The Kia Sportage offers buyers an unusual range of powertrain choices: a conventional gasoline engine, a hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid. That variety helps explain why the compact SUV regularly lands near the top of its segment in sales and reviews. For anyone comparing fuel costs, the differences between these three versions matter far more than the styling.
Kia provides mileage ratings for the 2026 model year across the gas and hybrid trims. The plug-in hybrid numbers haven’t appeared in official documents yet, but the two available options already show a wide spread.
The gas-only Sportage delivers decent economy but lags the hybrids.
Gasoline-powered Sportages use a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 187 horsepower. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to either the front wheels or all four wheels. Towing capacity reaches 2,500 pounds when properly equipped — the highest of the three powertrains.
Front-wheel-drive models return 25 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined, according to the EPA. Adding all-wheel drive drops those figures to 24 city, 30 highway, and 26 combined. Six trim levels are offered: LX, EX, SX, SX Prestige, X-Line, and X-Pro Prestige.
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Those numbers are competitive for a compact SUV with a conventional engine, but the real story is what the hybrid can do. And for buyers who tow, the gas model’s extra 500-pound capacity over the hybrid might be the deciding factor.
Hybrid version jumps to 42 mpg combined — but only with front-wheel drive
The standard hybrid version pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with an electric motor for a combined 232 horsepower, up 5 horsepower from last year’s model. A six-speed automatic handles shifting, and either front- or all-wheel drive is available.
Fuel economy sees a big leap.
All-wheel-drive models get 35 city, 36 highway, and 35 combined.
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The X-Line comes standard with all-wheel drive and raises ground clearance from 7.1 inches to 8.3 inches. It rides on 19-inch wheels with all-terrain tires and adds a Terrain mode for Snow, Mud, or Sand. Despite the extra hardware, fuel economy stays the same as other AWD models.
That’s a nice trick, though they haven’t explained it.
One awkward thing: the hybrid’s towing limit is 2,000 pounds, which means a small trailer or a couple of jet skis is fine, but anything heavier requires the gas model.
No official numbers yet for the plug-in hybrid
The raw source only includes data for the gas and hybrid versions. The plug-in hybrid version is mentioned in the context of the trim lineup but its EPA ratings weren’t part of the document.
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Buyers who want the plug-in will have to wait for Kia to release the official numbers.
For anyone who doesn’t need all-wheel drive, the front-drive hybrid is clearly the efficiency champion. It’s also one of the best in the compact hybrid SUV class, right up there with the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Honda CR-V Hybrid. The gas model still has a place — lower upfront cost, simpler maintenance, and the ability to tow more. But the gap in fuel economy is wide enough that a typical driver covering 12,000 miles per year would save roughly $500 to $600 annually with the hybrid, depending on gas prices.
The automaker hasn’t said whether the plug-in hybrid will see any changes for 2026. That information will likely arrive closer to the vehicle’s on-sale date. Until then, the choice comes down to whether you want max efficiency without a plug or the lowest possible purchase price.
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