Kia Sportage review - Reliability and safety

The previous Kia Sportage model achieved a top five-star safety score from Euro NCAP back in 2015, and we’d expect the latest model to achieve the same rating. The bigger Sorento SUV is also a five-star family SUV, as is the closely-related Hyundai Tucson.

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 an accident. 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 system is able to safely track the vehicle in front through heavier motorway traffic and identify appropriate spaces in other lanes in which to move in to. With Lane Keep Assist engaged, you will receive an alert if you drift to the edge of your lane, while the technology is even capable of steering you gently back into place.

If you upgrade to either the 4 or GT-Line S trim-levels you’ll benefit from further safety systems, such as Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA), Highway Driving Assist (HDA), Parking Collision Avoidance Assist (PCA) and Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA).

It would appear that Kia is held in high regard by customers, as it finished in second place out of 29 brands in our Driver Power Best manufacturer ratings. The previous Sportage model was still deemed good enough to sneak a top ten finish in the Best cars to own survey – 9th spot overall on a 75-car list is an encouraging result.

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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. The cost for two services is around £400, with intervals of 12-months, or 10,000-miles - whichever comes first.

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.