New Kia Sportage vs Ford Kuga vs Hyundai Tucson: costs

Buying and owning

Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security

For private buyers, the Hyundai Tucson is the cheapest to buy outright once our Target Price discounts have been factored in, with the Ford Kuga the priciest, but not by a huge amount. However, the Tucson will end up costing buyers the most to own over three years, mainly because it sheds value at a faster rate than its rivals.

Anyone looking to buy on PCP finance will get a better deal, with Hyundai offering a £2250 deposit contribution at the time of writing (versus £500 from both Ford and Kia). Over three years with a £3500 deposit and a limit of 12,000 miles per year, the Tucson will cost £414 per month, compared with £442 for the Kia Sportage and £462 for the Kuga on the same terms.

The Kuga was the most fuel efficient on our real-world test route, achieving 48.3mpg and significantly besting both the Sportage and Tucson with their identical 42.3mpg results.

All of our contenders fall into the same band for company car tax, so the Sportage works out the cheapest over three years, thanks to its lowest P11D value. The Kuga, being the most expensive to buy, will cost just over £450 more over the same period for anyone in the 40% tax bracket.

Equipment levels are high, with all of our contenders coming with climate control, keyless entry, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats. The Kuga and Sportage will heat up their rear seats, too.

When it comes to safety equipment, all three cars come with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assistance. The Tucson adds blindspot monitoring and a rear cross-traffic collision warning. You have to pay extra for adaptive cruise control on the Kuga, whereas this comes as standard on the Sportage and Tucson.

The Sportage and its seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty should prove reassuring for owners, while the Tucson’s five-year cover with unlimited mileage is close behind. The Kuga offers a shorter three-year, 60,000-mile one.

None of our contenders featured in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey but Hyundai ranked an excellent third equal in the brand league table, while Kia also fared well in ninth place. Ford came near the bottom of the table, in 27th equal place out of the 30 brands surveyed.

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