Used Kia Sportage 2021-present reliability

When viewing a used car, always follow our used car buying checklist.

Most Sportages will have been used as family cars, so it’s important to check through the interior for stained carpets, and scuffed or broken areas of plastic trim. A car that has been used and abused by a family might not have had the best attention paid to its upkeep elsewhere.

Check the extremities of the car for any damage picked up in tight car parks or on school runs; any scuffs or dents should be obvious. Check the wheels, too, because alloy wheel repairs can be expensive. Plus, there could be suspension damage as well, if the car has hit a kerb particularly hard.

When it was tested for safety by Euro NCAP, the Sportage was awarded the full five stars and scored well in all areas. The Tucson scored near identical scores in all safety categories but it's hard to directly compare the two cars' scores; that's because they were tested in different years and the tests become progressively more stringent over time.

Every Sportage comes with plenty of safety equipment, including six airbags, automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and trailer stability assist.

If that’s not enough, going for top-spec GT-Line S trim adds blind-spot monitoring, which displays a live feed from cameras mounted on the door mirrors as you indicate, and parking collision avoidance to the standard equipment list.

The driver's digital dials may fail to boot up. Number of recalled vehicles: 6996. Years applicable: 2022, 2023.

Click here for more information. Contact your local Kia dealer if you believe your vehicle is involved in a recall.

The Kia Sportage is generally a reliable car. In our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, it ranked 12th out of 34 cars in the large SUV class. Its reliability score of 96.0% makes it more reliable than the previous 2016-2021 Kia Sportage but less reliable than the top-place holder, the 2014-2021 Lexus NX.

The most notable issues proved to relate to the battery, bodywork, exhaust, non-engine electrics and sat-nav/infotainment, with each receiving a moderate fault rate of 6.5%.

As a car brand, Kia managed an impressive 11th-place finish, ranking above Ford, VW and Skoda but below Lexus and Toyota.

Used Kia Sportage: owners' reliability data

Owners appreciate its solid build quality, dependable performance, and competitive pricing.

Many have praised Kia's warranty coverage, which provides peace of mind to buyers. In terms of dealer service, some reviewers have reported satisfactory experiences, highlighting courteous staff and efficient maintenance procedures.

However, a few have mentioned occasional issues with dealership communication or delays in service appointments.