Some safety and driver assist features are only offered on top trim
Less EV range and lower overall fuel efficiency than some competitors
What's new
No significant changes for 2024
Part of the fifth Sportage generation introduced for 2023
Overview
by the Edmunds Experts
3/22/2024
Fully redesigned just last year, Kia's Sportage Plug-In Hybrid has almost no changes for 2024. However, it remains unusual in the realm of small SUVs by offering both more power (261 horsepower) and better efficiency than many small SUVs. Once you've charged up the battery pack, you can drive the Sportage about 34 miles on electric power before it automatically switches over to just running on the gas engine. Frequent charging at home or at public charging stations while out running errands can make a big difference in improving your mpg. Once the vehicle's all-electric range is depleted, the EPA says this Sportage gets a respectable 35 mpg combined.
Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid PHEV Insights
Trim:
Sportage Plug-In Hybrid X-Line
All Electric Range
34 miles
EPA Estimated Electric Range
The Sportage Plug-In Hybrid will automatically switch to gas when the electric battery is low.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.
Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Silver Spring, Maryland. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.
240V Home ChargingEstimated total charging time when using a 240V outlet. This is either a 3-prong or 4-prong outlet used for appliances, for example a clothes dryer.
EV batteries should be kept at 30-80% charged to extend battery life.
10 yrs or 100,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.
According to GeoTab’s data, if the observed degradation rates are maintained, the vast majority of batteries will outlast the usable life of the vehicle.
Edmunds spotlight: Mostly just like a regular Sportage
The Sportage Plug-In Hybrid offers the same benefits as the regular Sportage and Sportage Hybrid. It's big inside and has ample passenger and cargo room. It's also more modern-looking inside than most of its competition with a huge 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen and a large digital instrument cluster dominating its dashboard. Kia's long warranty is another bonus. Unfortunately, the Plug-In Hybrid costs significantly more than a similarly equipped Sportage Hybrid. For overall value, you'll likely be better off just getting a Sportage Hybrid.
Competitors to consider
The Sportage Plug-In Hybrid's competitor pool is limited because only a few automakers offer small SUVs with plug-in hybrid powertrains. Its closest rival is its sibling, the Hyundai Tucson Plug-in Hybrid, which costs slightly less to start. You should also consider the Toyota RAV4 Prime, which has more all-electric range.
Which Sportage Plug-In Hybrid does Edmunds recommend?
We think the top X-Line Prestige trim is worth the additional spend. It comes with some worthwhile feature upgrades including adaptive cruise control, a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats and additional driver aids.
Save as much as $3,569 with Edmunds Click on the trim you’re interested in to see what Edmunds suggests you should pay to get a good deal. Savings vary by trim; $3,569 refers to estimated savings off of MSRP for the X-Line Prestige trim.
2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid pricing in Silver Spring, MD
2023 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid X-Line Prestige 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A)
A long review of things you may not have heard about on this vehicle .
I have 1200 miles in a month on the car. prestige trim phev. Just back from LA to SF trip. Up interstate 5 and back on 101 with a sidebar trip to Morro Bay Area. Wife doesnt commute so normally is in all electric mode and we charge every night with a 240v home charger. If empty on juice, it charges in just under … 2 hours. It does get the approximate 30 miles on EV only . However, when starting the car in the morning, it remembers it is in EV mode. But the Gas engine comes on and stays on for about 3 minutes. I am assuming it is needed to warm the engine to make heat? The dealer told me it needs to warm up the catalytic converter for regulatory reasons. Not sure this is true. After 3 minutes it goes back to EV mode but then about 3 minutes later, the gas engine starts again for no reason and runs for about a minute. Then it's off till the battery is drained. But driving around after that on multiple stop start short trips the car stays in EV mode no problem. Mileage you say? Well on a road trip up the 5 going about 75mph most of the way we got 28 mpg. coming back on the 101 going about 65-70mph it got 32 mpg. Way better than my 2019 Mazda CX5 which got 22mpg on the same trip. If you drive say a 60 mile trip with some city and highway driving with a full charge, you will get about 80 mpg. Here is another tidbit. The gas tank only holds just under 12 gallons. Not a lot. So a full tank and full EV max range will be aproximately 350 miles on a longer mixed road trip.
What else does it need? It would be great to have some sort of LED light around the EV plug. In the dark it's hard to see the plug receptacle and you have to poke around with the plug to get it in the holes. A glow in the dark white plastic could work too. Kia, make a note.
Car does always reserve about 20% of the battery charge so even on the freeway if you are braking or flat or downhill, it switches to EV mode. Seems to default to the ECO drive mode and you have to put in in Automatic mode. I like auto mode better as it seems to give a little more power to the gas pedal when needed. Sport mode clearly cranks up the acceleration if you need it, but I think it has plenty with auto or even eco mode unless you are a racer.
Clearly this car is very thought out and has a few other things to note: It's noisy in highway driving especially on expansion crack cement roads. Wind noise is also quite noticeable at freeway speeds. And you really feel the bumps in the road if it is cement. A smooth asphalt freeway makes the ride great, but it does that in most cars. The Mazda and my Ioniq5 ride much smoother and are very quiet compared to this car. It's to bad Kia didn't make this ride more compliant and quiet the cabin down with better insulation and double glazed glass. Especially the top of the line prestige model for 50k should have done better in these regards. On surface streets in decent shape it rides quite well and is quiet , so it's really a freeway driving issue.
The safety features work fantastic as does the display and tech in the car. I have a Hyundai Ioniq5 and they are identical . Highway assist driving works really well but you do have to keep your hands on the wheel or the car will beep and disengage after about 1 minutes or so. Voice controls work great and can do lots of things including temperature adjustment.
Many reviewers complain that the haptic display panel is either set to climate controls or to audio controls. You can choose which you want as the default by holding down either "emblem" for 3 seconds. You can still change modes but it will go back to your default. . I choose climate control as the default and it is really what driver and passenger can adjust with depending on need so better IMO. (Climate control in the car works quite well although on the cold freeway drive today in the rain, I had to bump it up to 74 degrees where normally 72 degrees is perfect.) ALL of the audio controls are easily done on the steering wheel which is safer than reaching for the haptic controls. This is why Kia did this and felt you dont need redundant haptic controls for both climate and audio. Once you have your station presets done, you dont need to use the haptic panel anymore for audio. You can still use the huge touch screen for anything, so you have many choices on how to operate all the functions. So really, this "Issue" that so many complain about is easily solved and not an issue once you learn it, and get used to how to use the car in my opinion.
Inside, really looks luxury all around. Nicely done Kia. Fit and finish is excellent and attention to detail is abundant wherever you look. BUT... I wish they had a bit more soft material instead of hard plastic on the front area. Especially on the center console where on the sides your knee/leg leans on when driving. It's hard plastic and a soft plastic is way better for comfort. Plus soft plastic absorbs more "sound" to make the cabin quieter which is something this car could use as well. My Mazda signature CX5 had EVERYTHING soft so it works. (A piece of self adhesive neoprene from Amazon for 5 bucks solved the issue knee plastic issue for me if you are interested)
Space in the car is the best. Way more than the Mazda CX5 both in cargo and in seating comfort and legroom. I also found the front seats more comfortable than Mazda on the long trip by a long shot. My only seat complaint is why they dont use leather seats in front for the top of the line trim. That is the ONE thing the Hyundai Tucson PHEV top of line trim DOES have that KIA does not. So you are sitting on plastic and it can get hot. Good news is ventilated seats do help and these work well, but leather is much cooler to sit on than plastic. Cmon Kia, you have leather in all your other cars so what's up with this?
Did some night driving in the pitch black wilderness roads of Morro Bay Area and the headlights work great including the audio "bright" headlights feature which even dim when you approach a car from the rear , not just for ongoing cars. So again, many high end luxury features executed really well in this car.
Audio quality from the higher end Harmon system sounds excellent especially at higher volumes. However it is missing the "cabin noise cancelling" feature my Bose system in Ioniq 5 has and this car could use it.
Two other gripes...Kia and Hyundai need to address is that the car does NOT have walk away door locking. You have to push the button on the key fob or door handle or on the kia connect app to lock the car. Many other cars have walk away proximity locking, including Mazda. Seems like this should be a software update?
Also... no power folding mirrors on a 50k car? It seems the international versions of this car have them. Why were they left off the American model??? And also, NO auto day night mirror unless it is a dealer ordered option from the factory. It is not on the high end model as standard which is Crazy! I bought the OEM one at dealer and it is quite complicated to install and they charged me $200 bucks to do it and it took 3 hours of waiting. Mirror part itself was 300 dollars. So keep in mind if you want this feature and it was not ordered on your car.
Still gets 5 stars and no regrets. The best PHEV around today!
Love this vehicle!
5 out of 5 stars
VC2022, 11/22/2022
2023 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid X-Line Prestige 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A)
I had been looking for a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid at a good price. My first choice was a Toyota Rav4 hybrid BUT was also held back by the lack of tech and no new real design by Toyota. Then the Kia Sportage became available and WoW! The tech is amazing, it is EXTREMELY quiet, very comfortable and responsive. If I had to give it one CON, is the MPG is still hovering around 28-35 which … is not bad, but I have yet to see it at 38.
For us this car is perfect for us.
5 out of 5 stars
David, Cindy and Sadie(dog), 09/22/2023
2023 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid X-Line Prestige 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A)
We typically drive less than 20 miles per day, but 2 or 3 times a year we go on a 600 mile one way trip. The plug-in EV gets us around town on the skinny, and the hybrid gets us through our trips without worrying about charging stations. There are safety features and comfort features galore making it a pleasure to drive. The only negative is the long EV charging times to full from empty … on a household outlet it takes 28 hours. However this is only a minor inconvenience since once done it can usually be restored by over-night charging.
Amazing tech, decent ride
4 out of 5 stars
CSH _ SD, 05/18/2023
2023 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid X-Line Prestige 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A)
I immediately fell in love with the X-Line Prestige’s interior appointment and its gorgeous matte grey exterior. The seats were comfortable. The driving experience was fine. Better in the Plug-in Hybrid over the standard hybrid. I’m no performance car driver, leaving a 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, but I noticed that the vehicle feels heavy and not super fast.
Ultimately I decided … against purchasing it because the EV range wasn’t sufficient to my needs and the gas mileage plus the small gas tank didn’t make up for it.
But for sheer beauty and style, the Sportage delivers.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid, so we've included reviews for other years of the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid since its last redesign.
84 MPGeMPGe is the official metric that the EPA uses to measure the efficiency of alternative-fuel (including electric) vehicles. Just like regular MPG shows how far a car will travel on one gallon of gas, MPGe shows how far a vehicle will drive on 33.7kWh of electricity - the energy equivalent of one gallon of gasoline. Combined MPGe is the combined total of 45% city MPGe + 55% highway MPGe.
Key safety features on the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid include:
Back-up camera
Blind Spot Monitoring
Lane Departure Warning
Alarm
Tire Pressure Warning
Stability Control
Pre-collision safety system
Post-collision safety system
FAQ
Is the Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid a good car?
The Edmunds experts tested the 2024 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid both on the road and at the track. Edmunds’ consumer reviews show that the 2024 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid gets an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 (based on 21 reviews) What about cargo capacity? When you're thinking about carrying stuff in your new car, keep in mind that the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid has 34.5 cubic feet of trunk space. And then there's safety and reliability. Edmunds has all the latest NHTSA and IIHS crash-test scores, plus industry-leading expert and consumer reviews to help you understand what it's like to own and maintain a Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid. Learn more
What's new in the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid?
According to Edmunds’ car experts, here’s what’s new for the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid:
No significant changes for 2024
Part of the fifth Sportage generation introduced for 2023
To determine whether the Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid is reliable, read Edmunds' authentic consumer reviews, which come from real owners and reveal what it's like to live with the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid. Look for specific complaints that keep popping up in the reviews, and be sure to compare the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid's 4-star average consumer rating to that of competing vehicles. Learn more
Is the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid a good car?
There's a lot to consider if you're wondering whether the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid is a good car. Our consumer reviews show that the 2024 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid gets an average rating of 4 stars out of 5 (based on 21 reviews). Safety scores, fuel economy, cargo capacity and feature availability should all be factors in determining whether the 2024 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid is a good car for you. Learn more
How much should I pay for a 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid?
The least-expensive 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid is the 2024 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid X-Line 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A). Including destination charge, it arrives with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of about $39,590.
Other versions include:
X-Line 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A) which starts at $39,590
X-Line Prestige 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A) which starts at $44,090
What are the different models of Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid?
If you're interested in the Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid, the next question is, which Sportage Plug-In Hybrid model is right for you? Sportage Plug-In Hybrid variants include X-Line 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A), and X-Line Prestige 4dr SUV AWD (1.6L 4cyl Turbo gas/electric plug-in hybrid 6A). For a full list of Sportage Plug-In Hybrid models, check out Edmunds’ Features & Specs page. Learn more