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2017 vs. 2018 Kia Sportage: What Changed

EPA lists the same engines, transmissions and drive types for the 2017 and the 2018 Kia Sportage. Check the individual trims for equipment and production changes these records do not cover.

Three campaigns cover both years. One campaign (trailer hitches) covers the 2017 and not the 2018.

Fewer campaigns do not establish better reliability. Confirm each car's coverage and repair status by VIN.

The campaigns that separate them

Imported NHTSA recall campaigns that name one of these two model years but not the other, with their component labels. Campaigns covering both years are left out of this list.

Only the 2017

  • 16V862000 trailer hitches

Only the 2018

No campaign names this year that does not also name the other.

A campaign may cover only part of a model year's production. Use the campaign number to ask an authorized dealer whether the car's VIN is included and what work remains. Our recall tool finds model-year campaigns; this guide explains the vehicle-specific check.

Side by side

2017 2018
Engines listed 2.0L 4-cyl, 2.4L 4-cyl 2.0L 4-cyl, 2.4L 4-cyl
Drive types All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive
Fuel types Regular Gasoline Regular Gasoline
Combined MPG 21–26 21–26
Recall campaigns 4 3
Complaints on file 399 163
Investigations 2 1
Complaint totals reflect different time on the road, sales and reporting. They cannot rank these years for reliability. The categories below identify symptoms to read about, not failure odds. How reporting time affects the comparison.

What owners reported, by system

2017

Engine 169 (42%)
Other 70 (18%)
Electrical 54 (14%)

2018

Engine 72 (44%)
Other 24 (15%)
Electrical 23 (14%)

Full reports

Open each year's report to read the recall, investigation, manufacturer communication and EPA variant records on file:

2017 Sportage full report 2018 Sportage full report Every Sportage year compared

Sources and methodology