Compare the2025 Kia SorentoVS 2025 Ford Explorer

Both the Sorento and Explorer have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line 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 Explorer’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 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Ford Explorer, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Both the Sorento and the Explorer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and 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 is safer than the Ford Explorer:

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

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Explorer’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Ford covers the Explorer. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Explorer ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sorento’s reliability 12 points higher than the Explorer.

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 Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 9th.

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 Ford 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, Ford is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 12 places higher in reliability than Ford.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Ford Explorer turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento gets better mileage than the Explorer:

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

The Sorento has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Explorer. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento higher (6 out of 10) than the Ford Explorer (5 to 6). This means the Sorento produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Explorer every 15,000 miles.

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Explorer doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Sorento stops much shorter than the Explorer:

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Explorer 4WD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the Explorer 4WD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 1200 pounds less than the Ford Explorer.

The Sorento LX/S/EX/SX is 9.1 inches shorter than the Explorer, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento has 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more third row hip room than the Explorer.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sorento’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Explorer doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Sorento Prestige’s front and rear power windows all 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 Explorer’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

When the Sorento 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 Explorer’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Ford Explorer isn't recommended.