Where each one leads
Ford C-Max
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2018 Ford C-Max uses 5.9 l/100 km, the 2026 Kia Sportage 8.3.
- New Ford C-Max cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 105 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 123 for the Kia Sportage in 2022.
Kia Sportage
- Against cars of the same year, the Kia Sportage comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 9% more often than average) than the Ford C-Max (fails 54% more often than average).
- Fewer Kia Sportage cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.7% against 2.9%).
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
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
| Ford C-Max | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2008–2018 | 1995–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 595,442 (2010–2022) | 1,107,190 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 102,686 | 420,691 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 23,672 | 52,257 |
| In traffic in Finland | 2,972 | 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
| Ford C-Max | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 70% | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | +2% | −1% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 3.3% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | +54% | +9% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.9% | 1.7% |
| US owner complaints | 372 | 4,714 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2013 (187) | 2017 (403) |
| US recall campaigns | 12 | 36 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 575 | 1,725 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 7 | 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
| Ford C-Max | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford C-Max | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 5.9 l/100 km (2018) | 8.3 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 7.4 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 8.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 5.6 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 5.3 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 105 g/km | 123 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 119 kW (159 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,403 kg | 1,652 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €29,420 | €30,790 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 180,000 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).