Reliable Auto DB

2025 Kia Sportage reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Sportage over 2 years — 26 per year. It is too early to rank against other Sportage years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Trailer hitch.

2012 Kia Sportage
Photo by Alexander Migl, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

51

Per year

26

Recalls

1

Years on the road

2

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (15 of 51), then Forward collision avoidance (8) and Engine (6). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2024 and 2026

The 2024 Sportage has 71 complaints, 24 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2025 Kia Sportage. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (1)

Recall trailer hitch 2025-12-17 · NHTSA campaign 25V874000
Summary Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) and 2024-2025 Sportage vehicles equipped with a 4.2" screen and a Genuine Kia tow hitch harness accessory. Due to a software error, the instrument panel screen may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Remedy Dealers will replace the tow hitch harness control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC359. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 31, 2025.

Complaints by component (51 total)

Electrical system
15
Forward collision avoidance
8
Engine
6
Powertrain
6
Service brakes
5
Speed control
5
Steering
4
Structure
4
Back-over prevention
3
Lane departure
3
Visibility and wipers
3
Air bags
1
Chest clip, buckle, and harness
1
Engine and engine cooling
1
Exterior lighting
1
Fuel and propulsion system
1
Suspension
1
Visibility
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

4

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

272025242026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "VEHICLE: 2025 Kia Sportage X-Line VIN: 5XYK6CDF0SG319130 APPROXIMATE MILEAGE: 34,000 miles DATE OF INCIDENT: September 3, 2026 LOCATION OF INCIDENT: 6140 University Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35806 COMPONENT: Steering /…"
    Steering, Speed control, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-13
  • "The contact owns a 2025 Kia Sportage. The contact stated that while performing a normal inspection on the vehicle, the body side molding from the front to the rear on the passenger’s side of the roof had detached. The…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-04
  • "The car seat is defective. Fraying where it is comes out of the car seat, where it is sewn together."
    chest clip, buckle, and harness · filed 2026-06-30
  • "We were getting in our car to drive home from a restaurant. We attempted to start our car like any other day, and the car started. However, our car was stuck in gear, it was in parking but also not in parking. The car…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-06-27
  • "Twice since I purchased my car, once in 2025 and two weeks ago in 2026, I turned my car off in the garage and the engine kept running. I had to start the car up and turn it off again in order for it to shut down. I…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2025 Kia Sportage Hybrid SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Kia Sportage Hybrid SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2025 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid SUV FWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2025 Kia Sportage SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2025 Kia Sportage SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Sportage all-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 23 27 25 MPG $2600
Sportage front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 25 32 28 MPG $2300
Sportage hybrid all-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) All-wheel drive 38 38 38 MPG $1700
Sportage hybrid front-wheel drive 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 42 44 43 MPG $1500
Sportage Plug-in hybrid 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) All-wheel drive 36 35 35 MPG / 430 mi range $1850
Sportage X-pro 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 23 30 26 MPG $2500

Specs and fitment

5th generation (NQ5), 2022–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L and turbo/hybrid where equipped)
Tire size 235/60R18 to 235/50R19 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 2,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 22V651000. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage vehicles. The alternator battery positive terminal nut may loosen, which can result in an engine stall or an electrical surge. An engine stall increases the risk of a crash, and an electrical surge increases the risk of a fire. Dealers will inspect and tighten the alternator battery positive terminal nut, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 23, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC248.

Compare

Previous year 2024 Kia Sportage See every Kia Sportage model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2025 Kia Sportage reliable?

Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Kia Sportage over 2 years — 26 per year. It is too early to rank against other Sportage years: a year is compared here only after 3 years on the road. NHTSA has 1 recall on file, including Trailer hitch.

What are common problems with a 2025 Kia Sportage?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (15 of 51), then Forward collision avoidance (8) and Engine (6). Those filings include 4 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2025 Kia Sportage more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2024 Sportage has 71 complaints, 24 per year, and the 2026 has 0 complaints, 0 per year.

Has the 2025 Kia Sportage been recalled?

The 2025 Kia Sportage has 1 recall on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2025 Kia Sportage?

Owners have filed 51 complaints about the 2025 Kia Sportage with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2025 Kia Sportage get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2025 Kia Sportage is 32.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Sportage take?

0W-20 (2.4L and 1.6L turbo where equipped)

What does NHTSA recall 18V-907 cover on the Kia Sportage?

NHTSA campaign 18V907000.

What generation is the 2013 Kia Sportage?

4th generation (QL) (2012-2021).