Kia Sportage vs Hyundai Tucson: MPG, Fuel Cost, Recalls and Safety
On EPA ratings the 2025 Kia Sportage's best version gets 43 mpg combined against 38 mpg for the Hyundai Tucson.
Kia Sportage
43mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual
Hyundai Tucson
38mpg
Best 2025 version: 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · 6-speed automated manual · Blue
The cheapest Kia Sportage to fuel costs $1,500 a year at EPA's prices, $200 less than the cheapest Tucson. NHTSA lists 1 recall for the 2025 Sportage and 7 recalls for the Tucson.
Side by side
| 2025 model year | Sportage | Tucson |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy (EPA) | ||
Best combined rating | 43 mpg (clearly better) 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual | 38 mpg 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · 6-speed automated manual · Blue |
Best gas rating Gas engines only; hybrids and diesels excluded | 28 mpg | 28 mpg |
Hybrid or plug-in available | Hybrid and plug-in 43 mpg; plug-in 84 MPGe | Hybrid and plug-in 38 mpg; plug-in 77 MPGe |
AWD or 4WD available | Yes | Yes |
Lowest annual fuel cost 15,000 miles at EPA fuel prices | $1,500 (clearly better) | $1,700 |
5-year fuel cost vs average new vehicle Cheapest-to-fuel version (EPA) | Saves $4,000 (clearly better) | Saves $3,000 |
| Safety (NHTSA) | ||
Safety recalls, 2025 model year Counts depend on sales and time on sale | 1 | 7 |
Owner complaints, 2025 model year Filed with NHTSA so far | 70 | 425 |
NHTSA overall crash rating Range across tested versions | 5 stars | 5 stars |
Rollover risk Range across tested versions; lower is better | 16.9% | 15.9% to 17.4% |
Marks the clearly better figure. Small gaps (under 2 mpg or 5%, $100 a year in fuel) and overlapping crash-test ranges are not marked, and recall and complaint counts are not scored because they depend on how many were sold.
Best combined rating by model year
The best-rated version of each, every model year since 2016. The Sportage rated higher in 6 and the Tucson in 5 of the 11 years both were sold.
- Kia Sportage
- Hyundai Tucson
2025: Kia Sportage 43 mpg · Hyundai Tucson 38 mpgTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Sportage | Hyundai Tucson |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 23 | 28 |
| 2017 | 26 | 28 |
| 2018 | 26 | 27 |
| 2019 | 25 | 26 |
| 2020 | 26 | 25 |
| 2021 | 26 | 25 |
| 2022 | 26 | 38 |
| 2023 | 43 | 38 |
| 2024 | 43 | 38 |
| 2025 | 43 | 38 |
| 2026 | 42 | 38 |
Recalls by model year
Safety recalls NHTSA lists for each model year. Counts depend on how many were sold and how long each model year has been on the road.
- Kia Sportage (left bar)
- Hyundai Tucson (right bar)
2026: Kia Sportage 1 recall · Hyundai Tucson 5 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
| Model year | Kia Sportage | Hyundai Tucson |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | 5 |
| 2017 | 4 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 3 |
| 2023 | 7 | 2 |
| 2024 | 3 | 4 |
| 2025 | 1 | 7 |
| 2026 | 1 | 5 |
More on each model
- 2025 Kia Sportage MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Kia Sportage by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
- 2025 Hyundai Tucson MPGEvery version and a fuel cost calculator
- Hyundai Tucson by yearMPG, recalls and complaints
Questions
Which gets better gas mileage, the Sportage or the Tucson?
For 2025, the Sportage. Its best version is rated 43 mpg combined; the Tucson's best is 38 mpg.
Which is cheaper to fuel?
The Sportage. At EPA's assumptions its cheapest version costs $1,500 a year against $1,700, a $1,000 difference over five years.
How do they compare in NHTSA crash tests?
The 2025 Sportage is rated 5 stars overall and the Tucson 5 stars. Rollover risk is 16.9% for the Sportage and 15.9% to 17.4% for the Tucson.
Sources and method
- US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026, and EPA fuel prices.
- NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.
We compare the best-rated version of each model unless a row says otherwise. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.