Compare the2023 Kia Sorento HybridVS 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

Both the Sorento Hybrid and Tucson Hybrid have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento Hybrid has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Tucson Hybrid’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Kia Sorento Hybrid has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the Sorento Hybrid and the Tucson Hybrid 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 4 places higher in reliability than Hyundai.

The Sorento Hybrid has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tucson Hybrid (17.7 vs. 13.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Sorento Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tucson Hybrid are solid, not vented.

The Sorento Hybrid stops shorter than the Tucson Hybrid:

The Sorento Hybrid 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 Tucson Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Sorento Hybrid has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento Hybrid’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the Tucson Hybrid (110.8 inches vs. 108.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Hybrid is 1.3 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tucson Hybrid.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Hybrid’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Tucson Hybrid’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Sorento Hybrid has standard seating for 6 passengers; the Tucson Hybrid can only carry 5.

The Sorento Hybrid has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tucson Hybrid.

The Sorento Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Tucson Hybrid.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sorento Hybrid. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Tucson Hybrid’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Tucson Hybrid SEL/Limited offers wireless charging.

The Sorento Hybrid SX Prestige has a 115-volt a/c outlet, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Sorento Hybrid is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sorento Hybrid and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2021 issue and they ranked the Kia Sorento Hybrid EX higher than the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid Limited.