Compare the2025 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2024 Toyota Rav4 Prime

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics

Safety

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Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime’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.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Parking Support Brake costs extra on the Rav4 Prime XSE, and isn't offered on other Rav4 Prime models.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Rav4 Prime have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is safer than the Toyota Rav4 Prime:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Rav4 Prime
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	34.5%
Neck Stress	168 lbs.	303 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	23 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	212/405 lbs.	349/594 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Stress	159 lbs.	195 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	99 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	81/191 lbs.	509/328 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 Toyota Rav4 Prime:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Rav4 Prime
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	280	360
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	45 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 Rav4 Prime:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Rav4 Prime
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	64	120
Neck Compression	-89 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	1.14 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	959 lbs.	1093 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	68	542
Head Peak Forces	no contact	104 G’s
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	-67 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	.94 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	692 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

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 Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime’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 Toyota covers the Rav4 Prime. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Rav4 Prime 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 17th.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has larger tires than the Rav4 Prime (235/55R19 vs. 225/60R18).

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 Rav4 Prime SE’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 Rav4 Prime SE.

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 Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Rav4 Prime (110.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 2 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Rav4 Prime.

Passenger Space

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard seating for 6 passengers; the Rav4 Prime can only carry 5.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has 6.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rav4 Prime (105.3 vs. 98.9).

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has 2.6 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, 7.4 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Rav4 Prime.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Rav4 Prime.

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Rav4 Prime
Third Seat Folded	38.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	33.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	75.5 cubic feet	69.8 cubic feet

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Rav4 Prime’s in almost every dimension:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Rav4 Prime
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”	n.a./40”/73.4”
Max Width	54”	59”
Min Width	42.4”	39.4”
Height	33”	33.2”

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Ergonomics

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid SX Prestige’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Rav4 Prime’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Rav4 Prime doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 Rav4 Prime’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and Toyota Rav4 Prime 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 Rav4 Prime’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Toyota charges extra for Homelink® on the Rav4 Prime.

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 Rav4 Prime XSE offers wireless charging.