Kia Sportage review (2021-2025)

Driving position 

Just like almost every other family SUV out there, the Kia Sportage is very easy to get comfortable in. 

Thanks to lots of adjustment in the electrically operated seats standard on higher trims and above, you can get fairly low (or sit high up), as well as adjust your lumbar support to suit your desires. 

When you’re set up, there’s good all-round visibility, with a slim-as-you-like A-Pillar which doesn’t obstruct your view of other cars at junctions or roundabouts. 

We covered 500 miles in our Kia Sportage test car over a week and didn’t find it uncomfortable once, the same which can’t be said for some others in its class and price point. 

Tech and features 

The cabin is a classic example of a cheaper family SUV – it’s no Mercedes, but it gets the job done. 

There are a few scratchier plastics, but the functions themselves work seamlessly in our experience. 

However, the infotainment system itself is really quite dated now, especially since a facelifted Sportage came out just weeks before we drove this one. In that case, if you want the latest and greatest, you should opt for a Sorento, which we reviewed recently, or wait for the new Sportage to arrive. 

• Kia Sorento review

You also don’t get wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in the early 2025 car we drove, which feels like an oversight in the wireless-first world we now live in. Especially when the alternative is USB-A-only, though there are still three USB-C ports passengers can use. 

Other than that, though, the Sportage does just what it says on the tin. Plus, it has physical climate control dials and a touch-sensitive panel that switches between air-con and navigation screens when needed. 

Our Sportage ‘3’ comes with a 12.3-inch central infotainment screen as well as a secondary 12.3-inch digital driver’s display – something most trims get. 

Engines and power 

There are a number of engine options for the Sportage, and in fact, you can have it as either a self-charging hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or a standard petrol – no more diesel. 

This gives buyers a big range to choose from, and our recommendation is simple. 

Our ‘3’ trim gets a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine mated to a 13.8kWh PHEV system with a combined output of 238hp and 350Nm of torque. It’s a great setup, but only if you’re able to top up the battery easily. 

If you can’t charge at home, we’d always recommend the HEV for most people. All you need to do is fill it up with petrol and you’re off. If the HEV exists, we’re not sure the standard petrol is even really worth considering. 

Our car has the six-speed automatic gearbox (manual is also available for the petrol-only model), which is really quite sluggish – especially in Sport mode, should you ever see the need to use it.  

And when you use the dedicated shift paddles in any drive mode, there’s a significant delay between gear changes. But let’s be honest, you’re not buying a Sportage for performance driving, and at slow speeds around town, you don’t notice it. 

Get up to motorway speeds from a slip roa,d and you will notice it straining. 

Handling and ride comfort 

The Sportage has a clever all-wheel drive (AWD) system in so much that it distributes power to whichever wheel needs it the most – getting the energy from either the engine or electric motor. 

It’ll spend most of its time in front-wheel drive (FWD) mode, but if it senses you losing grip or accelerating harder, it’ll send more to the rear wheels to balance it. 

This makes handling pretty good, too. It doesn’t feel tall and wobbly like some SUVs, and instead it comes across as focused and sturdy. This is helped by a MacPherson strut at the front and multi-link rear suspension at the rear – a common affair these days and a hallmark of a well-judged ride. 

The suspension itself soaks up bumps really well – even in and around cities where the high-traffic road surfaces tend to be rougher. 

It also helps that our car is sitting on 19-inch wheels wrapped in cushiony eco tyres for added comfort and efficiency. 

Boot space 

In the back, there’s 591 litres of boot space (540 in the PHEV), which is enough for several suitcases and soft bags. 

Fold down the rear seats and this grows to 1,780 litres (1,715 in the PHEV) – ideal for moving house or transporting items of furniture. 

Compared to its rivals, it stacks up well, with the Nissan Qashqai getting 504 litres and the Ford Kuga getting up to 475 litres. 

Rear seats 

The rear seats get a decent amount of space, enough room for three passengers to sit abreast, though we’d stick to two if you’re on longer drives. 

You also get ISOFIX mounts on the two outer seats for the little ones, and two USB-C ports in the backs of the front seats for the not-so-little ones. 

Storage solutions 

There are quite a few nifty storage solutions worth pointing out. 

Our favourite bit are the adjustable cupholders in the front, suitable for skinnier cans or larger one-litre bottles of water at the push of a button. 

There’s also a decent amount of space under the central armrest, as well as well-sized door bins and glovebox. 

Safety 

As with all modern cars, the Sportage comes with a whole host of vital safety kit to keep you safe on the road. 

Some of these include front and rear parking sensors, lane keep assist, speed limit warning, driver attention warning, etc. 

If you want to add to this, you can opt for clever little blind spot cameras that appear in the digital gauge cluster, a remote parking assistant, and a parking collision avoidance system (which automatically brakes if you’re about to reverse into something). 

Fuel economy 

Its combined fuel consumption is quoted by Kia as being 235.4mpg.  

Now, we all know this isn’t the case in the real world unless you’re almost only relying on electricity, which in the PHEV, is around 30 miles of range. 

So, you can expect to get around 40-50mpg in mixed driving, and we saw 45.2mpg on a long trip, long after the battery had lost its charge. 

But as we touched on above, you should really be topping up that battery as much as you can to benefit from the PHEV system. 

• We put the Kia Sportage's MPG to the test

Reliability 

Hyundais and Kias (both of which are part of the same brand) have some of the strongest reliability scores of any manufacturer. This is because they’re incredibly well made but also come with a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty – the best in the business. 

This, of course, still applies to used cars within that seven-year window, but even if it doesn’t, you can add cinchCover for extra peace of mind on all our used cars for sale.