Compare the2025 Subaru ForesterVS 2025 Kia Sportage

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Forester 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Subaru Forester 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 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Forester has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Sportage doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

With its standard EyeSight, the Subaru Forester is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Kia Sportage, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Forester	Sportage
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	3.2 sec	1.7 sec
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.6 sec	1.2 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Subaru Forester achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Kia Sportage has not been tested.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the Sportage.

Both the Forester and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Forester is safer than the Sportage:

	Forester	Sportage
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	103	121
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.1 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.02 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.38 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	5 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	580 lbs.	669 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Subaru Forester ((except Wilderness)) achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Sportage has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Warranty

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

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Forester’s reliability 31 points higher than the Sportage.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Kia is ranked 9th.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the Subaru Forester is faster than the Kia Sportage:

	Forester	Sportage
Zero to 60 MPH	8.6 sec	10 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	6 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.8 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88 MPH	83 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Sportage doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the Sportage:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Sport/Touring 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/32 hwy
Sportage
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
	AWD	X-Pro 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/27 hwy

The Forester has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sportage (16.6 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Forester 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 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Sportage are solid, not vented.

The Forester stops much shorter than the Sportage:

	Forester	Sportage
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Forester’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sportage LX/X-Pro’s standard 65 series tires. The Forester Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 50 series profile than the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line’s 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Forester Sport handles at .82 G’s, while the Sportage X-Pro Prestige pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forester Sport executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Sportage X-Pro (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Sportage’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Forester has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sportage (8.7 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the Forester to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 8.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (110.8 vs. 102).

The Forester has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, .3 inches more rear hip room and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sportage with its rear seat folded (74.4 vs. 74.1 cubic feet).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Sportage. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 56% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

Ergonomics

The Forester’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Sportage’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Forester’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Forester has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Sportage doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Forester to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Sportage doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Forester’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Sportage offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Forester and the Sportage offer available heated front seats. The Forester Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

The Forester has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Kia Sportage by 10% during 2024.

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