Kia Sportage Best and Worst Years

Counting owner complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2023 Kia Sportage drew the most (244; most-reported area: electrical system) and the 2016 the fewest (13).

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Sep 27, 2026

Every model year since 2016 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 43 mpg combined, arrived in 2023. Includes the Sportage Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

Best and worst years, by owner complaints

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2023 Sportage Most reported: electrical system	244	303	7
2017 Sportage Most reported: engine	86	399	4
2018 Sportage Most reported: engine	42	164	3
2020 Sportage Most reported: engine	42	160	2
2022 Sportage Most reported: engine	30	46	1
2019 Sportage Most reported: engine	18	70	2
2021 Sportage Most reported: engine	18	51	2
2016 Sportage Most reported: engine	13	131	2

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	1	35
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	43 mpg Hybrid	1	70
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	43 mpg Hybrid	3	101
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	43 mpg Hybrid	7	303
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	1	46
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	2	51
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	2	160
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	70
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	3	164
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	4	399
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	2	131	4 to 5 stars

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2023: 303 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Kia Sportage
Model year	Complaints
2016	131
2017	399
2018	164
2019	70
2020	160
2021	51
2022	46
2023	303
2024	101
2025	70
2026	35

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 23 to 28 mpg (every year from 2016 to 2026); 28 since 2023. Hybrid: 42 to 43 mpg (2023 to 2026); highest in 2023.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 28 mpg · hybrid 42 mpg

Show as a table

Kia Sportage best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2016	23	–
2017	26	–
2018	26	–
2019	25	–
2020	26	–
2021	26	–
2022	26	–
2023	28	43
2024	28	43
2025	28	43
2026	28	42

Comparisons

Kia Sportage vs Hyundai TucsonMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Kia Sportage years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2023 (244) drew the most, then the 2017 (86). Most-reported area for the 2023: electrical system.

Which Kia Sportage years have the fewest problems?

The 2016 (13) drew the fewest complaints in its first three years. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Kia Sportage years should you avoid?

Complaint counts can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, but they show where owners reported the most trouble: the 2023, against 36 complaints in a typical Kia Sportage year. Whatever the year, check the car's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.

Which Kia Sportage years have the most recalls?

The 2023 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (7), then the 2017 (4). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Four recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired, covering 2016 to 2023 models. Each year's recalls page lists them first.

What are the most common Kia Sportage problems?

Of the 1,530 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2016 to 2026 models, the areas named most are engine (40%), electrical system (19%), and brakes (11%). One complaint can name more than one area. The recalls and problems page for each year breaks this down further.

Which Kia Sportage year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 43 mpg combined, first reached by the 2023 hybrid version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.