Compare the2025 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2025 Honda CR-V

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

Safety

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Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and CR-V 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 CR-V’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.

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

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	CR-V
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-18 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-17 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-34 MPH	-33 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	-33 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	No Warning

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid. But it costs extra on the CR-V.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid SX Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Rear cross-path warning is not offered on the CR-VLX and the CR-V’s Cross Traffic Monitor does not include automatic braking.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the CR-V have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid weighs 726 to 1180 pounds more than the Honda CR-V. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 CR-V’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 Honda covers the CR-V. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the CR-V ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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 Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 10th.

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 Honda 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, Honda is rated below average.

Engine

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 71 more horsepower (261 vs. 190) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 179) than the CR-V’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 57 more horsepower (261 vs. 204) and 23 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 247) than the CR-V Hybrid’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 30 miles. The CR-V can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The CR-V with the 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine 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 Honda CR-V (6 to 7). This means the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the CR-V every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CR-V:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	CR-V
Front Rotors	12.8 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	12.2 inches

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CR-V are solid, not vented.

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 CR-V LX’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the CR-V LX.

Suspension and Handling

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 CR-V doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the CR-V (110.8 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the CR-V.

Passenger Space

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

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has .3 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear hip room and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the CR-V.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	CR-V
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	39.3 cubic feet

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

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	CR-V
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”	n.a./36.6”/74.7”
Max Width	54”	58”
Min Width	42.4”	41.5”
Height	33”	36.5”

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

Ergonomics

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

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. Pushbutton Start standard on the CR-V only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle. Pushbutton Start is not available on the CR-V EX/Sport.

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

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the CR-V EX/Sport.

When the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid SX Prestige is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The CR-V’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and Honda CR-V offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the CR-V’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the CR-V EX/Sport. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid SX Prestige also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CR-V.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid SX Prestige keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The CR-V doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Sorento Plug-In 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 is only available on the CR-V EX/Sport.

Compared to the Honda CR-V, the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

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 CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring offers wireless charging.

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 CR-V doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.