This is the new Sportage SUV from Kia.

Not so long ago, the Kia Sportage was the kind of car you bought with your head, not your heart. It was rugged, slightly agricultural, and forgivable mainly because it was cheap. Fast forward a couple of decades and the Sportage now finds itself in a very different position — not just competing in the family SUV class, but effectively defining it.

Once, the Nissan Qashqai was the default answer to the question “what family SUV should I buy?” These days, there’s a strong argument that the Kia Sportage has taken that crown. In 2024, it was the second best-selling car in the UK, beaten only by the Ford Puma, and it’s carried that momentum straight into 2025. Kia is now the fourth biggest car brand in Britain, and the Sportage alone accounts for around 40 per cent of its total UK sales.

That doesn’t happen by accident.

This is a car that perfectly encapsulates Kia’s brand transformation — from bargain-basement outsider to one of the most dependable, mainstream manufacturers in the business. But the family SUV market moves quickly, and in the three years since this fifth-generation Sportage launched, competition has intensified. There’s a new Volkswagen Tiguan in town, the Nissan Qashqai has been refreshed, and value-focused newcomers like the Dacia Bigster and MG HS are muscling in. So, is a light facelift enough to keep the Sportage on top?

What’s New With the Facelifted Kia Sportage?

Let’s be clear from the outset: this is not a ground-up overhaul. Kia didn’t need to reinvent the wheel here, and wisely chose not to. Instead, the facelift focuses on incremental improvements, ironing out a few small weaknesses while keeping the formula that’s clearly working.

Key Updates at a Glance
Revised exterior styling inspired by Kia’s EV range
Updated infotainment and improved connectivity
New automatic gearbox
More powerful hybrid system
PHEV now offered with front-wheel drive
Piano black interior trim finally ditched
Streamlined trim lineup

In short, it’s a polish rather than a reinvention — but sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed.

Design: Familiar, But Sharper
The Sportage has never exactly faded into the background, and that continues with the facelift. It remains a high-volume family SUV, but Kia has resisted the temptation to sand off its sharper edges.

Exterior Styling Changes
The biggest visual update is up front. Gone are the distinctive boomerang-shaped daytime running lights, replaced by Kia’s new “Star Map” lighting signature, already familiar from the EV3, EV6 facelift and EV9. It’s a cleaner, more modern look that brings the Sportage neatly into line with Kia’s wider design language.

The grille is larger and more upright, while the bumpers are squarer and more assertive. From some angles, the Sportage looks chunkier than before, giving it a more confident road presence without tipping into cartoonish SUV territory.

Importantly, despite being one of the UK’s best-selling cars, it still doesn’t look anonymous. In a segment where many rivals blur into one another, the Sportage manages to stand out just enough.

Interior: A Smart, Family-Friendly Upgrade
Step inside and it’s largely business as usual — which is no bad thing, because the outgoing Sportage already had one of the more upmarket cabins in the class.

What’s Changed?
The updates are subtle but meaningful: New steering wheel design
Hidden air vents borrowed from the EV3 and EV9
Revised centre console materials
Updated infotainment software

And yes, the gloss black centre console is finally gone. It’s been replaced by a brushed aluminium-style finish that doesn’t immediately resemble a crime scene after you’ve touched it. This alone feels like a win for family buyers.

Material Quality
Most versions of the Sportage feel plush and well put together, with soft-touch materials and tasteful trims throughout. There is, however, a familiar Kia caveat: entry-level models feel noticeably cheaper.

 

The Pure trim, in particular, features a strip of blanked-off buttons that looks and feels a bit penny-pinching. Step up to GT-Line or GT-Line S, though, and the Sportage suddenly feels borderline premium, with leather and suede upholstery, two-tone steering wheels and more sophisticated finishes.

Infotainment & Technology
Kia’s infotainment systems have been steadily improving, and the facelifted Sportage benefits from the latest version of its Connected Car Navigation Cockpit.

Infotainment Highlights
Twin 12.3-inch screens as standard
Clear, sharp graphics
Logical menu structure
Touch-sensitive shortcut panel
Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto (finally!)

The touch panel beneath the screen still allows you to switch between media, navigation and climate controls. It’s arguably a slightly overengineered solution — a few physical buttons would be simpler — but it works well and is preferable to burying everything in sub-menus.

Wireless smartphone mirroring is a welcome addition and long overdue. Multiple Bluetooth device connections are also supported, another previous omission finally addressed.

One lingering frustration? You still have to climb the trim ladder to get a wireless phone charger, which feels unnecessary in 2026.

Engines & Powertrains: Something for Everyone
Kia has simplified the Sportage’s engine lineup while ensuring there’s still broad appeal. Everything revolves around the same 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, offered in three different states of electrification.

Engine Line-Up

1.6 Petrol (147bhp)
Manual or automatic
Front-wheel drive
0–62mph: 9.7 seconds
Claimed economy: 40mpg

The base petrol loses a single horsepower compared to before but shaves half a second off the 0–62mph sprint. In real-world driving, it’s perfectly adequate rather than inspiring, but it’s smooth, easy to live with and capable of returning close to its claimed fuel economy.

Hybrid (235bhp)
Front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive
0–62mph: 7.9–8.1 seconds
Claimed economy: up to 50mpg

The hybrid sees a useful bump in power, up from 227bhp previously. It’s the pick of the range, offering strong performance, excellent refinement and decent efficiency — though real-world mpg can dip into the high 30s with mixed driving.

 

Plug-in Hybrid (Coming this year)
Expected output: slightly over 261bhp
Battery: 13.8kWh
Claimed EV range: ~43 miles

The PHEV remains the Sportage’s weakest link. While it now offers front-wheel drive as well as AWD, its electric-only range lags well behind newer rivals like the Volkswagen Tiguan, which offers up to 77 miles.

Driving Experience: Comfort First, Always
If you’re looking for a family SUV that thrills on a twisty B-road, the Sportage isn’t it. But that’s not really the point.
Ride & Refinement

Across the range, the Sportage prioritises comfort — and largely succeeds. Even entry-level models on 17-inch wheels offer a surprisingly cushioned ride, soaking up poor road surfaces with ease. GT-Line versions on 19-inch alloys are firmer, but still far from uncomfortable. Wind and road noise are well suppressed, particularly in the hybrid, which can waft around town on electric power alone.

Handling & Steering
The steering is light in Eco mode and gains a bit more weight in Sport, but it never feels particularly engaging. That said, it makes the Sportage easy to manoeuvre in town and relaxed on the motorway — two qualities most family buyers will value more than outright fun.

The hybrid’s revised dual-clutch gearbox is a pleasant surprise, too. It’s smoother and more responsive than older Kia DCTs, with no noticeable hesitation when overtaking.

Practicality: Family-Friendly, With Minor Gripes
The Sportage has always been strong on practicality, and that continues here.

Space & Comfort
Excellent rear legroom for two adults
Reclining rear seatbacks
40/20/40 split folding seats
It’s a genuinely comfortable place for families, even on longer journeys.

Boot Space
587 litres (petrol & hybrid)
540 litres (PHEV)

That’s more than a Nissan Qashqai or Ford Kuga, though the closely related Hyundai Tucson edges ahead with up to 620 litres.

One omission worth noting: no sliding rear seats, which some rivals offer for added flexibility.

Trim Levels & Standard Equipment
Kia has simplified the Sportage range from five trims to three:

Pure:
Twin 12.3-inch screens
LED headlights
Keyless entry
Automatic air conditioning

It’s well equipped, but odd omissions — like no height-adjustable passenger seat — feel unnecessarily stingy.

GT-Line (Recommended)
Sportier exterior styling
18- or 19-inch alloys
Heated front seats
Leather and suede upholstery

This is the sweet spot in the range, balancing price, equipment and interior quality.

GT-Line S
Panoramic sunroof
Heated rear seats
Electric tailgate
Head-up display
Harman Kardon sound system

If you want all the toys, this is the one — and it genuinely feels premium.

Pricing & Value for Money (UK)
Prices remain competitive in a fiercely contested segment:
£33,885 – Petrol manual
£34,425 – Hybrid
PHEV pricing TBC

That undercuts the Volkswagen Tiguan by several thousand pounds and sits broadly in line with the Nissan Qashqai. Factor in Kia’s 7-year / 100,000-mile warranty, and the value proposition becomes even stronger.

Rivals: How Does It Stack Up?
Nissan Qashqai – Still excellent, but no longer the default choice
Volkswagen Tiguan – More expensive, but offers superior PHEV tech
Hyundai Tucson – More practical, very similar underneath
Dacia Bigster / MG HS – Cheaper, but feel it in places

Verdict: Crushingly Competent, and That’s the Point
The facelifted Kia Sportage doesn’t chase excitement, and it doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. Instead, it doubles down on what it does best: comfort, refinement, space, value and ease of ownership.

It’s not the most dynamic SUV in its class, nor the most cutting-edge electrically, but it remains one of the best all-round family cars you can buy. In many ways, it’s become the modern equivalent of the Volkswagen Golf — the safe, sensible, almost boring answer to “what car should I buy?”

 

And honestly? That’s quite an achievement.