Daily Recap: Sunday, April 26, 2026
13 episodes · If you only listen to one: The Car Show with Dane Donovan - 4/25/2026, The Car Show with Dale and Dane Donovan
Kia and Toyota arrive in the affordable compact EV segment from different directions this year. The Kia EV3 targets a second-half 2026 U.S. launch; the refreshed Toyota bZ delivers 314 miles of range. Hybrid sales data from Kia and independent rankings from U.S. News show demand for electrified options growing across price points. Tesla's Q1 earnings set firm timelines for Hardware 3 owners: a V14 Lite distilled release is expected by end of June, and unsupervised FSD will be limited to vehicles that upgrade to Hardware 4.
Kia Targets Near-Double Hybrid Volume in 2025 as Niro Tops U.S. News Rankings at 53 MPG
Kia grew hybrid sales roughly 80 percent last year and is targeting a repeat, according to a quote from the brand on Automotive News Daily Drive: "We're looking to do that again this year, almost double the number of hybrids that we have to offer." U.S. News senior editor Tony Markovich, speaking on The Car Doctor Podcast, ranked the Kia Niro Hybrid first among 2026 models, citing its 53 mpg combined figure and competitive price point.
The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid placed as a second "all-arounder" at 38 mpg combined with a starting price around $32,000 to $33,000.
Best Hybrids, Plug-in Hybrids and EVs
"For this award, it was the [Niro] hybrid, so that one gets up to 53 miles per gallon combined. And it's just a great all-around value because it's a pretty good price."
Markovich noted the rankings incorporate EPA fuel economy and EV range data, parking scores, AC reliability, and aggregated press opinion, rather than a single metric.
April 26, 2026 | Bonus Episode: Kia’s Eric Watson on the EV3 and electrification strategy
"Last year we grew our hybrid sales about 80%. We're looking to do that again this year, almost double the number of hybrids that we have to offer."
Tesla Confirms Hardware 3 Cannot Run Unsupervised FSD, Offers Trade-In or Camera-and-Computer Upgrade
Tesla's Q1 2026 earnings call produced a blunt verdict on older vehicles: "Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD," according to quotes aired on Ride the Lightning.
Owners who paid for Full Self-Driving face two options, a discounted trade-in on vehicles with AI4 hardware, or a full computer-and-camera swap to reach Hardware 4.
Episode 560: Tesla Q1 Earnings: HW3 Retrofit Update, v14 Lite Release Date, and More!
"Unfortunately, Hardware 3, I wish it were otherwise, but Hardware 3 simply does not have the capability to achieve unsupervised FSD."
A distilled V14 Lite build for Hardware 3, matching the feature set of the Hardware 4 release, is targeted for end of June. FSD v15, described as "a complete overhaul of the software architecture," is expected by end of 2026 or early 2027.
Episode 560: Tesla Q1 Earnings: HW3 Retrofit Update, v14 Lite Release Date, and More!
"For customers that have bought FSD, what we're offering is essentially a trade-in, like a discounted trade-in for cars that have AI4 hardware, and we'll also be offering the ability to upgrade the car to replace the computer, and you also need to replace the cameras, unfortunately, to go to Hardware 4."
Kia EV3 Targets Second-Half 2026 U.S. Entry as Affordable Compact EV SUV Segment Fills Up
Kia's Eric Watson confirmed a second-half 2026 U.S. arrival for the EV3, saying it 'is really going to address something that we've needed for our brand as an affordable compact EV SUV' alongside the existing EV6 and EV9.
The EV3 will not arrive alone: a separate review of the refreshed 2026 Toyota bZ noted 314 miles of range on front-wheel-drive models, up roughly 75 miles over the outgoing bZ4X.
"The bZ is the previous [bZ4X]... [The interior and exterior] design, it was very plain. Now, it's still pretty plain. [...] So it is a much better bZ."
Buyers shopping price-conscious compact electric SUVs in late 2026 will have at least two meaningfully updated options competing for the same slot.
April 26, 2026 | Bonus Episode: Kia’s Eric Watson on the EV3 and electrification strategy
"We're looking forward to bringing it in the second half of this year."
Episode Spotlights
117 - You just bought an EV? Everything you need to know!
On setting optimal battery charge limits for new EV owners:
"I think the first thing to do is get it home and plug it in. ... you want to check that it's set to the right percentage limit. You don't want to set your car to charge at 100% every single time."
How F1 drivers have lost their power - The Undercut with Damon Hill and Mark Hughes
On engine power increases and their reliability consequences in F1:
"[There's] options in the short term, i.e. for this season, seem to be just on the electrical side of the equation... if we're talking about increasing the power of the engine, it's going to lead to all sorts of reliability problems."
Too Many Brands
On the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT's off-road performance capabilities:
"The really most exciting thing was that they gave me a Hyundai [Ioniq] 5 XRT and they made an auto cross like a dirt track and they just let us go at it."
If You Only Listen To One
The Car Show with Dane Donovan - 4/25/2026
Covers Oil supply concerns and vehicle maintenance, Air conditioning diagnostics and refrigerant costs.
"Earlier today, I spoke with my oil supplier and he said, "we're going to run out of oil here pretty soon." ... maybe if you change your own oil at home, maybe stock up a little bit, not a little bit, you know, maybe a month or two, you know, just just in case."
By the Numbers
Most-Mentioned Cars
Mention counts across today's episodes; not every car here appears in a dedicated story section.
| Car | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler | 3 |
| Nissan Leaf | 3 |
| Dodge Charger | 3 |
| Ford F-150 | 3 |
| Kia EV3 | 2 |
| Rivian R2 | 2 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 2 |
Trending Terminology
Mention counts across today's episodes; not every term here appears in a dedicated story section.
| Term | Mentions |
|---|---|
| EV | 3 |
| AC | 3 |
| range | 2 |
| EV lineup | 2 |
| tariffs | 2 |
| hybrid | 2 |
13 episodes. 174 car mentions. 1132 terms explained. Browse every episode with searchable annotations and plain-language term definitions in the Car Curious app.