2026 Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid Expert Review
Reviewed by Billy Rehbock
If you love the Sportage’s striking design and handsome interior but wish the compact SUV had all-electric range, you’re in luck. The 2026 Sportage PHEV can be charged for silent around-town driving, and its gasoline engine steps in when more power is needed or if the battery is depleted. Kia has applied a major update for the 2026 model year, with changes including a restyled exterior and new interior design details. Rivals to the Sportage PHEV include the Ford Escape PHEV, Mitsubishi Outlander Hybrid, and Dodge Hornet R/T PHEV.
What’s New
●Reworked front and rear bumpers
●An updated front fascia with a stacked LED headlight design and available amber DRLs
●Optional cube-style projection headlights
●Updated LED taillights with a more geometric shape
●Plug-in hybrid powertrain gains 7 hp
●Standard 12.3-inch LCD readout, a 4.2-inch instrument cluster display, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen
●Dual 12.3-inch displays with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
●An available 10.0-inch head-up display with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto navigation integration
●Available forward collision avoidance assist with direct oncoming detection
●Available Highway Driving Assistance 2 and updated front, side, and rear parking sensors
●Available Digital Key lets you lock, unlock, and start car with mobile app
●Terrain drive mode for X-Line trim
●Restyled dashboard
●New wheel designs
What We Think
There are two great reasons to choose the 2026 Kia Sportage PHEV over the gasoline and hybrid models. Kia’s compact plug-in hybrid SUV uses the most powerful powertrain on offer and is the quickest model in the range. It’s also the only version of the Sportage with standard all-wheel drive. In our testing, we’ve found power delivery to be smooth and effortless. The six-speed automatic provides smooth and decisive shifts. The brakes pedal feels natural, and stopping power is decent. Ride refinement is generally excellent, but body roll and dive occasionally disrupt the Sportage PHEV’s otherwise well-tuned chassis.
We’ve been fans of the Sportage’s stylish interior ever since the current-generation SUV arrived for 2023. The Sportage PHEV’s cabin makes use of clever accents such as hooks built into the backs of the headrests and configurable front-row cupholders, although the swappable bar that toggles between climate and media controls is a little too fussy for our taste.
Where the Sportage PHEV stumbles is in an area that should be a core competency. The middling all-electric range is bested by rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid. Additionally, hybrid models can drive further on a full tank of gas and are only a couple of tenths slower to hit 60 mph from a standstill. As such, the PHEV’s higher starting price makes it a dubious value compared to the Sportage HEV. However, those who can make the most of the plug-in hybrid’s all-electric range will find the Sportage PHEV to be a pleasant daily driver.
Performance, Efficiency, and Range
Regardless of trim, the 2026 Kia Sportage PHEV comes equipped with the same powertrain as last year, albeit with an extra 7 hp. A 1.6-liter turbocharged I-4 works with an electric traction motor and a six-speed automatic transmission sending power to a standard AWD system. Output totals 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, making the Sportage PHEV more powerful than the conventional hybrid by 37 hp. In our testing, the Sportage PHEV accelerated from 0to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, beating the HEV by 0.2 second. The gas-only model does the deed in 9.3 seconds. There’s a much quicker compact plug-in hybrid SUV on sale, however. The RAV4 Prime gets the job done in 5.5 seconds.
The most recent version of the Sportage PHEV evaluated by the EPA was the 2024 model, which returned 84 mpg-e on gas and electricity. All-electric range, enabled by a bigger battery than what Kia outfits to the HEV, is 34 miles. Total driving range is 430 miles. The Sportage Hybrid, most recently rated for 2025, delivers 42/44 mpg city/highway with FWD and 38/38 mpg with AWD. Its driving range is much better than that of the PHEV. FWD variants can drive 589 miles on a single tank and AWD models are rated at 521 miles.
Safety Features
The 2026 Sportage PHEV comes standard with automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance assist, lane keeping, front and rear parking sensors, automatic high-beams and a driver attention monitor. Higher grades unlock a 360-degree camera and Remote Smart Parking Assist.
For 2026, Kia makes available forward collision avoidance assist with direct oncoming detection. Also on offer is Kia’s Highway Driving Assist 2 and updated front, side, and rear parking sensors. An available Digital Key lets you lock, unlock, and start the car with Kia’s mobile app. While we’ve found Sportage PHEV’s lane centering system to be easy to operate, the SUV’s Highway Driving Assist system tends to gently ping pong in between lane markers. The new model year’s fresh equipment could improve this behavior.
Cargo Space and Interior Room
One of the trade-offs Sportage PHEV buyers make is reduced cargo volume and second-row legroom compared to the gasoline-only and hybrid variants.
Technology
Both of the 2026 Sportage PHEV’s X-Line and X-Line Prestige trims are well equipped. For 2026, Kia includes a standard 12.3-inch LCD driver readout, a 4.2-inch instrument cluster display, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen. The X-Line Prestige model receives a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 12.2-inch digital instrument cluster. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto appear on all Sportage PHEVs. Six-speaker audio is likely to return as the standard offering, with an eight-speaker setup equipped on the Sportage PHEV’s higher trim.
X-Line Prestige models receive Kia Connect services with features such as remote vehicle start, cabin preconditioning, vehicle lock status monitoring, and route planning. Kia’s Digital Key 2.0 Premium is available, allowing for phone-as-key functionality. Kia offers an entry-level six-speaker audio setup on the Sportage’s lower trims, while the premium Harman Kardon eight-speaker arrangement will likely still be equipped on more upscale variants.
