The Sportage offers good value for money in the class thanks to strong equipment levels. Its seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty may no longer be industry-leading, but it's still more generous than most brands. Kia dealers offer fixed-price servicing packs for three and five years allowing owners to manage their budgets.

For prospective owners aiming to keep costs down, the front-wheel drive models are the better bets – and in particular the models fitted with the 1.6-litre diesel mild hybrid engine. Steer clear of the all-wheel drive models as their economy is naturally worse and their CO2 emissions higher. Equally, those higher-spec models with bigger wheels will not return the best economy figures.

Most economical SUVs, 4x4s and crossovers

The most efficient Sportage model is the 1.6 CRDi diesel combined with the 2 trim level, which brings smaller 17-inch wheels. Kia claims a combined economy figure of 52.3mpg with emissions at 141g/km. As an example of how wheel size can affect efficiency, the same engine paired with the 3 trim's 19-inch alloys delivers 47.9mpg and a CO2 figure of 153g/km.

For those Sportage customers wanting to cover the most miles under petrol power, the 130bhp 1.6 GDi (again in entry level 2 trim) will be the answer. It returns 36.2mpg on the combined cycle, with CO2 emissions of 177g/km. The 174bhp petrol version in 3 trim delivers the worst economy in the range - with a maximum 32.1mpg and 201g/km of CO2.

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Insurance Groups

The Kia Sportage occupies insurance groups 15 to 20 – more or less on a level with rivals like the Mazda CX-5 (groups 15 to 23), Peugeot 3008 (11 to 24) and Nissan Qashqai (13 to 21).

Depreciation

Our experts predict that the Sportage will retain an average of around 47% of its value after three years and 36,000 miles come trade-in time. This compares favourably to more expensive rivals like the Peugeot 3008, which is expected to hold on to 39 to 45 per cent over the same period.