2026 Kia Sportage Hybrid: A nice ride but a fuelish choice
Decent takeoff and comfortable seating don’t make much sense when the hybrid fuel economy isn’t that great.
2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid AWD Sport Touring vs. Kia Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige AWD: A challenger for the hybrid crown?
This week: Kia Sportage Hybrid
Price: $41,985 as tested
What others are saying: “Highs: Better acceleration than nonhybrid variant, well-mannered ride, plenty of space for people and cargo inside. Lows: Fuel economy isn’t as frugal as expected, not particularly entertaining to drive, exterior design isn’t for everyone,” says Car and Driver.
What Kia is saying: “Show up, show off.”
Reality: A hybrid challenger? There was much that was challenging about the Sportage Hybrid.
What’s new: The Sportage gets a new look, and some interior features. It comes in gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in models.
Competition: In addition to the CR-V Hybrid, competitors include the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, Mazda CX-50 Hybrid, Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid, Subaru Forester Hybrid, and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
Up to speed: The Sportage Hybrid was a mostly pleasant companion to move about in. There were some hesitant moments as I pulled out and adjusted to hills over the first couple days, but those were on me. A last day trip to University City from West Chester was all smoothness and ease, both on the highways and in stop-and-go traffic. Eco mode was about the best all around, although I did pick Sport mode when I was really worried about cutting into traffic.
It takes 7.4 seconds for the 232-horsepower Sportage Hybrid to get to 60 mph, according to Car and Driver. That’s not stellar from the 1.6-liter turbocharged hybridized powertrain, but not too poky, and it’s faster than the 187-horsepower gasoline-powered 2.5-liter four-cylinder model.
A last-day pullout from 0-40 startled me with its quickness, so overall I’d say this midsize SUV is a peppy companion.
Shifty: The dial shifter works nicely, counterclockwise for Reverse and clockwise for Drive. Paddle shifters shift the 6-speed automatic transmission directly.
The transmission selection is what killed Sport mode for me. Many vehicles hold lower gears for a while in this mode, but the Sportage Hybrid always felt like it was stuck in 2nd when I’d be looking for 4th or 5th. Definitely less than ideal.
On the road: The handling in the Sportage Hybrid was not quite as enjoyable as the acceleration. Eco, Sport, or My Drive mode, nothing brought out the goose bumps as nicely as the S selection in the CR-V Hybrid.
Driver’s Seat: Mr. Driver’s Seat put a lot of miles on the vehicle, and he never felt tired or sore.
The dashboard is standard issue Kia, which is clear and easy to set to your favorite info.
Friends and stuff: The rear seat in the Sportage Hybrid offers a comfortable place for passengers to ride. It’s fixed in place, but there’s plenty of legroom and foot room provided. The headroom is about the same as the CR-V, where my head is an inch away from the ceiling.
The Kia also offers several recline positions, as did the Honda.
Cargo space is 39.5 cubic feet in the rear and 73.7 with the rear seat folded, right in between the CR-V’s numbers.
In and out: The height of the Sportage matches the CR-V; it’s great for people who like to ride up high but not for people facing sore knees.
Play some tunes: The Harman Kardon stereo is an also-ran, like Kia audio systems tend to be. The clarity was fine for some songs and off for others, but the sound itself seemed just off throughout. Too much rattling bass and everything seemed to be in a minor key or something. B+.
The 12.3-inch touchscreen handles most of the controls well. You can use the dials, but you have to hit the switch to change them from HVAC controls. Kia thinks it’s clever or something with this system, because you can just take your eyes off the road to switch, right? What’s wrong with this picture?
The switch itself is very small and part of a touch pad, so it’s hard to pinpoint and unresponsive. So you make what you think are your adjustments, and then the stereo remains too loud, but you start feeling colder.
Keeping warm and cool: At least Kia has decided to let the controls default to HVAC. I’ve had other models where it stayed in the most recent selected, and I was always hitting the wrong thing. Owners may have their own perspective on this.
Dials control temperature, and the ebony touch pad handles everything else. Really, though, only the toggle between stereo and HVAC seemed to be the weak link.
Fuel economy: Speaking of weak links, the Sportage Hybrid fuel economy disappoints. Over the course of 400+ miles that include another driver — one who’s no doubt less inclined to race at stoplights — I could barely get this over 30 mpg. It’s disappointing, period. But it’s also no match for the CR-V Hybrid’s 35-plus. I’d averaged 35 in a 2023 Sportage Hybrid, so the upgrades are thirsty.
Where it’s built: Gwangju, South Korea. Ninety percent of parts come from South Korea, and less than 1% are from the U.S. or Canada.
How it’s built: The Sportage Hybrid gets a reliability rating of 3 out of 5 from Consumer Reports.
In the end: If you’re buying a hybrid to, you know, save fuel, then it’s CR-V Hybrid all the way. Consumer Reports claims to have gotten mid-30s, but Car and Driver and Mr. Driver’s Seat not so much.