Kia Sportage Review
The Kia Sportage is worth a look if you’re after a practical family SUV with economical engines and a roomy cabin, but alternatives have bigger boots and more safety kit.
This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car
What's good
- Roomy interior
- Lots of standard equipment
- Reassuring seven-year warranty
What's not so good
- Divisive looks
- Alternatives have bigger boots…
- … and more standard safety tech
Kia Sportage Review
The Kia Sportage is worth a look if you’re after a practical family SUV with economical engines and a roomy cabin, but alternatives have bigger boots and more safety kit.
This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car
What's good
- Roomy interior
- Lots of standard equipment
- Reassuring seven-year warranty
What's not so good
- Divisive looks
- Alternatives have bigger boots…
- … and more standard safety tech
Kia Sportage: what would you like to read next?
Review contents
Overall verdict
Watch our Kia Sportage video review here
The Kia Sportage is a family SUV you’ll want to consider if you’re looking for something with a spacious cabin and a wide range of engines and want something that’ll stand out from the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, Hyundai Tucson and Skoda Karoq.
Take the Kia Sportage’s front end for example. You might not call it conventionally attractive, but it’s certainly eye-catching. Its raised grille and protruding bumper trims give you the impression the Sportage is turning its nose up at other cars like a millionaire pensioner being forced to wait in line at the Post Office.
In addition to its slightly snooty front end, GT Line models come with plenty of shiny sill trims and chrome exhaust tips to make them look sportier than most family SUVs.
Sadly, this theme doesn’t quite continue inside. Sure, the Kia Sportage’s cabin feels very well put together and most of the materials are nice enough, but its simple layout and drab colour scheme don’t give you much to write home about.
That being said, at least everything’s dead easy to use, including the touchscreen infotainment system. A Skoda Karoq’s display is perhaps a bit more high-tech, but the Kia Sportage comes with all-important smartphone mirroring as standard.
It also gets seats with a decent amount of adjustment to help you find your perfect driving position and there’s enough space in the back for tall adults to get pretty comfy. There’s a little more space to carry three adults at once in the Mazda CX-5, but you’d never call the Kia Sportage pokey and it’s dead easy to fit a couple of child seats.
The Kia Sportage isn’t the most stylish, spacious or sporty SUV to drive, but it’s a good all-rounder with a reasonably up-market cabin and a decent amount of standard equipment.
It’s a similar story when you come to load the boot. It isn’t the biggest of any family SUV, but it’s roomy enough to carry four people’s luggage for a week away and a bike will fit if you fold the back seats down.
If you do plan to use your Kia Sportage for regular family road trips, you’ll want one of the economical diesel engines. These are pretty smooth at motorway speeds and the more powerful 1.6- and hybrid 2-litre versions have enough poke to easily overtake slow-moving traffic. There’s also a pair of petrol engines to consider if you spend more time driving in town.
Whichever engine you choose, you’ll find the Kia Sportage is reasonably comfortable – if not quite as smooth as the Peugeot 3008. It’s still pretty relaxing to drive for long periods, however – especially in higher-spec models with their upgraded driver assistance systems – and you won’t hear a great deal of wind or tyre noise at motorway speeds.
Unlike the Peugeot, you can get the Kia Sportage as a 4×4. However, these four-wheel-drive models are only worth considering if you live somewhere plagued by very icy winter weather because they’re more expensive to buy and cost more to run than their two-wheel-drive siblings.
Head down some country roads and you’ll find the Kia Sportage doesn’t quite live up to its athletic name. It doesn’t lean a great deal in sharp bends – so there’ll be no reason for passengers to feel carsick after a few miles – but it doesn’t feel as nimble as a Mazda CX-5.
You shouldn’t let this put you off considering the Kia Sportage, though. It’s a very good family SUV but alternatives such as the Skoda Karoq and Mazda CX-5 are better allrounders.
For more information, read our in-depth interior and specifications review sections or head over to our Kia Sportage deals page to see how much you can save on a new car.
If you want Kia dealers to send you offers on our recommended engine/trim combination, click the button below.
carwow engine/trim recommendation | 1.6 CRDi Auto GT Line | Get offers |
What's it like inside?

The Kia Sportage’s interior comes with plenty of desirable infotainment features, but its slightly bland design won’t sweep you off your feet
How practical is it?

Unlike some SUVs, there’s plenty of space in the Sportage’s back seats for tall adults to get comfy, but its boot does lag behind the size of some roomier alternatives as a result
The Kia Sportage’s boot isn’t the biggest in the family SUV world, but that’s like saying one shed isn’t as big as another – a lawnmower is still going to fit comfortably
What's it like to drive?

The Kia Sportage covers all the important SUV bases – it’s fairly comfortable, easy to drive and won’t cost the earth to run. You couldn’t really call it fun, however
The mild-hybrid model’s electric motor in so unobtrusive that you can’t tell whether it’s actually working – until you glance down at your mpg, that is
What's it like inside?

The Kia Sportage’s interior comes with plenty of desirable infotainment features, but its slightly bland design won’t sweep you off your feet
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