Compare the2026 Hyundai TucsonVS 2026 Kia Sportage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Hyundai Tucson is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Kia Sportage, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Tucson	Sportage
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	-36 MPH	-23 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	1.9 sec	1.7 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-35 MPH	-21 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.6 sec	1.2 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Hyundai Tucson achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Sportage has not been tested.

The Tucson has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Sportage’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tucson has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Sportage.

Both the Tucson and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Tucson	Sportage
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	177 lbs.
Neck Compression	59 lbs.	115 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	51/13 lbs.	292/203 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Tucson	Sportage
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	37	82

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Hyundai Tucson has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Sportage has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Warranty

The Tucson’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Sportage’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the Hyundai Tucson is faster than the Kia Sportage:

	Tucson	Sportage
Zero to 30 MPH	3.3 sec	3.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	9.6 sec	10 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.3 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	17.2 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson AWD gets better fuel mileage than the Sportage X-Pro Prestige (24 city/30 hwy vs. 23 city/26 hwy).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Tucson’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Sportage:

	Tucson	Sportage
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12 inches	11.8 inches

The Tucson stops much shorter than the Sportage:

	Tucson	Sportage
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Tucson’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Sportage doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Tucson XRT AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Sportage AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sportage AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Tucson has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (108.2 vs. 102).

The Tucson has .5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, .5 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

Cargo Capacity

The Tucson has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sportage with its rear seat folded (74.8 vs. 74.1 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Sportage doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Tucson’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Sportage’s (2750 vs. 2500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Tucson Limited has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sportage doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Consumer Reports rated the Tucson’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sportage’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Tucson’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Both the Tucson and the Sportage offer available heated front seats. The Tucson Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

The Tucson Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Sportage doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Hyundai Tucson retains 54.08% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 52.85% resale value of the 2025 Kia Sportage after five years, which can save the Hyundai’s owner.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Tucson and the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Kia Sportage by 28% during 2024.

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