Top Safety Pick

2023 Kia Sportage

small SUV / 4-door SUV

Award applies only to vehicles with specific headlights

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Evaluation criteria	Rating
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Standard system	Superior
Optional system	Superior
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0
Standard system
Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)
Standard system	Superior
Optional system	Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

Evaluation criteria	Rating
LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

Optional blind spot detection
Standard lane departure warning & prevention
Optional rear automatic braking

Key

G
Good
A
Acceptable
M
Marginal
P
Poor

Superior
Advanced
Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Tucson was redesigned for the 2022 model year, and the Kia Sportage was redesigned for the 2023 model year. Driver-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2022 Hyundai Tucson conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN2106
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	9
Footrest (cm)	11
Left toepan (cm)	9
Brake pedal (cm)	3
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	4
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	1
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Upper dash (cm)	1
Lower instrument panel (cm)	6

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTN2106
Head
HIC-15	77
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	8
Maximum Nij	0.18
Chest maximum compression (mm)	23
Femur (kN)
Left	0.0
Right	1.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	1
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.68
Right	0.55
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	1.4
Right	0.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	104
Right	64

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Tucson was redesigned for the 2022 model year, and the Kia Sportage was redesigned for the 2023 model year. Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2022 Hyundai Tucson conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP2107
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	7
Footrest (cm)	8
Right toepan (cm)	6
Center toepan (cm)	3
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	2
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm)	2
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	4
Upper dash (cm)	3
Right lower dash (cm)	3

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP2107
Head
HIC-15	74
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm)	18
Maximum Nij	0.22
Chest maximum compression (mm)	27
Femur (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	1
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.33
Right	0.68
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.4
Right	1.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	36
Right	31

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTP2107
Head
HIC-15	68
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.8
Extension bending moment (Nm)	12
Maximum Nij	0.19
Chest maximum compression (mm)	24
Femur (kN)
Left	0.1
Right	0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	0
Right	0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	0
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	0.30
Right	0.22
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	0.2
Right	0.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	38
Right	43

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Tucson was redesigned for the 2022 model year and the Kia Sportage was redesigned for the 2023 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2022 Hyundai Tucson conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF2105
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	5
Left (cm)	7
Center (cm)	6
Right (cm)	6
Brake pedal (cm)	4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	0
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	-2
Rearward (cm)	-5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	0

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTF2105
Head
HIC-15	130
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm)	8
Maximum Nij	0.17
Chest maximum compression (mm)	27
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.2
Femur force - right (kN)	0.2
Knee displacement - left (mm)	0
Knee displacement - right (mm)	0
Maximum tibia index - left	0.26
Maximum tibia index - right	0.57
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.4
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	1.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	47
Right	47

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2023 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Hyundai Tucson SEL 4-door 4wd

The Hyundai Tucson was redesigned for the 2022 model year and the Kia Sportage was redesigned for the 2023 model year. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2022 Hyundai Tucson conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	VTS2106
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-17.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2106
Head HIC-15	197
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.1
Compression (kN)	-0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	29
Lateral force (kN)	1.7
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	37
Average deflection (mm)	35
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.84
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.72
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	1.9
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.0
Combined force (kN)	2.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.3
L-M moment (Nm)	37
A-P moment (Nm)	-17

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	VTS2106
Head HIC-15	106
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.2
Compression (kN)	-0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	33
Lateral force (kN)	1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	45
Average deflection (mm)	31
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	7.14
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.69
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.5
Acetabulum force (kN)	2.6
Combined force (kN)	2.7
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.4
L-M moment (Nm)	63
A-P moment (Nm)	-17

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2023 models

Tested vehicle: 2022 Hyundai Tucson SE 4-door 4wd

Ratings apply to the Hyundai Tucson (tested) and the structurally similar 2022 Santa Cruz and 2023 Kia Sportage.

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	3,474 lbs
Peak force	17,527 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	5.05

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry

Technical measurements for this test

Seat type	Manual cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm)	24
Distance below top of head (mm)	-24
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	10.1
Head contact time (ms)	58
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	3
Max neck tension (N)	383

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

SX Prestige trim
X-Pro Prestige trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp left and both right curves and inadequate on the gradual left curve.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was fair in all 4 tests.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	SX Prestige trim X-Pro Prestige trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED projector
High-beam headlight type	LED projector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2023-25 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	83.4 m	None
Straightaway left edge	55.4 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	65.1 m	None
250m radius left curve, right edge	53.3 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	59.7 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	55.6 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	131.9 m
Straightaway left edge	93.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	70.4 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	67.7 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	60.6 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	58.5 m

Trim level(s)

LX trim
EX trim
X-Line trim
SX trim
X-Pro trim

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Low-beam headlight type	LED reflector
High-beam headlight type	LED reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was fair on the right side of the road and inadequate on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway and all 4 curves.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Trim level(s)	LX trim EX trim X-Line trim SX trim X-Pro trim
Low-beam headlight type	LED reflector
High-beam headlight type	LED reflector
Curve-adaptive?	No
High-beam assist?	Yes
Overall rating Applies to 2023 models

LOW BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)	Amount glare exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge	67.7 m	None
Straightaway left edge	36.7 m	None
250m radius right curve, right edge	48.6 m	None
250m radius left curve, left edge	37.8 m	None
150m radius right curve, right edge	42.5 m	None
150m radius left curve, left edge	35.4 m	None

HIGH BEAMS	Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge	141.8 m
Straightaway left edge	110.7 m
250m radius right curve, right edge	59.6 m
250m radius left curve, left edge	54.0 m
150m radius right curve, right edge	47.8 m
150m radius left curve, left edge	42.8 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

Ratings are given for 2 different trim variations available on this vehicle.

System details

Standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection (FCA-Ped)

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2023 models

Superior

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

System details

Optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Cyclist and Junction Turning Detection

Package name

Optional by trim (SX, SX Prestige, X-Pro, and X-Pro Prestige)

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2023 models

Superior

with optional equipment

This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0

Rating applies to all 2023-25 models

System details

standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

Passenger car target

Test run	Speed reduction	Timely warning?
31 mph/target centered	Collision avoided
31 mph/target off-center	Collision avoided
37 mph/target centered	Collision avoided
37 mph/target off-center	Collision avoided
43 mph/target centered	29 mph
43 mph/target off-center	32 mph

Motorcycle target

Test run	Speed reduction	Timely warning?
31 mph/target centered	Collision avoided
31 mph/target off-center	Collision avoided
37 mph/target centered	Collision avoided
37 mph/target off-center	33 mph
43 mph/target centered	29 mph
43 mph/target off-center	26 mph

Semitrailer

Only warning is tested with the semitrailer.

Test run	Timely warning?
31 mph/target centered
37 mph/target centered
43 mph/target centered

About the front crash prevention test

Front crash prevention: pedestrian (day)

Ratings are given for 2 different systems available on this vehicle.

System details

standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2023-25 models of the following trim lines: LX trim, EX trim, X-Line trim

Superior

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 34 mph. A warning was issued 1.9 seconds before impact.

System details

optional Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist

Overall evaluation

This rating applies to 2023-25 models of the following trim lines: SX trim, SX Prestige trim, X-Pro trim, X-Pro Prestige trim

Superior

with optional equipment

Crossing child

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle nearly avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Crossing adult

In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

Parallel adult

In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
In the 37 mph test, impact speed was reduced by 36 mph. A warning was issued 1.9 seconds before impact.

About the pedestrian front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2023-25 models

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	Limited
Seat type	leather

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Vehicle trim	Limited
Seat type	leather

Rating icon	Rating
G	Good
A	Acceptable
M	Marginal
P	Poor
	Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol	Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol	Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol	Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
	No hardware available

Details by seating position

Position	Rating
1
1	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors
2
2	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	none available
3
3	Tether anchor
	easy-to-find location
	no other hardware could be confused for anchor
	Lower anchors
	too deep in seat
	not too much force needed to attach
	easy to maneuver around anchors

Technical measurements for this test

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	17
Clearance angle (degrees)	70
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	14
Clearance angle (degrees)	71
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

Lower anchor A
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	19
Clearance angle (degrees)	68
Lower anchor B
Open access rated	No
Depth (cm)	2-4
Force (lbs)	14
Clearance angle (degrees)	68
Tether anchor
Location	Middle seatback
Confusing hardware present	Yes
Has contrasting label within 3 inches of tether anchor	Yes
Tether anchors can be accessed while seatback is properly positioned for use of LATCH	Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation