Where each one leads
Honda Element
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Kia Sportage
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Kia Sportage uses 8.3 l/100 km, the 2011 Honda Element 10.9.
Too close to call: new York safety inspections failed, against cars of the same year.
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
| Honda Element | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2003–2011 | 1995–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 1,107,190 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 420,691 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 52,257 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 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
| Honda Element | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | −1% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.6% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | +10% | +9% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 1.7% |
| US owner complaints | 1,282 | 4,714 |
| Most complaints about | Visibility | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2003 (423) | 2017 (403) |
| US recall campaigns | 20 | 36 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 661 | 1,725 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 31 | 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
| Honda Element | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Honda Element | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 10.9 l/100 km (2011) | 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 | — | 123 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 119 kW (159 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,652 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €30,790 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 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).