Kia Sportage review - Reliability and Safety

The Sportage is well stocked when it comes to safety features. All versions come equipped with ABS, stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system, while the ‘2’ trim level adds lane keeping assist, speed limit detection and driver attention warning. Top spec versions add the likes of blind spot collision warning and autonomous emergency braking.

All Sportages are equipped with a reversing camera which should reduce the change of parking bumps, and front parking sensors are standard on 4, GT-Line and GT-Line S variants. Cruise control is also standard across the range, while the GT-Line S gets an adaptive system which can maintain a safe distance from the car ahead.

Euro NCAP has tested the Sportage and gave it a five-star safety rating when it was tested in 2015. The car was praised for its ability to protect passengers of all sizes in all seats and its side-on collision protection. It scored 71 per cent for its active safety assist technologies.

The Kia Sportage achieved an impressive 13th-place finish out of 100 cars in our 2019 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey. Those surveyed praised the Sportage’s driving position, practicality, drive and infotainment – acceleration and fuel economy were the only areas where scores weren’t as good. A relatively low 12.9 per cent of owners reported having experienced a fault with their Sportage, gearbox issues being the most common complaint.

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Warranty

Just like all Kia models, the Sportage range is covered by an industry-leading warranty that lasts seven years or 100,000 miles (whichever comes first). The fourth-generation Sportage fared very well in the 2018 Driver Power survey: a 17th place finish overall means that the Sportage was ranked third among mid-size SUVs for customer satisfaction. Kia impressed as a brand overall, too, scooping eighth place in the brand standings.

Servicing

The service schedule for every Sportage variant is 12 months or 20,000 miles, which means bills shouldn’t be too high. You can fix the cost of servicing thanks to a package that Kia offers for the Sportage: the first three services are covered for £329 including VAT (with a maximum mileage limit of 11,000 per year), or the first five services for £609. This represents very good value for money and is definitely worth taking up.