Compare the2023 Ford Escape FHEVVS 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape FHEV have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Ford Escape FHEV has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Escape FHEV has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Escape FHEV has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Escape FHEV has standard Cross Traffic Alert to warn the driver of approaching traffic and automatically engage the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige offers Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

Both the Escape FHEV and the Sportage Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Escape FHEV’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sportage Hybrid runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape FHEV’s warranty.

The Escape FHEV has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

On the EPA test cycle the Escape FHEV AWD gets better fuel mileage than the Sportage Hybrid AWD (42 city/36 hwy vs. 38 city/38 hwy).

The Escape FHEV has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape FHEV higher (8 out of 10) than the Kia Sportage Hybrid (7). This means the Escape FHEV produces up to 5.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Sportage Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

The Escape FHEV has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the Escape FHEV’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Sportage Hybrid:

The Escape FHEV stops much shorter than the Sportage Hybrid:

The Escape FHEV’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escape FHEV offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Sportage Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For better maneuverability, the Escape FHEV’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Sportage Hybrid’s (37.2 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

The Escape FHEV is 3.4 inches shorter than the Sportage Hybrid, making the Escape FHEV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Escape FHEV has .4 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage Hybrid.

The Escape FHEV can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escape FHEV can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Sportage Hybrid can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escape FHEV SEL/Titanium’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sportage Hybrid EX/SX-Prestige’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape FHEV’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Sportage Hybrid doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its 911 Connect can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Escape FHEV’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sportage Hybrid’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

Consumer Reports rated the Escape FHEV’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Sportage Hybrid’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Insurance will cost less for the Escape FHEV owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escape FHEV will cost $145 to $1115 less than the Sportage Hybrid over a five-year period.

The Escape FHEV will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Escape FHEV will retain 49.07% to 49.62% of its original price after five years, while the Sportage Hybrid only retains 45.41% to 46.07%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Escape FHEV will be $6116 to $6841 less than for the Kia Sportage Hybrid.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Escape FHEV and the Kia Sportage Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Escape outsold the Kia Sportage by 10% during 2022.