Where each one leads
BMW X1
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW X1 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 7% more often than average) than the Kia Sportage (passes 1% less often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW X1 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 34% less often than average) than the Kia Sportage (fails 9% more often than average).
- New BMW X1 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 117 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 123 for the Kia Sportage in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol BMW X1 uses 7.6 l/100 km on the road, the Kia Sportage 8.0.
Kia Sportage
- NHTSA rates the 2027 Kia Sportage at 5 of 5 stars, the 2026 BMW X1 at 4.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel Kia Sportage uses 5.3 l/100 km on the road, the BMW X1 6.1.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid Kia Sportage uses 5.6 l/100 km on the road, the BMW X1 6.0.
Too close to call: dutch odometer readings judged illogical; official combined fuel use, Canada (l/100 km); real-world fuel use in Europe, petrol hybrid (l/100 km).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW X1 | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2012–2026 | 1995–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 875,480 (2010–2022) | 1,107,190 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 129,723 | 420,691 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 37,338 | 52,257 |
| In traffic in Finland | 8,089 | 11,596 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW X1 | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 83% | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | +7% | −1% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.9% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | −34% | +9% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.5% | 1.7% |
| US owner complaints | 674 | 4,714 |
| Most complaints about | Unknown or other | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2016 (159) | 2017 (403) |
| US recall campaigns | 20 | 36 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 911 | 1,725 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 4 | 63 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| BMW X1 | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2026) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW X1 | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.3 l/100 km (2026) | 8.3 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.1 l/100 km | 5.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.6 l/100 km | 8.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.0 l/100 km | 5.6 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.4 l/100 km | 7.4 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 117 g/km | 123 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 108 kW (144 hp) | 119 kW (159 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,665 kg | 1,652 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €53,202 | €30,790 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 150,000 km | 170,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).