Where each one leads
Hyundai Kona
- Against cars of the same age, the Hyundai Kona comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 3% more often than average) than the Kia Sportage (passes 1% less often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Hyundai Kona comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 16% less often than average) than the Kia Sportage (fails 9% more often than average).
- Fewer Hyundai Kona cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.2% against 1.7%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Hyundai Kona uses 7.5 l/100 km, the 2026 Kia Sportage 8.3.
- New Hyundai Kona cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 72 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 Hyundai Kona uses 6.9 l/100 km on the road, the Kia Sportage 8.0.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Hyundai Kona uses 5.9 l/100 km on the road, the Kia Sportage 7.4.
Kia Sportage
- NHTSA rates the 2027 Kia Sportage at 5 of 5 stars, the 2027 Hyundai Kona at 4.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel Kia Sportage uses 5.3 l/100 km on the road, the Hyundai Kona 5.6.
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
| Hyundai Kona | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2018–2026 | 1995–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 445,573 (2017–2022) | 1,107,190 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 113,748 | 420,691 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 52,241 | 52,257 |
| In traffic in Finland | 5,252 | 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
| Hyundai Kona | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 89% | 77% |
| … against cars of the same age | +3% | −1% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | −16% | +9% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.2% | 1.7% |
| US owner complaints | 810 | 4,714 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Engine |
| Model year with most complaints | 2019 (196) | 2017 (403) |
| US recall campaigns | 9 | 36 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 348 | 1,725 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 8 | 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
| Hyundai Kona | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2027) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Hyundai Kona | Kia Sportage | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.5 l/100 km (2026) | 8.3 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.9 l/100 km | 8.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 5.9 l/100 km | 7.4 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 5.6 l/100 km | 5.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 5.6 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 72 g/km | 123 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 92 kW (123 hp) | 119 kW (159 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,522 kg | 1,652 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €39,895 | €30,790 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 81,000 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).