Compare the2023 Kia Sportage HybridVS 2023 Lexus NX

Both the Sportage Hybrid and the NX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Sportage Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The NX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage Hybrid 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the NX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the NX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sportage Hybrid’s warranty.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

The Sportage Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 24 more horsepower (227 vs. 203) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 184) than the NX 250’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage Hybrid gets better mileage than the NX running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sportage Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 350 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sportage Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Lexus NX (6 to 7). This means the Sportage Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX every 15,000 miles.

The Sportage Hybrid offers an optional 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 NX; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sportage Hybrid’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the NX (108.5 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

The Sportage SX-Prestige HEV AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the NX 350 AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Sportage Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the NX (8.3 vs. 7.7 inches), allowing the Sportage Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Sportage Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The NX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Sportage Hybrid has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 5.2 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX.

The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the NX with its rear seat up (39.5 vs. 22.7 cubic feet). The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the NX with its rear seat folded (73.7 vs. 46.9 cubic feet).

The Sportage Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds).

The power windows standard on both the Sportage Hybrid and the NX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sportage Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The NX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The NX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The NX 350h/450h+’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Sportage Hybrid will be $966 to $9424 less than for the Lexus NX.

The Kia Sportage outsold the Lexus NX by almost three to one during 2022.