Kia Sportage - Reliability and safety
The Kia Sportage boasts superb levels of standard safety kit and a generous seven-year warranty
When tested in July 2022, the latest Kia Sportage received a five-star safety score from Euro NCAP – an even more impressive score than its predecessor considering the stringent assessment criteria Euro NCAP 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 autonomous emergency braking (AEB), 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 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. All automatic models from GT-Line and above have adaptive cruise control, which not only keeps you a set distance from the car in front, but can also bring you to a stop in heavy traffic.
If you upgrade to the top-of-the-range GT-Line S trim, you’ll benefit from blind-spot collision-avoidance to warn you of cars alongside you on the motorway, a reverse parking collision avoidance assist, and a remote smart parking assist if you’re stuck in a tight car parking bay and can’t open the doors to get in.
More reviews
Car group tests
- Nissan Qashqai vs Kia Sportage: top hybrid SUVs go head-to-head
- Kia Sportage vs Toyota C-HR: can Toyota’s new arrival beat Kia’s best-seller?
- Vauxhall Grandland vs Kia Sportage 2023: twin test review
- Kia Sportage vs Hyundai Tucson: 2022 twin test review
- Kia Sportage PHEV vs Hyundai Tucson PHEV: 2022 plug-in hybrid SUV twin test review
- Kia Sportage vs Mazda CX-5 vs SEAT Ateca: 2022 group test review
In-depth reviews
Road tests
Used car tests
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 11th best car to own out of 50 models in the 2024 survey. This was just one of several showings for Kia on this list, with the smallest Kia Picanto finishing one place behind its larger sibling.
| Key standard safety features | Euro NCAP safety ratings |
|
|
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/60,000-mile warranty by one year or 10,000 miles at a time whenever you take your car in for routine servicing at a main dealer, up until the car is ten years old or has covered 100,000 miles.
Servicing
Kia offers service plans that can cover the Sportage from two to five years, and you can pay up front or over monthly instalments. Intervals are 12-months or 10,000-miles – whichever comes first.
What do owners think?
Here’s what owners thought of the Kia Sportage in the 2024 Driver Power survey.
| What they like | What they don't like |
| “Everything is great with my 2022 Sportage GT Line S HEV AWD. I’m enjoying the ownership experience.” | “The touchscreen controls are 50/50 whether they respond or not. It’s very distracting for the driver.” |
| “The quality of the interior is very impressive, with a good blend of finishes and a really modern design.” | “Kia has used too many cheap materials. It shows in the trim and paint, and the car is now too expensive.” |
| “This is my fifth Sportage. It’s the best car I’ve owned and I’ll buy another when it’s time to change.” | “It’s less than 12 months old and has been in the garage so often that it doesn’t seem like a quality product.” |
| “Very modern. I’ve had more unsolicited positive comments about it than any other car I have bought.” | “The mpg is poor, partly through having to drive around trying to get the particulate filter cleared.” |
| “Great balance between performance, reliability and styling. The warranty helps maintain trade-in value.” | “My driver’s seat is so uncomfortable, I get bad backache. It’s even worse in the front passenger seat.” |
| “Acceleration is impressive for a 1.6-litre engine. It’s very responsive, especially with the car in Sport mode.” | |
| “There are plenty of cubbyholes, including a decent-sized glovebox and a box between the front seats. The boot is also huge; there’s loads of room for a pram and bags of shopping.” | |
| “I like how Kia has retained switches rather than using touch controls, as many rivals have done. I’m quite tall at 182cm, but there’s lots of legroom for me, even as a passenger.” | |
| “Given the quality and the amount of standard equipment, the Sportage is extremely good value.” | |
| “The Kia is so much nicer to drive than my old MINI Countryman, because the steering is so much better. The ride is also generally smooth, although it can be crashy on some roads, and the big wheels mean road noise is noticeable.” |
Which Is Best
