Compare the2024 Kia Sportage HybridVS 2024 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sportage Hybrid are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige has standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

Both the Sportage Hybrid and Equinox offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Equinox’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The Sportage 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 Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sportage Hybrid and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

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 Kia Sportage Hybrid is much safer than the Equinox:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sportage Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 58 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Equinox has not been fully tested, yet.

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 Equinox’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Equinox. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Equinox ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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 Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 11 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Sportage Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 52 more horsepower (227 vs. 175) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 203) than the Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Sportage Hybrid is faster than the Chevrolet Equinox:

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage Hybrid gets better mileage than the Equinox:

Regenerative brakes improve the Sportage Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Equinox doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Sportage Hybrid has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Equinox. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

For better stopping power the Sportage Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Equinox:

The Sportage Hybrid stops shorter than the Equinox:

For better traction, the Sportage Hybrid has larger tires than the Equinox (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

The Sportage Hybrid has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Sportage Hybrid flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Sportage 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 Equinox doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sportage Hybrid’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Equinox (108.5 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sportage Hybrid is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Equinox.

The Sportage SX Prestige HEV AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the Equinox LT AWD pulls only .77 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 Equinox (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Sportage Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Sportage Hybrid’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the Equinox w/18” Wheels (8.3 vs. 8 inches).

The Sportage Hybrid has .5 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 1.7 inches more rear hip room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Equinox with its rear seat up (39.5 vs. 29.9 cubic feet). The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (73.7 vs. 63.9 cubic feet).

The Sportage Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Equinox’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

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 Equinox doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Sportage Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Equinox and isn’t available on the Equinox LS.

The Sportage Hybrid’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Equinox LS doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

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 Equinox Premier’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia Sportage Hybrid and the Chevrolet Equinox, based on reliability, safety and performance.