Compare the2024 Hyundai Tucson HybridVS 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Tucson Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Sportage Hybrid.

The Tucson Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tucson Hybrid has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige offers Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the Sportage Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tucson Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 126 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Sportage Hybrid is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

The Tucson Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Sportage Hybrid’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sportage Hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is faster than the Kia Sportage Hybrid:

The Tucson Hybrid stops shorter than the Sportage Hybrid:

The Tucson Hybrid SEL/N Line/Limited’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tucson Hybrid SEL/N Line/Limited has standard 19-inch wheels. The Sportage Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited handles at .84 G’s, while the Sportage SX Prestige HEV AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Tucson Hybrid has .5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.8 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear hip room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage Hybrid.

The Tucson Hybrid has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sportage Hybrid with its rear seat folded (74.5 vs. 73.7 cubic feet).

The Tucson Hybrid’s front power windows 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 Hybrid’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically. The Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s rear windows don’t close automatically.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Sportage Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Tucson Hybrid’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sportage Hybrid’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 Tucson Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Sportage Hybrid’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The Tucson Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Kia charges extra for heated mirrors on the Sportage Hybrid.

The Tucson Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Sportage Hybrid. The Tucson Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage Hybrid.

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

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Kia Sportage by 40% during 2022.