Used Kia Sportage cars

With a history spanning more than two decades, the Kia Sportage is a compact SUV that has seen five generations and numerous facelifts during its time on the market. Today, it is one of the most widely sold cars in the UK; in 2022, it had the sixth most number of units sold, contributing to Kia hitting 100,000 UK sales for the first time and achieving a record-breaking market share of 6.2%. Globally, the Sportage has been Kia’s most sold car since 2016.

Affordable, practical and with hybrid technology available, the Kia Sportage is now one of the most popular family cars on the road. It rivals other family SUVs such as the Honda ZR-V, the Renault Austral and the Nissan Qashqai.

Kia Sportage updates and facelifts

First launched in Europe in 1995, the Mk1 Sportage was available either as a boxy, five-door SUV or as a three-door convertible. Further versions arrived from the mid-noughties, with the Mk2 in 2006 followed by a Mk3 in 2010. This third iteration saw a big increase in the size of the Sportage compared to previous versions. After Road & Travel Magazine in the US awarded it International Car of the Year, its sales increased dramatically. The first three generations of the Sportage were all available with both petrol and diesel engines.

The fourth generation of the Sportage entered the UK market in 2016, and further increased Kia’s market share. The Mk4 was the first Sportage to offer hybrid technology and remains popular on the second-hand car market today.

The arrival of the Sportage Mk5 came in 2022 to wide acclaim. In 2023, What Car? Awarded the Sportage the Best Family SUV title. The Mk5 offers a broad range of hybrid powertrains, as well as petrol and diesel options.

Practicality and style of the car

One of the most significant draws of the Kia Sportage is its practicality. While the Mk3 brought more space than its predecessors, it’s the Mk4 and Mk5 that really draw in plaudits for their practical nature. The Mk5 has a width of 1,865mm, a length of 4,515mm and a height of 1,645mm, making it 90mm or 52mm longer and 50mm or 7mm wider than the Nissan Qashqai and the Renault Austral respectively.

KIA pride themselves on offering a 7-year warranty with their cars – this is transferred when sold on, making the popular Sportage a great value used car.

The Mk4 has 491 litres of capacity with all seats up, reduced slightly in the mild hybrid versions to make space for the battery. With the rear seats down, the space opens up to 1,480 litres (or 1,428 litres in the hybrid).

The Mk5 increases the spaciousness even further. Boot space comes in at 591 litres, far outdoing the Honda ZR-V’s 380 litres, and also beating other competitors like the Renault Austral, which has 555 litres of capacity, and the Nissan Qashqai, with 504 litres. With the seats down in the Mk5 Sportage, capacity rises to an impressive 1,780 litres. This beats even the Mazda CX-5’s 1,638 litres, and the Audi Q3, which can hold 1,525 litres.

Great for a family getaway, the Kia Sportage can also manage a significant towing weight. Both the Mk4 and the Mk5 can manage braked loads of between 1,400kg and 1,600kg depending on engine power – so can easily manage a medium-sized caravan.

Running costs

Road tax for the Kia Sportage starts at £180, with its hybrid engines offering lower prices than their powerful diesel counterparts. Insurance is reasonable on the Sportage too; the lowest insurance group it sits in is 15. Depending on engine and trim, this can rise up to group 26.

How a used Kia Sportage drives

From 2016 and the Mk4 onwards, the Kia Sportage offered buyers the opportunity to go hybrid, though its Mk5 iteration offers a far more comprehensive range in the hybrid domain.

The Mk4 engine options include a mild-hybrid, 1.6-litre CRDi engine, adding electrical assistance via a battery in the rear. The manual version can manage 0-62mph in as little as 8.9 seconds, while the automatic can knock 0.3 seconds off this time. A 1.6-litre GDi petrol engine is also available on the Mk4, and you can get a turbocharged version that boosts performance further.

The Mk5 increases the engine options of its predecessor to include plug-in hybrid and self-charging hybrids. The former is a 1.6-litre petrol engine, paired with a 13.8kWh battery and an electric motor. The self-charging hybrid combines a 1.6-litre petrol with a smaller, 1.5kWh battery and electric motor, and produces 225bhp. It’s the fastest off the mark too, hitting 0-62mph in as little as 7.7 seconds. Alongside these new hybrid alternatives, the mild-hybrid option carries over from the Mk4 to the Mk5, too.

Across the range, automatic and manual transmission is available – as is the option of four-wheel drive on higher trim levels, while the plug-in hybrid Mk5 is exclusively a four-wheel drive. This is well worth considering for drivers who may be using their Sportage for towing a caravan.

Engines and official MPG

Please refer to the table below for a comprehensive list of engines and their official MPG figures.

2016 - 2021

Engine	Official NEDC MPG	Official WLTP MPG
1.6 CRDi 114	57.6 mpg	-
1.6 CRDi 114 MHEV	68.9 mpg	53.3 mpg
1.6 CRDi 134	55.4–57.6 mpg	-
1.6 CRDi 134 Automatic	57.6–58.9 mpg	-
1.6 CRDi 134 Automatic 4WD	54.3–57.6 mpg	-
1.6 CRDi 134 MHEV	62.9–65.7 mpg	35.3–50.4 mpg
1.6 CRDi 134 MHEV Automatic	62.7–64.2 mpg	37.7–50.4 mpg
1.6 CRDi 134 MHEV Automatic 4WD	57.8–58.9 mpg	45.6–46.3 mpg
1.6 GDI	42.2–44.8 mpg	-
1.6 GDI 130	39.8–44.8 mpg	34.9–36.7 mpg
1.6 T-GDI 174	-	34.4 mpg
1.6 T-GDI 174 4WD	-	31.7 mpg
1.6T GDI 174	36.7–38.7 mpg	-
1.6T GDI 174 Automatic 4WD	37.2–37.7 mpg	-
1.6T GDI 174 AWD	36.2 mpg	-
1.6T GDI 4WD	37.2 mpg	-
1.6T GDI Automatic 4WD	37.7 mpg	-
1.7 CRDi	61.4 mpg	-
1.7 CRDi 114	61.4 mpg	-
1.7 CRDi 139 Automatic	57.6 mpg	-
1.7 CRDi Automatic	57.6 mpg	-
2.0 CRDi 134	54.3 mpg	-
2.0 CRDi 134 4WD	54.3 mpg	-
2.0 CRDi 134 Automatic 4WD	47.9 mpg	-
2.0 CRDi 182 4WD	44.8–47.9 mpg	-
2.0 CRDi 182 Automatic 4WD	44.8 mpg	-
2.0 CRDi 182 MHEV 4WD	54.4 mpg	42.2 mpg
2.0 CRDi 182 MHEV AWD	48.7 mpg	-

2022 - onwards

Engine	Official WLTP MPG
1.6 CRDi	53.3 mpg
1.6 CRDI 113	54.3 mpg
1.6 CRDI Automatic	54.3 mpg
1.6 CRDI Automatic 4WD	50.4 mpg
1.6 T-GDI	41.5–42.2 mpg
1.6 T-GDI Automatic	44.1 mpg
1.6 T-GDI Automatic 4WD	40.4 mpg
1.6 T-GDI Hybrid	44.1–49.6 mpg

Features you can expect in a Kia Sportage

Interior

Both the Mk4 and Mk5 Kia Sportage are comfortably roomy, with more than enough space for five in both iterations. There’s plenty of leg room for all five occupants as well as a good amount of headroom to comfortably seat three passengers in the rear.

The Mk4 includes soft-touch plastics around the cabin, matched by soft seats and ample adjustment room. Higher trim levels add leather to the upholstery, too. A seven-inch infotainment system comes as standard, while trims above entry-level upgrade this to an eight-inch touchscreen capable of Apple and Android connectivity.

The Mk5 is ultra-modern in its entirety. Matching its range of efficient hybrid options, the cabin is contemporary without being overly flashy. A sleek touchscreen infotainment system comes as standard, with a 12.3-inch screen for higher trim levels. Kia Connect is also integrated with all Mk5s, enabling impressive connection services between car and phone including weather tracking, vehicle status and a ‘Find my Car’ feature. The controls on the central console are practical and neat without creating too much clutter, and the black-panelled interior creates a classy, upmarket feel.

Technology

Considered a safe, family-friendly compact SUV, the Kia Sportage has a raft of technology to assist drivers on the road and make the driving experience as easy and comfortable as possible.

The Mk4 includes heated door mirrors and cornering headlights as standard, helping driver visibility in more challenging conditions. It also comes with downhill brake control and hill start assist, even at entry level. Higher trims include adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition and adaptive headlights, as well as a blind spot warning system.

The Mk5 Sportage adds a wealth of autonomous driving assistance to its arsenal. This includes its forward collision avoidance system, and lane keeping assist for motorway driving. The Mk5’s blind spot warning system, available with higher-entry trims, comes with a camera feed projected onto your digital display. Plus, there’s a parking system that helps to prevent collisions through automatic braking.

Safety

The Kia Sportage Mk4 received a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating in 2015, as did the Mk5 in 2022. The Mk4 achieved a 90% adult occupant safety rating, with 83% for child occupants. The Mk5’s scores were 87% and 86% respectively. These closely match the Renault Austral’s adult occupant score of 88% and child occupant score of 83%.

ISOFIX child seat mounts are available across the Sportage range, making the installation of child seats simple and efficient. All Sportages are fitted with at least six airbags, as well as seatbelt reminders and a speed assistance system.

Trims available on the Kia Sportage

The Kia Sportage is available as a manual or automatic in a range of trim levels:

• Sportage 1
• Sportage 2
• Sportage 3
• Sportage 4
• Sportage GT-Line
• Sportage JBL Black Edition
• Sportage GT-Line S

Kia Sportage 1

The Sportage 1 trim comes equipped with a good number of features for an entry level trim, including electric windows and door mirrors. It has a lot of the functionality you would expect from a car of this size such as LED running lights, air conditioning, a touchscreen with access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as a reversing camera. Other additions include a leather trim steering wheel and 16-inch alloys wheels.

Kia Sportage 2

The Sportage 2 comes with the larger 17-inch alloy wheels as standard as well as a TomTom-enabled sat nav, cruise control limiter, lane keep assist and dual-zone climate control that’s not available in the Sportage 1. Additionally, the Sportage 2 comes with tinted privacy glass on the rear windows.

Kia Sportage 3

As with the previous level up, the Sportage 3 has even larger alloy wheels coming with 19-inch alloy wheels. Unlike the 1 and 2 however, the Sportage 3 comes with black leather upholstery, heated seats and stunning panoramic sunroof. Adding to the safety features, the Sportage 3 comes with blind-spot collision warning system to make your driving experience even safer.

Kia Sportage 4

There are many additional features available with the Sportage 4, including electric seats, a 360-degree camera system, LED bi-functional headlights and the fantastic JBL sound system, complete with eight high quality speakers.

Kia Sportage GT-Line

The GT-Line comes with a sport-styled body kit and exclusive GT-Line 19-inch alloy wheels, red stitched and piped black leather upholstery and a black leather sports steering wheel. The GT-Line comes equipped with LED rear lights and adaptive bi-LED headlights and is a fantastic choice for a those looking for a car of this calibre in this price range.

Kia Sportage JBL Black Edition

This limited-edition spec Sportage comes with a host of features not found on the GT-Line, including a newly designed grille, 8-speaker JBL premium sound system complete with subwoofer, external amplifier and front-centre speaker as standard. Based on the Sportage ‘3’ trim, the Black Edition is a great choice for a family that want something a little more feature rich without going all the way to the top.

Kia Sportage GT-Line S

The GT-Line S is the top-level trim that offers all the spectacular features of the GT-Line and Black Edition but with the additional premium bells and whistles one would expect to find on a flagship trim level car. This model features electric and ventilated front seats, an 8-speaker JBL premium sound system and 360-degree surround sound that delivers a superb listening experience. Adaptive cruise control helps on long journeys and the panoramic sunroof floods the interior with natural sunlight.

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