2023 Kia Sorento PHEV Yearlong Review Verdict: Worth the Price Premium?

We won’t pretend this is your average family SUV. The handsome yet unassuming 2023 Kia Sorento PHEV we drove for a year occupies an area in the market as gray as its Platinum Graphite exterior. Smaller than other three-row SUVs, it trades some interior space for added agility. Blending a gas engine with all-electric range, its plug-in hybrid powertrain provides a taste of what EV ownership might be like. And although it has plush features befitting its position as the most expensive Sorento, it’s not quite a premium vehicle. So did this balancing act pay off over the course of the year? Or did the compromises add up? Critically, would we recommend this family hauler?

Abundant Amenities

You can get a Sorento in the $30,000s, but not this one. Our loaded Sorento PHEV has a calm-inducing interior with serene blue leather seats, heated in the first and second rows, and ventilated up front. Second-row sunshades provide a relaxing environment for sleeping children. In addition to its near-luxury cabin, our Sorento packs a somewhat pricey plug-in hybrid powertrain, delivering 32 miles of all-electric range. Our test model rang out to more than $52,000, missing only a few features we wish Kia would have offered, namely wireless smartphone mirroring and sufficient lighting for the third row.

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The Right Fit for a Certain Family

This SUV may not be for every family, but it was the perfect size for ours. Available exclusively in a six-seat configuration, the Sorento PHEV easily fit our family of five—including me, my husband, my mother-in-law, and two small children. The second row feels particularly indulgent, with cozy captain’s chairs and abundant legroom. Predictably, the third row is tight, suitable for children and small adults. At just under 5-foot-3, I felt comfortable back here for a moderate length of time. The interior is spacious enough to fit our two bulky car seats in every possible configuration in the two rear rows. USB ports and cell phone cubbies are a nice consolation prize for passengers in the very back. For weekend getaways or grocery runs, folding down one of the seats provided just enough cargo room.

Balance of Power

To get the most out of the Sorento PHEV, charging frequently is essential. We charged ours using a simple household outlet, which took more than 11 hours from empty to full. A Level 2 home charger, on the other hand, would take about 3.5 hours. Charging during times of low demand is a smart choice, as peak hours could run around $0.45 per kWh in my area, compared to my experience of $0.19 for off-peak times and $0.05 for super off-peak times. If you work it right, a full charge can certainly cost less than a cup of coffee, making our Sorento PHEV’s $7,500 price premium over a comparable Sorento Hybrid more palatable (the vehicle currently doesn’t qualify for a federal EV tax credit). You’ll likely need a Level 2 charger to ensure all charging can be scheduled into the least-expensive rate window.

Despite the logistical challenges of charging, I delighted in the SUV’s intangible appeal. Rolling smoothly and silently out of the garage with a full charge was a great way to start my mornings. The rated 32 miles of EV range proved a reasonable number in the real world, allowing the Sorento PHEV to tackle school drop-offs, grocery runs, and short trips around town on electric power. Just know that pressing the accelerator with any hint of enthusiasm prompts the gas engine to kick in. The electric miles melt away quickly on long highway drives, highlighting this SUV’s specialty in short commutes over road trips. On longer hauls, we filled up more often than we would have liked; a realistic distance our family could achieve with a full tank of gas and electric range was in the low 300-mile range.

Fuel economy during the year averaged out to 30.0 mpg-e, 0.89 mi/kWh better than our current long-term 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV (24.5 mpg-e and 0.70 mi/kWh) and previous long-term gas-only 2021 Kia Sorento(22.8 mpg). But total gas and electric fuel cost per mile in our Sorento PHEV was nearly $0.20, on par with the 2021 Sorento ($0.20) and CX-90 PHEV ($0.19).

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Quick but Quirky

Making no pretense of athleticism, the Sorento PHEV focused instead on providing a comfortable ride and responsive handling. Even loaded with people and gear, the Sorento PHEV’s 261 hp never felt insufficient merging onto the highway or passing other cars. That said, we weren’t always impressed by its power delivery. Specifically, the SUV occasionally hesitated to get moving again after coming to a stop. This brief delay of a few seconds was particularly annoying when trying to make a right turn on a red light.

Safe and Sane

When traveling with a 2-year-old and a 3-year-old, anything that makes the drive a little easier is a huge blessing. Highway Driving Assist was our lifeline, keeping the SUV within its lane and at the right distance from the vehicle ahead. Although our Sorento wasn’t equipped with Kia’s most advanced version of HDA, it succeeded in making long road trips less tiring. Our tester had a strong array of safety features, but we’ll particularly miss the LED lights, which provided excellent illumination of dark roadways.

A Twist in the Plot

During the latter half of our loan, Kia introduced a refreshed Sorento with a few notable improvements over our tester. The new screen is a clear upgrade, with simple menus, better responsiveness, and the welcome addition of wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A sharper 360-degree camera makes parking even easier. But there was one change we didn’t love. A new control panel below the touchscreen switches between climate and infotainment functions, and we frequently found ourselves adjusting the climate when we meant to change the volume. Compared to a gas-powered 2024 Sorento we drove with bigger wheels, our yearlong tester had dated tech but a more comfortable ride and more relaxed steering.

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… And One More Complication

Here’s where the Sorento threw us a curveball. Our first service at 9,000 miles was free thanks to a maintenance package. The Sorento’s first service is free at the dealership you purchased it from, although it can cost about $160 otherwise. 

The second service at 17,000 miles came with an unexpected bill topping $700. I went line by line through the owner’s manual service schedule with the advisor at the dealership to eliminate upsells, and although I eliminated a few, they used high-pressure tactics to insist everything else they were charging me was part of the services listed in the manual. They also made the dubious claim that forgoing the services they were charging me for would void the warranty. The Sorento PHEV’s second service, for the record, only includes a tire rotation, fuel additives, engine oil and engine oil filter replacement, and climate control air filter replacement, which would have cost us $232.51. The remaining $487 we swindled out of included an unnecessary engine air filter change, HVAC duct sanitation, fuel @service/throttle body cleaning, and A/C evaporator core service.

This is the second time in recent history a Kia service department has successfully swindled us, the other time being with our long-term Kia EV6 at a different dealership for an “EV Service Port Cleaner” (although it wasn’t as costly). Let our mistakes serve as a useful reminder to check your car’s service schedule from the manufacturer before you go to a dealership for service.

As a point of comparison, our long-term 2024 Mazda CX-90 PHEV has racked up $184.74 in maintenance costs so far over 20,000 miles. Our long-term 2021 Kia Sorento cost $354.18 over 23,000 miles, making it more expensive to maintain than similar SUVs in our long-term fleet at the time of its stay.

Fortunately, we had no quality issues during the year. Kia conducted a recall to fix rearview camera mounting clips that could break, making it so the camera image might not display properly on the screen. As part of a service action, Kia remedied an oil change reminder notification on the instrument cluster that wouldn’t go away. Speaking of quality, we were amazed at how well the interior held up over the year, especially the leather seats that resisted wear and puckering.

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Would We Recommend This SUV?

We want to say yes, but the real answer depends on your needs. There’s something to be said for boasting plenty of room for the family, and a cabin that makes you feel special every time you hop in. Those who frequently drive short distances and are committed to plugging in several times a week will enjoy the SUV’s usable EV range. Simpler and less expensive, the non-plug-in Sorento is probably a better fit for most buyers, but that doesn’t take away from the PHEV’s strong niche appeal.

For More on Our Long-Term 2023 Kia Sorento PHEV: 

• Here’s Why We’re Driving a Very Niche 2023 Kia Sorento PHEV for a Year 

• We Put Our Sorento PHEV to the Ultimate Test: Toddlers ·Is the Sorento PHEV a Good Daily Driver? 11 Pros and Cons 

• Kia Sorento PHEV Interior: Tech Triumphs and Touchscreen Trials 
• How Does the Safety Tech Perform on Our 2023 Kia Sorento PHEV?
• Which Kia Sorento Is Best? The One With a Plug or the One Without?
• Do We Have Buyer’s Remorse After Driving the Sorento PHEV’s Rivals?
• Is the Sorento PHEV a Good Family Road Trip Vehicle?
• How Does Our 2023 Kia Sorento PHEV Handle Tricky Driving Situations?