Compare the2025 Kia SorentoVS 2025 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sorento 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 Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Sorento and Equinox 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 Equinox’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.

The Kia Sorento 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 Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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

The Sorento’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 Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Kia Sorento 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 Equinox has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Sorento has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Equinox’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 10 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Sorento LX/S’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 16 more horsepower (191 vs. 175) than the Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Sorento LX/S’ 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 16 more horsepower (191 vs. 175) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Sorento EX/SX’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 106 more horsepower (281 vs. 175) and 108 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Sorento has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Sorento has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.6 gallons).

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 Equinox doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the Sorento’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Equinox:

For better traction, the Sorento EX/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Equinox (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The Sorento EX/SX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Equinox RS’ optional 50 series tires.

The Sorento has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Sorento flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Sorento 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 Equinox doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 3.3 inches longer than on the Equinox (110.8 inches vs. 107.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Equinox.

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Equinox can only carry 5.

The Sorento has .3 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear legroom, 3.4 inches more rear hip room and 2.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Equinox.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Sorento’s middle row seats recline. The Equinox’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Equinox.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Sorento. The Equinox doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (2000 vs. 800 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Chevrolet Equinox AWD is only 1500 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sorento uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Equinox doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Equinox doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Sorento’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Equinox doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Both the Kia Sorento and Chevrolet Equinox offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Sorento 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 Equinox’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 Prestige has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Equinox doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance.