Compare the2023 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2023 Toyota Rav4 Prime

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and Rav4 Prime have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento Plug-In 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 Rav4 Prime’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.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Rav4 Prime have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Rav4 Prime’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Rav4 Prime. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 Prime ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

For better traction, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has larger tires than the Rav4 Prime (235/55R19 vs. 225/60R18).

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rav4 Prime SE’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Rav4 Prime SE.

The Sorento Plug-In 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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Rav4 Prime (110.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 2 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Rav4 Prime.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard seating for 6 passengers; the Rav4 Prime can only carry 5.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has 6.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 Prime (105.3 vs. 98.9).

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has 2.6 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, 7.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Rav4 Prime.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Rav4 Prime.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Rav4 Prime’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Prime’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Rav4 Prime’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Rav4 Prime.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Rav4 Prime XSE offers wireless charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Toyota Rav4 Prime, based on reliability, safety and performance.