Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
Costs, insurance groups, MPG and CO2
The Kia Sorento has a higher starting price than the Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq and even the Land Rover Discovery Sport. That's largely because there are no low-powered petrol engines on offer. Unsurprisingly, pricing of the Sorento is closely aligned with the Hyundai Santa Fe, and both cars are predicted to hold on to their value similarly well.
Among four-wheel drive large SUVs, the Sorento HEV's CO2 emissions are relatively low – although the Santa Fe is available in lighter two-wheel drive form, so pumps out even less. If you're looking to pay as little company car tax as possible, you will be best served by the plug-in hybrid Sorento, which emits just 38g/km and has a respectable electric-only range (both help to reduce benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax massively). The PHEV takes around 3.5 hours to charge from 0-100% using a home wallbox.
Equipment, options and extras
No Kia Sorento is badly equipped. Even entry-level 2 trim gets you 17in alloy wheels (19in on the PHEV), dual-zone climate control, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and adaptive cruise control, plus all the infotainment goodies we mentioned earlier. It’s a shame you can’t add any options apart from metallic paint, but it’s still our pick of the range.
Jumping up to 3 trim brings 19in wheels, ambient interior lighting, leather seats, keyless entry, a powered tailgate and heating for the outer seats on the second row. It’s the only trim available with the diesel engine.
Top-of-the-range 4 trim adds window blinds for the second row, a head-up display, a panoramic sunroof and ventilated front seats, but it’s rather pricey.
