Compare the2023 Toyota Rav4VS 2022 Kia Sportage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Sportage doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Toyota Rav4 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 Sportage doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rav4 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sportage doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Rav4 (except LE) offers optional Parking Assist with Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Sportage doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Rav4 Limited/TRD Off-Road offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Sportage only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Rav4 has standard Safety Connect™, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Sportage doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Rav4 and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Rav4	Sportage
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	152	207
Neck Compression	56 lbs.	72 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37.4%	42%

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Rav4	Sportage
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	87
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	246 lbs.	327 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	239
Spine Acceleration	49 G’s	56 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	299	301
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	835 lbs.	873 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota Rav4 is safer than the Sportage:

	Rav4	Sportage
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	120	209
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.47 in	.75 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
Pelvis Force	1093 lbs.	1874 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	290 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.83 in	2.13 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	14 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

The Rav4’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sportage runs out after 100,000 miles.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rav4 for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sportage.

There are over 59 percent more Toyota dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Rav4’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Rav4’s reliability 15 points higher than the Sportage.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

Engine

The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (203 vs. 181) and 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 175) than the Sportage’s standard 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Rav4 is faster than the Kia Sportage 4 cyl.:

	Rav4	Sportage
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	8.3 sec	9.6 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.5 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 gets better mileage than the Sportage:

			MPG
Rav4
	FWD	XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		LE/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
		XLE 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/33 hwy
		Adventure/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		TRD Off-Road 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
Sportage
	FWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/24 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Rav4 LE AWD/XLE/XLE Premium’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Sportage doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Toyota Rav4, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Sportage.

Brakes and Stopping

The Rav4 stops much shorter than the Sportage:

	Rav4	Sportage
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

Suspension and Handling

The Rav4 Adventure handles at .84 G’s, while the Sportage SX Turbo AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 LE/XLE has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage (8.4 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Rav4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited/Adventure/TRD Off-Road’s minimum ground clearance is 1.8 inches higher than on the Sportage (8.6 vs. 6.8 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Rav4 Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sportage doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Rav4 has .2 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

Cargo Capacity

The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Sportage with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 30.7 cubic feet). The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sportage with its rear seat folded (69.8 vs. 60.1 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 easier. The Rav4’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Sportage’s liftover is 29.8 inches.

The Rav4’s cargo area is larger than the Sportage’s in almost every dimension:

	Rav4	Sportage
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	40”/73.4”	33.4”/68.2”
Max Width	59”	52.3”
Min Width	39.4”	41”
Height	36.6”	29.5”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4. The Sportage doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Sportage is limited to 2000 pounds. The Rav4 4WD offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 uses the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Sportage doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Rav4 Limited, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Sportage doesn’t offer memory seats.

The Rav4’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Sportage’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The Rav4’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sportage’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Sportage can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Rav4 XLE/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Sportage’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Rav4’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Sportage LX/Nightfall/EX’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Rav4’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

Both the Rav4 and the Sportage offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Limited also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

The Rav4 Adventure/TRD Off-Road has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Sportage doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rav4 is less expensive to operate than the Sportage because typical repairs cost much less on the Rav4 than the Sportage, including $29 less for a water pump, $343 less for a muffler, $117 less for front struts and $887 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Toyota Rav4 and the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Kia Sportage by over three to one during 2022.