Compare the2025 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2025 Ford Escape PHEV

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
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 Escape PHEV 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 Escape PHEV’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 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

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

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Escape PHEV 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, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid weighs 772 pounds more than the Ford Escape PHEV. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Ford Escape PHEV:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Escape PHEV
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	280	344

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 much safer than the Escape PHEV:

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Escape PHEV
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	64	391
Head Peak Forces	no contact	93 G’s
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	379 lbs.
Neck Compression	-89 lbs.	22 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.71 in	1.1 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.14 in	1.77 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	959 lbs.	1160 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	68	168
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	201 lbs.
Neck Compression	-67 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	1.54 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	5 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	1093 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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 Escape PHEV is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

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 Escape PHEV’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 Ford covers the Escape PHEV. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Escape PHEV 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 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.

Engine

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 51 more horsepower (261 vs. 210) than the Escape PHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Escape PHEV (12.4 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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 Escape PHEV are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has larger tires than the Escape PHEV (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 Escape PHEV’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Escape PHEV.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Escape PHEV (110.8 inches vs. 106.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 3.6 inches wider in the rear than on the Escape PHEV.

Passenger Space

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

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has 3.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Escape PHEV (105.3 vs. 102.2).

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has .3 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom, 1.8 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Escape PHEV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s middle row seats recline. The Escape PHEV’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Escape PHEV
Third Seat Folded	38.5 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	34.4 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	75.5 cubic feet	60.8 cubic feet

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

	Sorento Plug-In Hybrid	Escape PHEV
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	15.5”/42.5”/76.5”	n.a./36.7”/68.3”
Max Width	54”	57.3”
Min Width	42.4”	41.4”
Height	33”	32.8”

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

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

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

Ergonomics

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Escape PHEV 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 Escape PHEV’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Escape PHEV have standard heated front seats. 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 Escape PHEV.

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 Escape PHEV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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. Ford charges extra for Homelink® on the Escape PHEV.

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. Wireless charging costs extra on the Escape PHEV.

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 Escape PHEV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.