Back in early 2022, the all-new 2023 Kia Sportage PHEV was revealed as a direct rival to the refreshed 2023 the Ford Escape PHEV, which has long been one of the more popular partially-electrified crossovers on the market. Thus, it isn’t terribly surprising that alongside the recent debut of the refreshed 2026 Sportage, Kia is also rolling out an updated version of the plug-in hybrid crossover as well, which shares most of its changes with the regular ICE model.
On the outside, those changes include reshaped LED lighting that’s now orange instead of white, while the headlights are vertically-oriented and larger than before, flanking a boxy grille. Otherwise, the front and rear bumpers feature updated curves, while the taillights get fresh graphics and a variety of new wheels are available. Inside the cabin, the 2026 Kia Sportage PHEV gets a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen and an optional 10-inch head-up display, along with slight revisions to the display, center console, and steering wheel, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an available Wi-Fi hotspot, and a Digital Key feature.
Under the hood, the 2026 Kia Sportage PHEV sports the same turbocharged 1.6L four-cylinder gas engine and electric motor as before, but its output has increased by seven horsepower, bringing its combined total up to 268 ponies. As was previously the case, the PHEV continued to be offered in two trim levels – X-Line and X-Line Prestige, and Kia hasn’t yet revealed any sort of EPA estimated fuel economy figures, nor all-electric driving range totals for the updated crossover.
By comparison, the ICE 2026 Kia Sportage is available in a bevy of trims including LX, EX, SX, SX-Prestige, X-Line, and X-Pro Prestige, the latter of which is more off-road focused. All versions of the refreshed crossover are slated to arrive at U.S. dealers in Q2 of 2025, though pricing won’t be announced until we get a bit closer to that timeframe.
Comment
Each new generation of this vehicle gets uglier than the past. However, can’t fault their success. Amazing the Koreans are introducing 2026 models while Stalantis and other domestic manufacturers still are trying to sell new 2023 models.