Compare the2025 Honda CR-VVS 2025 Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda CR-V have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Honda CR-V has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the CR-V deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The CR-V’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

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

Both the CR-V and the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The CR-V’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid runs out after 100,000 miles.

There are over 35 percent more Honda dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CR-V’s warranty.

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

Regenerative brakes improve the CR-V Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Both the CR-V and Sorento Plug-In Hybrid have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The CR-V (except CR-V Hybrid) has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The CR-V has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (14 vs. 12.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The CR-V 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 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The CR-V 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 Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better maneuverability, the CR-V’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s (37.3 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CR-V has a 1.3 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid (8.2 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the CR-V to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Honda CR-V may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1200 pounds less than the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid.

The CR-V is 4.8 inches shorter than the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid, making the CR-V easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the CR-V uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The CR-V uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid with its rear seat up (39.3 vs. 12.6 cubic feet). The CR-V has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid with its rear seat folded (76.5 vs. 75.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the CR-V easier. The CR-V’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28 inches, while the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s liftover is 31.7 inches.

The CR-V uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 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.

The CR-V’s standard front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. The CR-V EX-L/Sport L/Sport Touring’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches.

On a hot day the CR-V’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The CR-V’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 CR-V’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

The CR-V is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda CR-V, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The CR-V was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “5Best Trucks/10Best” for 2025 and 5 more times in the last 24 years. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

Motor Trend selected the CR-V as their 2018 Sport Utility of the Year. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has never been chosen.

The Honda CR-V outsold the Kia Sorento by over four to one during 2024.