Kia Sportage vs Honda CR-V Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Kia Sportage is ahead of the Honda CR-V Hybrid on the federal record, 73/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
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)
Honda CR-V Hybrid
- 4 model years scored
- 682 owner complaints on record
- about 38 complaints per year on the road
- 17 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (81/100) · worst 2021 (38/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sportage against CR-V Hybrid
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.
What owners actually complain about
Kia Sportage
- Engine — 1,428 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 368 complaints
- Electrical System — 336 complaints
Honda CR-V Hybrid
- Steering — 194 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 132 complaints
- Electrical System — 101 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sportage's complaints concentrate in Engine, the CR-V Hybrid's in Steering. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Kia Sportage — avoid: 2017, 2023.
Honda CR-V Hybrid — avoid: 2021.
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 Kia Sportage prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V Hybrid at about $25,800 — the Honda CR-V Hybrid is roughly $4,700 less, and they return 25.0 against 37.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Kia Sportage or the Honda CR-V Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Sportage scores 73/100 against the Honda CR-V Hybrid's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Kia Sportage and Honda CR-V Hybrid years should I avoid?
Kia Sportage: 2017, 2023. Honda CR-V Hybrid: 2021. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Kia Sportage and the Honda CR-V Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Kia Sportage is Engine (1,428 complaints); on the Honda CR-V Hybrid it is Steering (194).
Is the Kia Sportage or the Honda CR-V Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Kia Sportage prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V Hybrid at about $25,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.