Compare the2025 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2024 Audi Q5

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 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 Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q5, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-1 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-2 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-2 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-34 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	1.4 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	-33 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	No Warning

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 Q5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Audi Q5:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Q5
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	35 G’s

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 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Q5:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	64	96
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	245 lbs.
Neck Compression	-89 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	959 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	68	346
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	223 lbs.
Neck Compression	-67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.54 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	1249 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Q5 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.

Warranty

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 Q5’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 79 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 31st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 9 places higher in reliability than Audi.

Engine

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 60 more horsepower (261 vs. 201) and 34 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 236) than the Q5 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions on electricity, only, on a full charge for 30 miles. The Q5 55 TFSI e has to start its internal combustion engine after only 23 miles.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q5 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Audi Q5 (5 to 7). This means the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q5 every 15,000 miles.

Tires and Wheels

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 Q5’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 Q5.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Q5.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (37.9 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Passenger Space

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard seating for 6 passengers; the Q5 can only carry 5.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has .7 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q5.

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Q5
Third Seat Folded	38.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	25.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	75.5 cubic feet	54.1 cubic feet

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Q5’s in every dimension:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Q5
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”	n.a./36”/69”
Max Width	54”	48.5”
Min Width	42.4”	41”
Height	33”	29.7”

Ergonomics

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard Smart Key allows you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the cargo door, and start the vehicle, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start standard on the Q5 only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q5 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q5.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid SX Prestige 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 Q5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

The Kia Sorento outsold the Audi Q5/SQ5 by 20% during 2023.