Compare the2026 Volkswagen TaosVS 2026 Kia Sportage

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Sportage’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Volkswagen Taos achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Sportage has not been tested.

The Taos has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sportage doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Taos has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Sportage’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Taos has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Sportage.

Both the Taos and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

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 Volkswagen Taos is safer than the Kia Sportage:

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

The Taos’ corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Sportage’s (7/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Taos for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sportage.

The Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 178) than the Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Taos is faster than the Kia Sportage:

On the EPA test cycle the Taos gets better mileage than the Sportage:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Taos higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia Sportage (6). This means the Taos produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sportage every 15,000 miles.

The Taos stops shorter than the Sportage:

The Taos 4Motion®’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage LX/X-Pro Prestige’s standard 65 series tires. The Taos 4Motion®’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line’s 55 series tires.

The Taos SEL 4Motion® handles at .85 G’s, while the Sportage X-Pro Prestige pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Taos SEL 4Motion® executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sportage AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Taos 4Motion®’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the Sportage’s (34.8 feet vs. 38.6 feet). The Taos’ turning circle is 3.5 feet tighter than the Sportage’s (35.1 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Taos is 8.5 inches shorter than the Sportage, making the Taos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Taos has 1.1 inches more front headroom and .4 inches more rear headroom than the Sportage.

The Taos’ 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 Sportage’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Taos’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Sportage’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Taos’ headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sportage’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Taos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Taos SE/SEL has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sportage doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Taos SE/SEL also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Taos has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Sportage Prestige.