2026 Kia Sportage MPG and Fuel Cost

The 2026 Kia Sportage gets up to 28 mpg combined with a gas engine and up to 42 mpg as a hybrid, across 6 EPA-tested versions.

EPA fuel economy

2026 Kia Sportage · 6 EPA-tested versions

Best gas version

28MPG combined

25 city 33 highway

$2,300 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score5/10

2.5L 4-cyl · FWD · 8-speed automatic

Best hybrid version

42MPG combined

41 city 44 highway

$1,550 a year to fuel

Fuel economy score7/10

1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual

Best version saves $3,750 in fuel over 5 years vs the average new vehicle (EPA)

Fuel cost: 15,000 miles a year at EPA's $4.32 a gallon (regular gas).

Data: US EPA, fueleconomy.govUpdated Sep 27, 2026

At EPA's price assumptions, fuel costs $1,550 to $2,700 a year. The plug-in hybrid adds 33 miles of electric range and 83 MPGe on electricity. Compared with 2025, the best hybrid version is down 1 mpg.

Every 2026 Sportage version

EPA's ratings for each version it tested. Fuel cost is EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current prices; for plug-in hybrids it assumes typical charging.

Version	Combined	City / Hwy	Fuel / year
Hybrid
1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual Best EPA listing: Sportage Hybrid FWD	42 mpg	41 / 44	$1,550
1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · 6-speed automated manual EPA listing: Sportage Hybrid AWD	35 mpg	35 / 36	$1,850
Gas
2.5L 4-cyl · FWD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: Sportage FWD	28 mpg	25 / 33	$2,300
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · 8-speed automatic EPA listing: Sportage AWD	26 mpg	24 / 30	$2,500
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · 8-speed automatic · X-pro EPA listing: Sportage X-pro	24 mpg	23 / 26	$2,700
Plug-in hybrid
1.6L turbo 4-cyl plug-in hybrid · AWD · 6-speed automated manual EPA listing: Sportage Plug-in Hybrid · 83 MPGe on electricity · 33 mi electric range · MPG shown is running on gas	36 mpg	35 / 36	$1,300 with charging (EPA); gas only $1,800

Fuel cost at your prices

EPA's annual cost uses 15,000 miles a year, 55% city driving and its current prices: $4.32 a gallon for regular gas. Change the numbers to match your driving.

Version	Per year	Per month	5 years
1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · FWD · 6-speed automated manual	$1,543	$129	$7,714
1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid · AWD · 6-speed automated manual	$1,851	$154	$9,257
2.5L 4-cyl · FWD · 8-speed automatic	$2,314	$193	$11,571
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · 8-speed automatic	$2,492	$208	$12,462
2.5L 4-cyl · AWD · 8-speed automatic · X-pro	$2,700	$225	$13,500
1.6L turbo 4-cyl plug-in hybrid · AWD · 6-speed automated manual (on gas)	$1,800	$150	$9,000

At the default settings the results match EPA's annual cost before EPA rounds it to the nearest $50. Plug-in hybrids are calculated running on gas only.

Kia Sportage MPG by model year

The best-rated version in each model year; the highlighted year is this page. 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

How the 2026 Sportage compares

2026 compact SUVs covered on this site, ranked by their best combined rating. Fuel cost is for each model's cheapest version to run, at EPA's prices.

2026 model	Best combined	Best gas	Fuel / year
Toyota RAV4 Best: hybrid	43 mpg	–	$1,500
Kia Sportage This page Best: hybrid	42 mpg	28 mpg	$1,550
Honda CR-V Best: hybrid	40 mpg	30 mpg	$1,600
Ford Escape Best: hybrid	39 mpg	30 mpg	$1,650
Hyundai Tucson Best: hybrid	38 mpg	28 mpg	$1,700
Jeep Cherokee Best: hybrid	37 mpg	–	$1,750
Subaru Forester Best: hybrid	35 mpg	29 mpg	$1,850
Nissan Rogue Best: gas	32 mpg	32 mpg	$2,050
Volkswagen Tiguan Best: gas	29 mpg	29 mpg	$2,250
Chevrolet Equinox Best: gas	27 mpg	27 mpg	$2,400
Subaru Outback Best: gas	27 mpg	27 mpg	$2,400
Ford Bronco Sport Best: gas	27 mpg	27 mpg	$2,400
Mazda CX-5 Best: gas	26 mpg	26 mpg	$2,500
Jeep Compass Best: gas	26 mpg	26 mpg	$2,500

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

2026 Sportage recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 35 owner complaints for the 2026 Sportage.What they cover, and crash test ratings

Questions

Does AWD lower the 2026 Kia Sportage's gas mileage?

Yes. On versions that differ only in drive, AWD lowers the combined rating by 2 to 7 mpg: the 1.6L turbo 4-cyl hybrid gets 42 mpg combined with front-wheel drive and 35 with AWD.

How much fuel does the 2026 Sportage hybrid save?

Comparing AWD or 4WD versions at EPA's assumptions (15,000 miles a year, $4.32 a gallon), the hybrid costs $1,850 a year to fuel against $2,500 for the gas model: $650 a year, or $3,250 over five years.

Does the 2026 Kia Sportage need premium gas?

No. EPA lists every 2026 Kia Sportage version on regular gasoline.

How does the 2026 Sportage's MPG compare with the 2025?

For 2026, the best gas version is rated 28 mpg, the same as the year before and the best hybrid version is rated 42 mpg, down 1 from 43.

Sources and method

US EPA and Department of Energy fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Sep 18, 2026.
EPA fuel price assumptions: regular $4.32, midgrade $4.93, premium $5.32, diesel $6.29 a gallon; electricity $0.15 per kWh.
Recall and complaint counts: NHTSA recall file dated Sep 27, 2026 and complaint file dated Sep 26, 2026.

Ratings are EPA estimates. Real-world mileage depends on how, where and in what weather you drive. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.