Ford Kuga Review & Prices

The Ford Kuga really puts the ‘Sport’ in ‘Sport Utility Vehicle,’ because it’s a big, practical and spacious family car that’s properly good fun to drive on a country lane - which is a rare thing these days. It’s a shame the cabin looks and feels dated compared to its alternatives, and it’s not all that comfortable around town.

It’s a bit like that one athletic mate who’s perfectly happy joining you at the pub, but they’re always dressed in sporty clothes, will probably stick to soft drinks, and usually jogs home. The Citroen C5 Aircross, Volkswagen Tiguan and Peugeot 3008 are more comfortable and more stylish if that suits your needs better.

The latest version of the Kuga looks sporty in some ways, but a bit generic in others. The big grille has a prominent Ford badge in the middle with sweeping headlights either side. It’s a shame the rest of the design is nondescript, but at least the Active version gets chunky body cladding.

Step inside and you’re greeted by a cabin that’s similarly plain. The 13.0-inch infotainment system and 12.3-inch driver’s display look bang up to date, but otherwise the interior doesn’t feel as modern as in the Volkswagen Tiguan, Kia Sportage or even the cheaper MG HS. Annoyingly the heater controls are screen-based, and they’re fiddly to use on the go.

Build quality feels solid, though we found a few scratchy plastics around the centre console and below the dashboard.

The Kuga’s roominess impresses, and it’s easy to find the right driving position with highly adjustable seats. There’s plenty of storage space, including multiple bottle holders in the door bins, deep cubbies in the centre console and a pair of cupholders by the gear selector.

The back seats slide and recline, with loads of leg and foot space, though tall adults brushed the roof of our test car, which was fitted with the panoramic sunroof. The 526-litre boot is a bit down on alternatives, and you only get one shopping hook, but it’s a handy shape and there’s space for a spare wheel underneath.

Engines range from a 1.5-litre petrol to a 2.5-litre plug-in hybrid (PHEV), while the 2.5-litre self-charging hybrid can be had with front- or all-wheel drive.

Around town the Kuga is generally easy to drive, especially with a peppy hybrid engine fitted. You have good forward visibility thanks to the tall seating position, but while it’s comfortable over larger bumps, the big Ford jiggles you over rough roads and potholes - even in Active trim with its small 18-inch alloy wheels.

Things settle down a bit on the motorway, but getting up to speed is a noisy affair thanks to the Kuga’s automatic CVT transmission. Once you’re at a cruise there’s almost no tyre roar or wind noise, making for pleasant progress, but it’s best on a country lane where minimal body lean and a surprising amount of steering feel inspire confidence at speed.

Check out the latest Ford Kuga deals to get this sporty SUV on your driveway, or Kuga lease deals instead. There are loads of used Kugas for sale through our trusted dealer networks, or other used Fords for sale, too. Carwow can even help you sell your car, when the time comes.

Entry-level Titanium models start at just over £33,000, which is tremendous value compared to the £38,000 Volkswagen Tiguan or £37,000 Peugeot 3008. The hybrid Kuga starts at near £38,000, which is a hefty jump in price, but for that you get sporty bodywork, 360-degree cameras, red brake calipers and an electric tailgate - as the hybrid is only available in ST-Line trim and up.

Prices jump significantly up the range, as ST-Line X cars start at just under £40,000, but the PHEV option pushes that up closer to £41,000. You get 19-inch wheels and a glass sunroof for that, as well as adaptive cruise control and heated seats front and rear, while the Black Package adds 20-inch wheels and gloss black body styling.

Sound Edition sits at the top of the range, with a bespoke colour choice and wheels, Bang & Olufsen sound system and model-specific interior trim. Our test car was kitted out in Active spec, which adds a rugged look and lifted suspension in addition to 360-degree cameras and active cruise control.

The Ford Kuga is one of the most impressive SUVs to drive, but it's a shame there’s no auto gearbox option for the petrol model

In town

There’s a lot to like about being in the driver’s seat of the Kuga, as it’s really comfortable and has the raised position that gives you good vision to the front, so you can judge where the bonnet ends when parking, and it’s also easy to see out of the side windows as you approach junctions. Reversing into spaces is made trickier by the thick rear pillars, though Ford does provide front and rear parking sensors with every Kuga model.

The manual gearbox in the 1.5-litre Ecoboost-powered Kuga has a light action and feels good to use. Take the hybrid model and it has an automatic gearbox with a rotary controller to select gears that’s brilliantly simple. What’s not so impressive is the slightly snatchy feel to the brakes in the Kuga at low speeds, so care is needed not to jolt the car as you come to a halt.

Making up for this is how comfortable the Kuga is over bumps, but it’s a bit too jiggly over rough sections of road which rumble through the cabin, while even in Active spec on small 18-inch wheels the Kuga thuds through potholes. It’s even more noticeable on bigger wheels and sporty ST-Line suspension.

You also have Pre-Collision Assist and Autonomous Emergency Braking to alert you to possible hazards ahead and deal with them. You’ll want to turn the sensitivity down a touch if you frequent stop-start traffic, as we found it rather aggressive - even at reasonable distances.

On the motorway

If you think the smaller 1.5-litre engine in the Kuga will feel underwhelming on faster roads, think again. It’s a willing performer that pulls strongly from low revs and the manual gearbox is really good to use. The engine is also hushed when on the motorway, and you have adaptive cruise control with speed limiter as standard, plus blind-spot monitoring in every Kuga to make life more relaxing.

The hybrid Kuga with its 2.5-litre engine is quicker off the mark and better at tackling steep motorway inclines. However, you do have to get used to its automatic gearbox, which causes the engine to rev quite hard when you accelerate. Wind and road noise are both remarkably quiet in all Kugas, making it a pleasant long-distance cruiser, while the optional adaptive cruise control does a great job of keeping you centred in the lane, with minimal side-to-side drifting between the lines.

On a twisty road

Get on a country road, and the Kuga tackles corners and bumps with the sporty panache you’d expect from a Ford. Next to most cars in this class, the Kuga feels really agile and nimble and the steering offers a better idea of what the front wheels are doing than in some SUVs which cost twice as much.

There’s plenty of grip around bends, especially in the all-wheel drive version, and you can keep up speed with confidence on a good lane as the brakes are sharp at high speeds. The suspension settles down a bit, so the Kuga is more comfortable on a B-road than it is in town.

The Kuga has more passenger space inside than most alternatives, but you might wish the boot was a bit bigger

Settle into the Ford Kuga and you’ll find it’s got plenty of adjustment in the position of the driver's seat and the steering wheel. Taller drivers might want the seat to drop a bit lower, but most will enjoy the raised view that is, after all, what you want an SUV for.

The seat itself offers plenty of support for your back and legs, and the steering wheel can be altered for how close it comes towards you and its angle. All of this combines to make the Kuga a very comfortable car.

Finding places to keep bottles, sunglasses and other odds and ends is no problem in the Ford. Large door pockets will easily hold a large drinks bottle, and there are two cupholders in the console behind the gear lever. A tray in front of the gear stick is ideal for holding your phone, and all Kugas come with wireless charging. There’s another tray behind the gear lever, though it’s a bit small. To the rear of this is a lidded cubby, while the glovebox is merely average for this size of car. You also get a proper sunglasses holder set in the roof lining.

Space in the back seats

The Kuga’s rear doors open wide, which makes it easy to get in and load smaller kids into their seats. There’s also plenty of room for a rear-facing child seat, while the ISOFIX mounts on the two outer rear seats are simple to locate and use, so no messing about trying to jab a clip into place.

Adults sitting in the back seats will find loads of room for their feet, knees and shoulders - though tall adults might feel their hair ruffling the roof if you tick the box for the optional panoramic sunroof. That roof helps make the rear cabin feel a lot more airy, that being said, as it can be a little dingy back there otherwise.

Three adults will fit in the back of the Kuga, but whoever draws the short straw to sit in the middle will have the unpleasant experience of the seat belt clip digging into their thigh. The small hump in the middle of the floor doesn’t rob any foot space, though.

The rear seats of the Kuga slide back and forth, so you can vary passenger and load space. As for storage in the rear compartment, there are small but useful door bins, pockets in the backs of the front seats, and a fold-down armrest with a couple of cupholders. You also get a coat hook on the door pillar, while the window line is just about low enough for younger kids to see out without craning their necks.

Boot space

With the rear seats in their normal position, The Kuga has 526 litres of load space (475 in the plug-in hybrid model), which is way less than the 565-litre Citroen C5 Aircross boot or the gigantic 910 litres you get in the five-seat Skoda Kodiaq, but still sufficient for most needs. It's slightly more than you get in a Nissan Qashqai's 503-litre boot.

The Kuga’s boot is useful too. It has a floor that sits flush with the load sill, so it’s easy to slide heavy items in and out. Four tie-down points let you secure loads in the boot, while a 12-volt socket means you can run a fridge to keep your holiday snacks and drinks cool. There are also remote handles set into the side walls of the boot to release the rear seats when you want to free up more space. It’s a shame you only get one shopping hook, though.

With all of the back seats dropped down, you have up to 1,603 litres of cargo capacity. The floor isn’t completely flat, but it’s not a major problem to fit in longer, bulkier loads, while you get enough underfloor storage for a couple of backpacks - unless you option a spare wheel, that is.

The Ford Kuga’s big new screen is impressive, but it’s just a pity the quality of some materials isn’t a bit higher grade

As standard, the Kuga comes with a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, which has crisp and clear graphics and works pretty well. You can adjust the information being displayed, and the screen background changes according to the driving mode you’ve selected.

Also standard is the new 13.0-inch touchscreen, which replaces the old, rather small 8.0-inch screen of the previous Kuga. That old system used aged software, although it was fairly easy to find your way around. The new screen is far more slick and sophisticated, and comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A six-speaker stereo is also standard, but higher-spec versions get a very impressive Bang & Olufsen stereo which is really good.

However, while the touchscreen is good in and of itself, there’s a problem — the arrival of the new screen means the departure of the previous Kuga’s physical air conditioning controls, which is a real shame as using on-screen controls for heating and cooling is just never as convenient. Boo!

The other big disappointment in the Kuga’s cabin is the feel of some of the plastics lower down in the dash, seats, and centre console. Next to a Hyundai Tucson or Peugeot 3008, the Ford just seems like it’s been put together from cheaper materials.

There are three engines to choose from with the Kuga, and they are quite distinct. Take the 1.5-litre Ecoboost petrol motor and it comes with a six-speed manual gearbox as the only transmission option. It offers a claimed fuel economy of up to 44.1mpg, along with carbon dioxide emissions of 145g/km. That's comparable with a similarly specced petrol-powered Nissan Qashqai or VW Tiguan.

For those picking the Kuga with the 2.5-litre engine and hybrid set-up, Ford claims an average economy of 52.3mpg and 123g/km CO2 emissions. That’s similar to the diesel engine that was previously offered in the Kuga, so it will keep business users and long-haul drivers happy, but in the real world we saw around 44mpg over mixed use.

The plug-in hybrid is the most powerful of the bunch, and at 243hp is much more brisk. Its official economy figure is just over 200mpg, but Ford quotes a more realistic 50mpg for longer journeys on a flat battery.

It’s worth remembering that several Kuga models are priced above the £40,000 barrier, so will incur the expensive car supplement in Vehicle Excise Duty road tax in years two-to-six. The plug-in hybrid has the best Benefit in Kind (BIK) tax costs for business users.

To keep you safe should the worst happen, the Ford Kuga comes with twin front and side airbags for those in the front, as well as full-length curtain airbags to protect all occupants. The front passenger airbag can be deactivated so a child seat can be fitted, and there are ISOFIX mounts attached to the two outer rear seats.

Parking sensors are fitted to the front and rear of all Kugas, and every trim comes with cruise control. You also get lane departure warning and lane keep assist, and autonomous emergency braking with pre-collision assist to warn of oncoming dangers. However, you need to step up from the entry level Zetec version if you want a rear-view camera as standard, as well as a driver fatigue warning. All of this earned the Kuga a five-star rating in safety tests by Euro NCAP.

The Zetec trim misses out again if you want to add the optional Driver’s Assistance Pack to the Kuga. It comes with a front parking camera, adaptive cruise control with traffic sign recognition, blind spot warning, active parking assistance, and Ford’s clever rubber door guards that pop out to protect the edges of the doors against car park knocks as they open.

Ford came a lowly 23rd out of 31 manufacturers in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, which is hardly a confidence inspiring result.

The plug-in hybrid model has been subject to more than one recall for significant problems with its battery. Across the wider Kuga range, there have also been recalls for a possible problem with the fuel heater system and the telematic system that could affect the car’s SOS call that automatically contacts emergency services in the event of a collision.

All Kugas come with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty included as new. When you buy the car, you also have the option to upgrade this to four years and 80,000 miles or five years and 100,000 miles for an additional cost, but even then there are others - notably Kia and Toyota - who offer considerably longer warranties as standard.