and vehicles, never individual people.
TLC's vehicle lists have no make/model column, so TLC Help decoded the VIN of every licensed vehicle with NHTSA's vPIC decoder (one representative VIN per manufacturer + model-descriptor + model-year pattern) and published only counts. 5 of 115,081 vehicles (0%) could not be decoded to a model and are left out. vPIC sometimes reports trim-family names (e.g. 'RX' not 'RX 350h'); powertrain comes from vPIC's electrification/fuel fields and may misclassify a few model years. Snapshot lists change daily.
- Kia Sorento: licensed TLC vehicles by model year — Active FHVs and authorized medallion taxis that are a Kia Sorento, by model year.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Model year from TLC's vehicle_year / model_year columns. Age limits for TLC vehicles come from TLC rules, not this chart.
- Kia Sorento in the TLC fleet: hybrid, electric or gas — Licensed Kia Sorento vehicles by powertrain (from decoded VINs).NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026
- Kia Sorento: where it is licensed (FHV base type vs medallion taxi) — Licensed Kia Sorento vehicles by fleet: FHVs by the type of base they are affiliated with, and medallion taxis.NYC Open Data: FHV - Active (8wbx-tsch) and Medallion Vehicles - Authorized (rhe8-mgbb), VINs decoded with NHTSA vPIC · pulled Oct 12, 2026Wheelchair-accessible (FHV list): 2 WAV, 2 PILOT. App-based (high-volume) work generally runs through black car bases.
Frequently asked questions
How many Kia Sorentos are licensed by the TLC?
241 on October 12, 2026, all for-hire vehicles (FHVs) and none as yellow taxis, or 0.21% of TLC vehicles. TLC Help counted them by decoding VINs with NHTSA's vPIC decoder.
How many TLC Sorentos are hybrids?
83 decode as hybrid (34.4%) and 3 as plug-in hybrid. 152 decode as gas and 3 could not be classified. The EPA first lists a Sorento Hybrid for model year 2021 and a Plug-in Hybrid for 2022.
Which Sorento gets the best mileage?
Of the 2026 versions, the EPA rates the Sorento Hybrid FWD highest at 37 mpg combined. The Hybrid AWD is 34 mpg and the gas FWD 26 mpg. The Plug-in Hybrid is rated for 30 miles on electricity and 33 mpg on gas.
Is the Kia Sorento a wheelchair accessible vehicle for TLC?
The Sorento is not on TLC's approved accessible vehicle list (revised October 2, 2026). TLC's FHV list marks 2 Sorentos 'WAV' and 2 'PILOT', but the data does not explain why, so check with TLC before relying on it.
Sources
Last reviewed against the official sources on .
- NYC Open Data: For Hire Vehicles (FHV) – Active (8wbx-tsch) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NYC Open Data: Medallion Vehicles – Authorized (rhe8-mgbb) data.cityofnewyork.us
- NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder API vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2026 Kia Sorento Hybrid FWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2026 Kia Sorento Hybrid AWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2026 Kia Sorento FWD fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: 2026 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid fueleconomy.gov
- fueleconomy.gov: Find a Car (model listings by year) fueleconomy.gov
- TLC: Approved accessible vehicles (revised Oct 2, 2026) nyc.gov
- TLC: Get a For-Hire Vehicle License nyc.gov
- TLC Rule Book Chapter 59 (For-Hire Vehicles) nyc.gov
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll check it against the official source.
TLC Help is not a law firm and is not affiliated with the NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission or OATH. Explanations on this site are general information, not legal advice. Legal representation is provided by independent attorneys and OATH-registered representatives in our network.