Compare the2022 Buick EncoreVS 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Buick Encore are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Kia Sportage PHEV has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Buick Encore has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sportage PHEV doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Encore and the Sportage PHEV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, collision warning systems, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Encore the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2016, a rating granted to only 207 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage PHEV has not been tested, yet.

The Encore’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Sportage PHEV’s (6/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

There are almost 3 times as many Buick dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Encore’s warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Buick fourth in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 15th.

The Encore has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sportage PHEV (14 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Encore has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sportage PHEV doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Encore has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Sportage PHEV; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better maneuverability, the Encore’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Sportage PHEV’s (36.7 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Buick Encore may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 950 pounds less than the Kia Sportage PHEV.

The Encore is 1 foot, 3.1 inches shorter than the Sportage PHEV, making the Encore easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Encore uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sportage PHEV doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Encore has 1.8 inches more front headroom and .8 inches more rear headroom than the Sportage PHEV.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Buick fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 38% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

The Encore’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Sportage PHEV’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The Encore’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Sportage PHEV’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Encore offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Sportage PHEV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Encore is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Sportage PHEV doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Buick Encore has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

The Buick Encore outsold the Kia Sportage by 3028 units during the 2021 model year.