For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sportage 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 Trax doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sportage is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Chevrolet Trax, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
Sportage |
Trax |
Overall Evaluation |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-2 MPH |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-22 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-4 MPH |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
37 MPH Brights |
-23 MPH |
-11 MPH |
Warning Issued-Brights |
1.7 sec |
1.4 sec |
37 MPH Low beams |
-21 MPH |
-3 MPH |
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sportage 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 Trax doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Sportage offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Trax doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sportage’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Trax doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.
The Sportage Prestige has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Trax only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.
Both the Sportage and Trax offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Trax’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.
The Sportage’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 Trax doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Sportage and the Trax 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available blind spot warning systems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Chevrolet Trax:
|
Sportage |
Trax |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
24.5% |
28.8% |
Neck Compression |
14 lbs. |
20 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.8 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
30.9% |
39.7% |
Neck Stress |
177 lbs. |
220 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sportage is safer than the Chevrolet Trax:
|
Sportage |
Trax |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
70 |
171 |
Chest Movement |
.9 inches |
1.2 inches |
Abdominal Force |
162 lbs. |
288 lbs. |
Hip Force |
247 lbs. |
287 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
82 |
378 |
Spine Acceleration |
47 G’s |
68 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
270 |
464 |
Spine Acceleration |
35 G’s |
54 G’s |
Hip Force |
480 lbs. |
733 lbs. |
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 Sportage is safer than the Trax:
|
Sportage |
Trax |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
121 |
476 |
Neck Tension |
223 lbs. |
379 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
-45 lbs. |
67 lbs. |
Torso |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.57 in |
Shoulder Force |
223 lbs. |
335 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.34 in |
1.5 in |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
759 lbs. |
1227 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
116 |
424 |
Neck Tension |
45 lbs. |
134 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
-134 lbs. |
134 lbs. |
Torso |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.77 in |
Shoulder Force |
245 lbs. |
335 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.38 in |
1.57 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
5 MPH |
9 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Pelvis Force |
669 lbs. |
892 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |