Kia Sportage - Reliability and safety

​The previous Kia Sportage was awarded a five-star safety score from Euro NCAP back in 2015, and the fifth-generation model achieved the same top rating when tested in July 2022 — an even more impressive score considering the stringent assessment criteria Euro NCAP now has in place.

The standard safety kit is excellent; cruise control, front and rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera are included, along with various camera and radar-based systems that are designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions occurring. These include Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), which monitors for pedestrians, cyclists and other cars, initially providing a warning of a potential collision and automatically braking if required. 

The Lane Following Assist works with the Lane-keeping Assist system when cruise control is engaged to help keep the car between the lines when driving along a motorway or dual carriageway. On all automatic models from GT-Line and above, there’s a stop-and-go adaptive cruise control system that not only keeps you a set distance from the car in front, but can also bring you to a stop in heavy traffic and set the car in motion again when the vehicle ahead moves forward. 

If you upgrade to the GT-Line S trim you’ll benefit from further safety systems, such as Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Parking Collision Avoidance Assist and Remote Smart Parking Assist.

Kia is often a top performer in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, and our most recent results were no exception. The Sportage ranked as the 19th best car to own out of 75 models. This was just one of several showings for Kia on this list, with the larger Sorento landing a particularly impressive second-place finish. Kia itself also placed sixth out of 32 brands in our best manufacturer rankings, placing it ahead of several direct rivals and more premium brands including BMW, Audi and Mercedes.

Warranty

Kia’s seven-year/100,000-mile warranty beats most of its close rivals, although Toyota offers the opportunity to extend its standard three-year cover for up to ten years, with a year’s warranty included every time you book a service at a main dealer.

Servicing

Kia offers service plans that can cover the Sportage from two to five years. You can pay up front, over monthly instalments, or even combine it into any monthly finance repayments. Intervals are 12-months or 10,000-miles – whichever comes first.