Jeep Compass vs Kia Sportage: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Compass and the Kia Sportage are level on the federal record — 75/100 against 73/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Jeep Compass
- 13 model years scored
- 2,944 owner complaints on record
- about 34 complaints per year on the road
- 26 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (92/100) · worst 2018 (32/100)
Kia Sportage
- 15 model years scored
- 2,540 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 45 recall campaigns, 26 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (91/100) · worst 2023 (33/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Compass against Sportage
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | Compass | Sportage | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 85 BUY | 60 CAUTION | +25 |
| 2024 | 84 BUY | 67 CAUTION | +17 |
| 2023 | 87 BUY | 33 AVOID | +54 |
| 2022 | 47 AVOID | 91 BUY | -44 |
| 2021 | 92 BUY | 89 BUY | +3 |
| 2020 | 85 BUY | 73 BUY | +12 |
| 2019 | 58 CAUTION | 89 BUY | -31 |
| 2018 | 32 AVOID | 78 BUY | -46 |
| 2017 | 78 BUY | 46 AVOID | +32 |
| 2016 | 79 BUY | 87 BUY | -8 |
| 2015 | 90 BUY | 87 BUY | +3 |
| 2014 | 80 BUY | 86 BUY | -6 |
| 2013 | — | 66 CAUTION | — |
| 2012 | — | 65 CAUTION | — |
| 2011 | 84 BUY | 79 BUY | +5 |
What owners actually complain about
Jeep Compass
- Engine — 1,135 complaints
- Electrical System — 981 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 586 complaints
Kia Sportage
- Engine — 1,428 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 368 complaints
- Electrical System — 336 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Jeep Compass — avoid: 2018, 2022.
Kia Sportage — avoid: 2017, 2023.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Jeep Compass prices at about $32,900 and a Kia Sportage at about $30,500 — the Kia Sportage is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 27.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Compass or the Kia Sportage more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Compass scores 75/100 against the Kia Sportage's 73/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Jeep Compass and Kia Sportage years should I avoid?
Jeep Compass: 2018, 2022. Kia Sportage: 2017, 2023. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Jeep Compass and the Kia Sportage?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Compass is Engine (1,135 complaints); on the Kia Sportage it is Engine (1,428).
Is the Jeep Compass or the Kia Sportage cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Compass prices at about $32,900 and a Kia Sportage at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.