Compare the2026 Hyundai Kona VS 2026 Kia Sportage

The Kona has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Sportage’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Kona has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Sportage.

Both the Kona and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all-wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Kona’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Sportage’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

The Kona SEL Premium/Limited’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (190 vs. 187) and 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 178) than the Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kona 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Kia Sportage:

	Kona	Sportage
Zero to 60 MPH	9.8 sec	10 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	6.2 sec	6.3 sec

On the EPA test cycle the Kona gets better mileage than the Sportage:

			MPG
Kona
	FWD	SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	29 city/34 hwy
		SEL Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/35 hwy
	AWD	SE 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/29 hwy
		SEL Sport 2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/29 hwy
		1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/28 hwy
Sportage
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/30 hwy
		X-Pro Prestige 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/26 hwy

The Kona SE/SEL Sport has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Sportage doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Kona stops much shorter than the Sportage:

	Kona	Sportage
70 to 0 MPH	166 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

The Kona SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage LX/X-Pro Prestige’s standard 65 series tires. The Kona SEL Premium/Limited’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line’s 55 series tires.

The Kona SEL Premium HTRAC AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Sportage X-Pro Prestige pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Kona Limited HTRAC AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sportage AWD (27.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Kona’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the Sportage’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Hyundai Kona may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Kia Sportage.

The Kona is 1 foot, 1.1 inches shorter than the Sportage, making the Kona easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Kona SEL Premium HTRAC AWD is quieter than the Sportage X-Pro Prestige:

	Kona	Sportage
At idle	33 dB	37 dB
Full-Throttle	73 dB	74 dB

The Kona has .3 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more front legroom than the Sportage.

The Kona uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sportage uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Kona Limited’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Sportage doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Hyundai Kona retains 57.75% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 52.85% resale value of the 2026 Kia Sportage after five years, which can save the Hyundai’s owner up to $3155 in depreciation.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Kona second among small SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Sportage isn’t in the top three in its category.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Kona as the 2019 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Sportage has never been chosen.