Our opinion on the Kia Sportage
Kia can seemingly do no wrong with the Sportage. The model flies out of the showrooms at very nearly the same rate as the Ford Puma, despite that car being both much smaller and costing less to buy. However, when compared with the Sportage’s closest rival, the Nissan Qashqai, it just falls slightly short for overall ability. There’s plenty of boot and passenger space in the Sportage, but in other areas, including the chassis and hybrid powertrain, it can’t quite match the Qashqai. Even so, the Kia’s value for money, generous standard kit, smart interior design and strong performance – plus its seven-year warranty – mean that there is still plenty of appeal to be found.
About the Kia Sportage
Kia has seen room for improvement in the Sportage, because the range gets a new look for 2025, with a face that’s inspired by the likes of its Kia EV9 electric SUV. The brand has introduced a new lighting signature at the front, which makes the car look wider and more imposing, while refreshed wheel designs, measuring between 17 and 19 inches, liven up the profile.
None of these changes have really altered the fundamentals, however, and that’s a good thing, because the Sportage is a really solid all-rounder that is spacious, well equipped and offers strong value for money. The powertrains aren’t quite up with the very best in the class, but otherwise it’s a great package.
This is the fifth-generation Sportage, and the evolutionary look sums up how the Sportage has changed over the years. There’s just the one five-door, five-seat compact SUV body, while power comes from 1.6-litre turbo petrol mild-hybrid or full-hybrid powertrains. You can get a six-speed manual at the entry point to the petrol line-up, but all other cars feature automatic gearboxes, while front-wheel drive is standard on all models bar the top-spec GT-Line S, which can be had with four-wheel drive.
As well as our initial test drives in the petrol and hybrid models our expert road testers have put this family SUV to the test against its key competitors. So far, the Sportage has managed to defeat the Volkswagen Tiguan, as well as the Mazda CX-5 and SEAT Ateca in our real-world group tests, underlining its qualities.
However, it couldn’t quite outperform the Nissan Qashqai. While the Kia impressed with its practicality and general value for money, we found that the Qashqai has the edge in terms of powertrains and driving experience.
Kia Sportage prices and latest deals
How much does the Kia Sportage cost? Well, official ‘on the road’ prices range from £30,195 to £45,775 but you can currently save an average of £3,266 through the Auto Express Find A Car service, where prices start at £28,564. You can lease a Kia Sportage from £276 per month or buy a used model at prices starting from £14,200.
Check out our latest new car deals, leasing deals and used car deals for the top offers available now on Auto Express. And don’t forget we can help you sell your car, too.
Prices for the Kia Sportage start from around £31,000 for the petrol model in Pure trim, while GT-Line models are £2,500 extra. Adding an automatic gearbox to this model costs £2,500 extra on top of that. At the top of the range, the GT-Line S is around £5,200 extra. If you’re looking at the Sportage Hybrid, prices start at around £34,500 for the Pure model, with the GT-Line and GT-Line S models sitting at the same price difference as the petrol models. Adding four-wheel drive to the GT-Line S adds £1,600 to the list price.
Performance, 0-60mph acceleration and top speed
Kia offers a choice of electrified powertrains; mild-hybrids sit at the bottom and full hybrids are positioned above them, with plug-in hybrids due to join the range at a later date. All versions use a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. The entry-level mild-hybrid car produces 147bhp and is paired with either a six-speed manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.
Despite the slight electrical assistance, the petrol engine needs to be worked hard, and accelerating causes it to emit a gruff, almost diesel-like tone. Overtaking can be quite a steady and noisy process, with a second or two’s delay before the car starts to steadily gain speed, despite a significant increase in engine volume.
Hybrid versions still make a gruff noise, but the electric motor is fairly strong, so that unpleasantness doesn’t crop up so often. In total, there’s 235bhp and 265Nm of torque on offer, so it feels really quite lively for this class.
