Kia Sportage review

Our opinion on the Kia Sportage

The current Kia Sportage can seemingly do no wrong. This model flies out of the showrooms at very nearly the same rate as the Ford Puma, despite that car being both much smaller and costing less to buy. However, when compared with the Sportage’s closest rival, the Nissan Qashqai, it just falls slightly short. There’s plenty of boot and passenger space in the Sportage, but in other areas, including the chassis and hybrid powertrain, it can’t quite match the Qashqai. Even so, the Kia’s value for money, generous standard kit, smart interior design and strong performance – plus its seven-year warranty – mean it's still an appealing package.

About the Kia Sportage

Kia has seen fit to update the Sportage, and it's now got a face inspired by the Kia EV9 electric SUV to match its smaller Kia Stonic and larger Kia Sorento siblings. The brand has introduced a new lighting signature at the front, which makes the car look wider and more imposing, while refreshed wheel designs, measuring between 17 and 19 inches, liven up the profile. 

None of these changes has really altered the fundamentals, and that’s a good thing. While the powertrains aren’t quite up with the very best in the class, the Sportage remains a really solid all-rounder

Used - available now

2017 KIA

Sportage

91,000 milesManualDiesel2.0L

Cash £6,990

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2021 KIA

Sportage

31,000 milesManualDiesel1.6L

Cash £15,199

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2023 KIA

Sportage

37,025 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £23,999

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2021 KIA

Sportage

36,132 milesAutomaticDiesel1.6L

Cash £18,749

View Sportage

We've driven various petrol, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid versions of the Sportage over the years, with our most recent test being of a hybrid Kia Sportage against the Nissan Qashqai and Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Sportage has never been about class-leading dynamics, but that’s not a dealbreaker in this segment. What it can offer is a solid all-round mix of secure handling and reasonable overall comfort.

You can get a six-speed manual at the entry point to the petrol line-up, but all other cars feature automatic gearboxes, while front-wheel drive is standard on all models bar the top-spec GT-Line S, which can be had with four-wheel drive. 

Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed

All versions of the Sportage use a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with some form of electrification. The entry-level mild-hybrid car produces 147bhp and is paired with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, and gets from 0-62mph in 9.7 seconds.

Despite the slight electrical assistance, the petrol engine needs to be worked hard, and accelerating causes it to emit a gruff, almost diesel-like tone. Overtaking can be quite a steady and noisy process, with a second or two’s delay before the car starts to steadily gain speed.

Hybrid versions still make a gruff noise, but the electric motor is fairly strong, so that unpleasantness doesn’t crop up so often. In total, there’s 235bhp and 265Nm of torque on offer, so it feels really quite lively for this class and posts a respectable 7.9-second 0-62mph time.

The generous oomph from the electric motor is immediately obvious because the Sportage hybrid feels more enthusiastic when setting off. The engine chimes in less often around town, too, boosting refinement and reducing fuel consumption. Compared with the class-leading Nissan and Toyota hybrids, there are a few too many jolts in the Korean machine’s powertrain – most notably when shifting gear (even in EV mode) and when the engine switches on and off.

With 283bhp, the Sportage plug-in hybrid is the most powerful version you can buy, but its extra weight over the 'self-charging' hybrid means it is only slightly quicker, posting a 7.5-second 0-62mph time.

Town driving, visibility and parking

The Kia’s suspension doesn’t quite feel like it offers the same level of sophistication as rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai. While the overall response is quite soft, there’s a level of fidget that makes it through to the cabin, which means that it’s a little less settled at low speeds and across harsher bumps than some alternatives. 

Country road driving and handling

While there’s a little more fidget around town than in a Nissan Qashqai, that soft set-up means that it doesn’t really translate into a more agile response through corners, and over larger bumps the body can take a little longer to regain its composure. 

When turning into a corner, the initial response is more languid than in a Nissan Qashqai, a Volkswagen Tiguan or a Vauxhall Grandland, and the steering, although naturally weighted, doesn’t feel as precise as the Nissan’s.

Motorway driving and long-distance comfort

At higher speeds, the Kia’s ride settles down, and it proves to be a relaxing, comfortable companion. Stability isn’t quite at the Tiguan’s unflappable levels, but it all feels solid and reassuring.

Kia’s latest hybrid powertrain comes with adjustable regenerative braking, and the paddles behind the wheel allow the driver to adjust the strength of its response on the fly. We really like this level of flexibility, making the car very easy to control on inclines.” - Alex Ingram, special contributor.

The Kia’s powertrain line-up isn’t the most efficient in the class, with full-hybrid rivals such as the Qashqai and Honda ZR-V having superior fuel economy. During our test, which took place at around 15 degrees Celsius, we averaged a shade under 44mpg on a wide mix of roads in the Sportage. Given the performance on offer, we still consider that a reasonable return versus its official 50.4mpg rating. 

While the mild-hybrid petrol Sportage might be the most affordable to buy, it'll be costly in terms of its fuel economy. An official WLTP figure of 39.8mpg is significantly short of the 44.1mpg 1.5 EcoBoost Ford Kuga, or the 47.7mpg from the 1.5 eTSI Volkswagen Tiguan.

Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid Sportage is rated at 104.6mpg, although based on our experience with plug-in hybrid cars, you're unlikely to see figures like that in real-world driving.

Electric range, battery life and charge time

Full details of the Sportage plug-in hybrid are yet to be fully revealed, but it should get over 40 miles on electric range, similar to its Hyundai Tucson sibling. The Sportage is likely to use the 13.8kWh battery, and take around two hours to charge using a 7kWh home wallbox charger. 

Insurance groups

The mild-hybrid manual Sportage starts at group 19 insurance in both Pure and GT Line trims, while the automatic version sits in group 20 for the GT Line, and 22 for the GT Line S. Full-hybrid models with front-wheel drive range from group 23 to 25 according to trim level, while the range-topping all-wheel-drive hybrid is in group 26. 

That means that the base models are, based on those groups, more expensive to insure than entry-level Qashqais, but the top-spec hybrids should be cheaper than their equivalents in Nissan’s line-up.

Tax

If you’re a private buyer, the GT-Line hybrid is the Sportage model we’d go for – not least because of the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) saving relative to the GT-Line S range-topper. The GT-Line S trim costs more than £40,000, so is subject to the luxury car tax levy, currently taking the total annual cost from £195 to £620 between years two and six after the car’s initial registration. Given that the GT Line version sits well below the £40,000 mark, it avoids that road tax premium, saving buyers more than £2,000 over five years.

Depreciation

The Sportage is pretty much inseparably tied with its sibling, the Hyundai Tucson, for depreciation. Depending on the powertrain and trim level, the Kia holds onto between 47 and 54 per cent of its original asking price after three years or 36,000 miles.

Those figures put the Sportage ahead of key rivals like the Vauxhall Grandland (41 per cent) and Ford Kuga (41 to 43 per cent).

To get an accurate valuation of a specific model, check out our free car valuation tool... 

The Sportage’s cabin is smart and functional, if not quite a class leader in terms of ergonomics or the quality of its materials. 

Interior and dashboard design

For 2025, Kia has smartened up the Sportage’s interior. Taking inspiration from range mates such as the EV6, the air vents have been consolidated into a single, slim span that runs across the width of the dash, below which sits a dual-function panel; the mix of physical dials and touch-sensitive buttons can be used to adjust either the infotainment or climate functions, depending on its mode. It’s quite easy to use, but we’d like it more if the way to change between those functions was a larger, physical button.

There’s a new steering wheel design – the gently squared-off shape is nice to hold, and features a large driving mode switch beneath the left spoke – while the switches on the centre console are neater than before, too.

Materials and build quality

It’s hard to complain about the actual fit of the Sportage’s interior panels, but compared with rivals such as the Tiguan and Peugeot 3008, there are a few too many hard and scratchy plastics close to areas and buttons that most commonly get touched. The door trim is one example.

Infotainment, sat-nav and stereo

As we’ve come to expect from Kia, standard tech is far from measly – even on the entry-level models in the range. For 2025, that base trim has been renamed Pure, but it still gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera all fitted as standard equipment. 

The GT-Line S trim adds a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, while other models get a large LED-style readout for the road and engine speeds on either side of a 4.2-inch digital screen.

The infotainment set-up itself has been an area where Kia has earned praise in the past, but its systems are starting to fall behind the class best. The graphics are merely okay rather than outstanding, but the main criticism falls on some of the sub-menus, which can feel rather convoluted to use. 

While disabling a speed-limit warning system is a matter of two button presses in a Qashqai or Renault Austral, here the process involves scrolling through the digital driver’s display in order to open up a sub-menu on the main touchscreen, then you need to dive into another sub-menu to adjust the warning tech from there – and another if you feel the need to adjust the settings of the lane-keep assist, too. It’s possible to bypass the speed-limit deactivation process by giving the mute button on the steering wheel a long press, though.

“The twin-function panel that sits below the central air vents divides opinion among our testers. Some think that it looks great and presents a neat solution that avoids the dash from being festooned with buttons; others think it’s a bit fiddly. Either way, it’d be improved if the button to switch between the two were a physical key.” - Alex Ingram, special contributor.

There’s an impressive amount of space available for both passengers and their luggage, making the Sportage one of the most practical cars in its class.

Dimensions and size

The Sportage has external dimensions that are similar to its rivals, but the packaging on board helps to create more space when compared with its closest opponents.

Seats & passenger space

The Kia offers plenty of room up front, as you’d expect from a family SUV, and fans of a high-set driving position will appreciate it, because it feels like you sit much higher than in the almost car-like Nissan Qashqai.

Anyone in the back will appreciate that there’s enough space for three adult passengers. Against the tape measure, the Kia is a very close match for the Tiguan (marginally beating it in some areas and narrowly falling behind in others), while it offers more space than the Qashqai, Mazda CX-5 and SEAT Ateca, among others.

We like that the Sportage’s rear seats can be reclined by pulling a lever, and all versions get a fold-down centre armrest with cup-holders. These features increase comfort levels for those in the back during a long journey.

Two Isofix child seat mounting points are provided on the outer rear seats. The central seatbelt in the back is a complicated arrangement that comes from the roof, which not only requires you to ensure you’re using the correct seatbelt buckles, but also impacts the driver’s rear visibility, and some might find that the belt rubs their neck on long trips.

Boot space

The full-hybrid versions of the Sportage lose a barely noticeable four litres of boot capacity compared with the petrol mild-hybrid alternatives, but the 587 litres on offer is still very generous. The load lip is among the lowest in the class, which makes it easier to lift heavier items on board than in much of the competition. Drop each section of the 40:20:40-split rear seats, and you can cram up to 1,776 litres worth of kit into it.

Towing

Towing weights for the Sportage are reasonable, with the petrol model offering a maximum capacity of 1,650kg, while the Hybrid is slightly behind, at 1,510kg. However, the VW Tiguan is a better performer overall, plus it has the option of diesel power for even stronger pulling power.

One word of caution I have is that the top-of-the-range GT-Line S comes with a panoramic sliding glass sunroof, and that has an impact on headroom for those in the rear. If you happen to travel with taller teens or adults in the back, it’s best you avoid this version and go for our preferred GT-Line trim instead. - Max Adams, online reviews editor.

Kia has previously ranked highly in our customer satisfaction surveys, but for the last couple of years, it has found itself hovering around the lower half of the manufacturer rankings. In 2025, the 18th-place finish out of 31 puts it ahead of rivals such as Hyundai, Ford, Seat and Volkswagen, but behind Vauxhall, Peugeot, Renault and Nissan.

Long warranties are a Kia trademark, and the Sportage has the brand’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty. But the single year of breakdown cover is less than with some rivals.

As with many rivals, Kia offers buyers the option of purchasing a service plan up front, delivering scheduled maintenance that’s protected from the potential of inflation in the future. Kia’s plan is currently cheaper than the equivalent package for the Nissan Qashqai.

Best buy: Kia Sportage 1.6 Hybrid GT-Line

No version of the Kia Sportage is poorly equipped, but we'd spend the extra £2,500 for GT-Line trim. It provides some welcome extra features, including heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, plus leather and suede seat upholstery. Regarding powertrains, we would go for the hybrid version over the cheaper pure-petrol model, due to its superior refinement, fuel economy and performance. 

Prices for the Kia Sportage start from around £31,500 for the petrol model in Pure trim, while GT-Line models start at around £34,000. Adding an automatic gearbox to this model costs £1,500 extra on top of that. At the top of the range, the GT-Line S Hybrid with four-wheel drive for around £44,000.

You can save an average of £3,000 when you build your perfect Kia Sportage through our Buy a Car service, though. We also have some very tempting Sportage leasing deals to choose from, as well as a number of used Kia Sportage models in stock right now.

Kia Sportage alternatives

With many capable rivals in the mid-size SUV market, the Kia Sportage has its work cut out. We tested the facelifted Sportage against the Nissan Qashqai, and in our opinion, the Nissan has gained an advantage courtesy of its newer, more efficient and responsive powertrain. It’s not as spacious as the Sportage inside, but passengers won’t complain about a lack of space in comparison.

Another close competitor to the Sportage is the Hyundai Tucson, which is based on the same platform as the Sportage but has won our Mid-size SUV of the Year award four times on the trot from 2021 to 2024. Meanwhile, the Kia has only ever been highly commended. 

The Volkswagen Group also offers excellent competition in the form of the Skoda Karoq, Cupra Terramar, and Volkswagen Tiguan. Or if you want more driving fun, consider the Ford Kuga or Mazda CX-5. 

In this competitive class, it would also be hard to recommend the expensive Honda CR-V or the commendable but dull to drive Vauxhall Grandland. Neither is a bad choice; it’s just that other rivals offer a more complete package.

Kia Sportage pictures

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