Compare the2026 Buick EnvisionVS 2026 Kia Sportage

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

Safety

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The Buick Envision 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.

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

The Buick Envision comes with a standard HD Surround Vision, while the Kia Sportage doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

The Envision 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Sportage’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Envision has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Sportage.

Both the Envision and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available front parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Buick Envision is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Envision	Sportage
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	175	299
Neck Injury Risk	21.3%	24.5%
Neck Stress	195 lbs.	263 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	223	307
Neck Injury Risk	23.1%	30.9%
Neck Stress	111 lbs.	177 lbs.
Neck Compression	61 lbs.	115 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	221/21 lbs.	292/203 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Envision is safer than the Kia Sportage:

	Envision	Sportage
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	139 lbs.	162 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	572 lbs.	581 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	249	270
Hip Force	313 lbs.	480 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Envision’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Sportage’s (6/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

There are over 16 percent more Buick dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Envision’s warranty.

Reliability

The Envision 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 reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Sportage doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Buick vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Buick second in reliability, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 11th.

Engine

The Envision’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (228 vs. 187) and 80 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 178) than the Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Buick Envision is faster than the Kia Sportage:

	Envision	Sportage
Zero to 30 MPH	3.1 sec	3.5 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.5 sec	10 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.4 sec	6.3 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	17.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Envision gets better fuel mileage than the Sportage X-Pro Prestige (22 city/28 hwy vs. 23 city/26 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Envision’s fuel efficiency. The Sportage doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Envision has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sportage (16.1 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Envision 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 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Buick Envision, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Sportage.

Brakes and Stopping

The Envision’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 Envision stops shorter than the Sportage:

	Envision	Sportage
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Envision Sport Touring/Avenir’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sportage (245/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The Envision Preferred’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 Prestige’s standard 65 series tires. The Envision Sport Touring/Avenir’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Envision Preferred has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sportage LX/X-Pro Prestige. The Envision Sport Touring/Avenir’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Sportage SX Prestige/X-Line.

Suspension and Handling

The Envision offers an available continuously variable suspension system. Using sensors on steering angle, speed and other driver inputs, the shocks soften to improve ride, or stiffen when appropriate to aid handling on tricky roads or off-road. The Sportage’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Envision’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Sportage doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the Envision’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Sportage’s (38 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

Chassis

The Envision uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sportage doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Envision has .3 inches more front hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

Servicing Ease

The Envision uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sportage uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Buick service is better than Kia. J.D. Power ranks Buick 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 38% lower rating, Kia is ranked 27th.

Ergonomics

The Envision’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Sportage does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Envision has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sportage doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Envision’s front and rear power windows all open fully with one touch of the switches and its front windows also automatically close, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sportage’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro’s rear windows don’t open automatically.

The Envision’s standard Keyless Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Smart Key standard on the Sportage doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Envision has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sportage doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Envision also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Envision’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Kia charges extra for heated mirrors on the Sportage.

The Envision’s standard 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 Envision and the Sportage offer optional heated front seats. The Envision Avenir 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 Envision Avenir has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Buick Envision has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Sportage EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line/X-Pro offers wireless charging.

The Envision Avenir has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Sportage doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Envision Avenir’s Enhanced Automatic Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Sportage doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Buick Envision and the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Envision second among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Sportage isn’t in the top three.

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