Used car tests

Used Kia Sportage Mk5 (2022-date) buyer's guide: now less than £14k, but owners don't rate it

Name: Kia Sportage
Brand: Kia

A full used buyer's guide on the Kia Sportage, covering the Mk5 that's been on sale in the UK since 2022

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By:Richard Dredge

4 Nov 2025

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Verdict

Kia is a massive brand globally, but the Sportage Mk5 was developed in Europe especially for European buyers. That shows in various ways, from the interior and exterior design to the way that it drives, and it’s fair to say that this is easily the most accomplished Sportage yet. However, this generation of the SUV has never won its category in our New Car Awards, and the owners who have taken part in our Driver Power surveys clearly don’t rate it especially highly, despite the long warranty and extensive list of standard equipment. The Sportage is absolutely worth a look and for most people it’ll be just the job – but you should consider the alternatives too.

When the original Kia Sportage was launched in 1993, it was an affordable family-focused SUV that put value and practicality above all else. As a budget option in a segment that had yet to really get going, the Kia wasn’t desirable as such, but it got the job done.

This year marks three decades since the Sportage arrived in the UK, during which time around half a million examples have been sold – and seven million globally. In that period the Sportage has gone from being a cheap and cheerful SUV to a hi-tech family car that can rival the costly products of far more prestigious brands.

Used Kia Sportage (Mk4, 2016-2021) buyer’s guide: popular for a very good reason

Sure, the Sportage is no longer cheap, but it is still reasonable value when you take into account the standard equipment levels and warranty. But read on to find out why it’s no longer the default choice in the segment.

History

The Sportage Mk5 arrived at the start of 2022, with an incredibly wide choice of powertrains. There were 1.6-litre turbocharged 148bhp petrol or 113/134bhp diesel engines, as well as 148bhp mild-hybrid (MHEV) and 226bhp full hybrid (HEV) options. These last two had a turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol engine, which was at the heart of the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) added to the range in spring 2022.

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2023 KIA

Sportage

51,759 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £23,791

View Sportage

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2022 KIA

Sportage

10,562 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £28,499

View Sportage

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2023 KIA

Sportage

25,588 milesAutomaticPetrol1.6L

Cash £26,400

View Sportage

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2019 KIA

Sportage

56,259 milesManualPetrol1.6L

Cash £12,000

View Sportage

The special-edition Shadow arrived in June 2024, based on the hybrid Sportage 3 and priced at £36,485; and within the last few weeks a facelifted Sportage has gone on sale with no diesel option. The trim levels have been simplified (to just Pure, GT-Line and GT-Line S), while the dashboard has been updated and the exterior design refreshed front and rear.

On the road

Each powertrain has its own characteristics, with the petrol model having to work the hardest. The 1.6T engine is good enough, but the electrified powertrains have more low-down muscle, as does the diesel. As a result, we’d pick one of these, but the rest of the package is best summed up in one word: innocuous.

You’ll take the Sportage’s easy-going nature for granted because there are no thrills, but the ride is serene, refinement at motorway speeds is good and the steering is light. Plus you will appreciate the excellent all-round visibility.

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Prices

There are thousands of Mk5 Sportages for sale. Entry-level 1.6 T-GDi or 1.6 CRDi editions with around 50,000 miles on the clock are the cheapest examples. Diesels are incredibly rare, whereas a quarter of the cars for sale have a pure-petrol engine.

Three-quarters of the Sportages available are hybrid models, just one in 10 of which is a plug-in edition. GT-Line is the most common trim level followed by GT-Line S then the Sportage 3; 4 is the
most unusual trim.

You can get your hands on a used Kia Sportage Mk5 from under £14,000 through our Buy a Car service, while earlier generations of the Kia Sportage can be yours from as little as £3,500.

Check the price of a specific Kia Sportage with our free car valuation tool...

Which one should I buy?

We wouldn’t avoid any of the powertrains, including the diesel, but the most readily available and cost-effective option for the bulk of buyers is the mild hybrid. If you do mainly short journeys and can top up at home, the plug-in hybrid is great, and it’s the perkiest powertrain.

Even the entry-level Sportage 2 comes well equipped. It has 17-inch alloys, an eight-inch touchscreen display, a rear-facing camera, LED headlights, three-zone climate control, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, plus front and rear parking sensors. GT-Line trim adds 19-inch wheels, extra brightwork, suede and leather trim, adaptive cruise control, privacy glass and a 12.3-inch touchscreen.

The last three are fitted to the Sportage 3, which also has heated front and outer rear seats, 18-inch alloys and a heated steering wheel. The Sportage 4 adds a panoramic glass roof, ambient lighting, a 360-degree camera set-up and a Harman Kardon hi-fi. The range-topping GT-Line S has all of the above, plus ventilated front seats, a powered tailgate and electric adjustment for the front seats.

Alternatives to the Kia Sportage

Mid-sized SUVs are everywhere. At the budget end is the Dacia Duster, but for Sportage money you can have a Nissan Qashqai or Hyundai Tucson. We’d also look at the Mazda CX-5 and Ford Kuga. The Volkswagen Tiguan is a bit more upmarket, while the Audi Q5 and SEAT Ateca are other alternatives from the VW Group.

The Stellantis stable has several contenders, such as the Peugeot 3008, Vauxhall Grandland, Citroen C5 Aircross and Alfa Romeo Tonale, while we’d also consider the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. If your budget is flexible, the Mercedes GLC, BMW X3, Lexus NX and Volvo XC60 should also be on your shortlist.

What to look for

Common glitches

Doing lots of short runs can clog the exhaust filter, the hands-free microphone can play up, the factory-fit tyres are prone to punctures, and the infotainment can become glitchy without regular software updates.

On the pull

All Sportages get Trailer Stability Assist to aid towing. Check before you buy because some versions can pull up to 1,900kg, some max out at 1,650kg, while other models, including all the hybrids, are limited to 1,510kg.

All the gear

Most Sportages are automatics with six or seven gears; the latter is a slick dual-clutch system. The petrol and diesel engines came with front-wheel drive only, but the hybrids offered front or all-wheel drive.

Going spare

The Sportage has a tyre mobility kit rather than a spare wheel. However, a space saver can be fitted under the boot floor of petrol and HEV editions, but not MHEV or PHEV models.

Interior

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The Sportage’s cabin is a bit dark, although the quality of the materials is impressive and the ergonomics are generally good, even if some touchscreen icons are too small. Cabin space is great, with lots of room in the back for three adults, while boot capacity is a generous 591 litres, or 1,780 with the 40:20:40-split back seats folded down.

Running costs

The service schedule for all Sportages is 12 months or 12,000 miles, alternating between Minor and Major at £295 and £395 respectively. However, there’s a big service every four years or 48,000 miles. This is priced at £464 for petrol and hybrid editions, but £549 for the diesel. The 1.6 CRDi is the only engine to come with a cambelt, and it needs to be replaced every 44,000 miles at a cost of around £600.

While most new Sportages are priced under £40,000, some posher models, especially in plug-in hybrid form, breach this barrier, so you might have to pay the expensive car tax supplement (£425) until the car’s sixth birthday. Insurance groups are as low as 16 and go up to 27; diesels are the cheapest to insure, followed by petrols, then hybrids, with plug-in hybrids the most costly of all to cover.

Recalls

Kia doesn’t tend to issue many recalls and sure enough, the fourth-generation Sportage (2016-2021) has been recalled just three times so far. This fifth-generation Sportage is one campaign behind, with two actions so far.

The first came in July 2023, when almost 7,000 Sportages made between August 2022 and March 2023 were found to have problems with their digital instrument clusters. It was traced to software bugs; the fix was updated software.

The second recall came in January 2025 and affected almost 3,000 Sportages manufactured between September 2022 and June 2023. This time it was because of brake servo failure. The solution once again was to install a software update.

Driver Power owner satisfaction

The Sportage is a big seller, but owners aren’t impressed. They placed the Kia 45th out of 50 in 2025, although it fared rather better in 2024 when it came 11th. Intriguingly, the Sportage Mk5 came 70th out of 75 in our 2023 survey, but the Mk4 came 19th, having come sixth in 2022.

The Mk5 was rated in the top half of the 2025 survey in just two areas: rear-seat legroom (17th) and the number of safety features fitted (10th), which is hugely disappointing.