The Kia Sportage to shortlist is a 2.0 CRDi diesel manual from 2010 on, while the 2010 to 2018 1.6 GDi petrol is the one to skip, as its timing chain tensioner can fail from 60,000 miles.
3 known faults, 2 rated high severity in our database; owners report 37.8 mpg, 83% of the official figure. Everything below is built from that data and the archived owner history, not from a press car.
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Check a Kia Sportage advert (free) →A 2.0 CRDi diesel built from 2010 on is the lesser risk rather than a clean pick, because the 1.6 GDi petrol and the 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi diesels each carry a serious known fault from 2010 to 2018, while no known fault names the 2.0 CRDi. The 1.6 GDi petrol's timing chain tensioner can fail and let the chain jump teeth, and the 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi diesels can lose their turbo when carbon blocks its oil feed.
That diesel isn't trouble free, though. One 2014 2.0 CRDi needed its clutch and dual mass flywheel replacing at 60,000 miles, and a 2014 1.7 CRDi went through repeated clutch and flywheel failures, so a clutch that slips, judders or bites high counts against the car. On the 2016 to 2021 car, stick with a manual: the seven-speed dry dual-clutch automatic behind the 1.6 T-GDI and the 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi can judder and overheat between 30,000 and 80,000 miles.
The older cars are harder to justify. The first Sportage, sold from 1995 to 2003, could be troublesome with its engines, and there weren't many left in the UK by 2011. On the 2005 to 2010 model, the brake pad wear warning doesn't always sound, so worn pads can go on to damage the discs, and that era's 2.0 CRDi is belt driven rather than chain driven.
There's almost nothing on record yet about the Sportage launched in 2022, so there's no pattern of faults to lean on either way. The dry dual-clutch fault is recorded against the QL built from 2016 to 2021, so that's where the slow-traffic test drive matters most, and the 2.0 CRDi manual from 2010 to 2021 stays the known quantity.
The 2.0 CRDi diesel is the safest bet, since no known fault names it and from 2010 on it runs a timing chain with no scheduled replacement. The earlier 2005 to 2010 version of that engine is belt driven instead, so ask when the belt was last done. Its weak point is the clutch: one owner of a 2014 2.0 CRDi needed both the clutch and the dual mass flywheel replacing at 60,000 miles, so feel how the clutch bites on the drive.
Skip the 1.6 GDi petrol from 2010 to 2018. Its timing chain tensioner can fail between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, letting the chain jump teeth and wreck the engine. The warning signs are a rattle from a cold start, the engine management light, misfires and a loss of power, so don't buy one that shows any of them.
The 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi diesels from 2010 to 2018 can lose their turbo between 70,000 and 120,000 miles, because carbon from oil that's been left in too long clogs the oil feed pipes and strainers. Don't buy one of these without receipts showing regular oil changes. On the 1.7, owners of 2013 cars have found the sump oil level rising, put down to diesel from particulate filter regeneration draining into the oil.
The seven-speed dry dual-clutch automatic fitted to the QL is the gearbox to avoid. It can shudder from a standstill, hesitate between first and second and overheat when creeping in queues, usually between 30,000 and 80,000 miles, behind the 1.6 T-GDI and the 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi. One owner of a 1.6 T-GDI with this gearbox lost drive on a motorway slip road. A manual is the safer pick.
Hear the engine start from cold, because a rattle on a 1.6 GDi points to the timing chain tensioner. On a 1.6 or 1.7 CRDi, a whine or siren from the turbo, a lack of pull or blue smoke from the exhaust means the turbo's in trouble. An engine management light or limp mode on the drive is a reason to leave it.
On a dual-clutch automatic, pull away from rest several times and crawl through traffic if you can. Judder, a flat spot between first and second that's worse when it's cold, or jerky low-speed changes are the signs of the dry clutch fault. On a diesel manual, check the clutch doesn't slip or judder, and on a 1.7 CRDi pull the dipstick too: owners have reported the oil level creeping up as diesel collects in the sump.
Look closely at 18-inch alloys, as owners of 2013 cars have reported peeling lacquer and corrosion on the wheels. Check the tyre pressure valves, since one owner reported them snapping off through corrosion. Try the handbrake on a slope: one owner's parking brake failed on one side at 24,500 miles because services had skipped it, and another owner's bill for front discs, pads and a service after an MOT failure came to £800.
Ask for a service history showing an oil change at every service, since the diesel turbo fault comes from oil left in too long. On a 2010 to 2016 car, get proof the 2014 recall for faulty seat-belt pre-tensioners was carried out. On a 2005 to 2010 car, check the 2005 recalls for the handbrake ratchet and pawl and for the ESP control unit were done, and ask for a receipt for the 2.0 CRDi's last cambelt change.
Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.
Yes, as a 2.0 CRDi with a manual gearbox and a clutch that feels right, and don't touch the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, whose dry clutch can judder and overheat between 30,000 and 80,000 miles behind the 1.6 T-GDI and the 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi. It's a five-star Euro NCAP car, and the 2.0 CRDi isn't named in any of the known faults, which is why it's the version to shortlist.
The 1.6 GDi petrol up to 2018 carries the timing chain tensioner fault that shows up between 60,000 and 100,000 miles, and the 1.6 and 1.7 CRDi diesels up to 2018 risk turbo failure between 70,000 and 120,000 miles. The 1.6 T-GDI has its own reports: one brand-new GT lost a shaft seal that took the clutch with it within two weeks, and one dual-clutch owner found it hard to drive smoothly at low speed in traffic.
Single owners have reported other problems on this car. A 2017 car at 65,000 miles over-revved in neutral when changing down to third, and a new clutch didn't cure it. A 2016 2.0 CRDi 4x4 caught fire in the engine bay and was written off, and a 2017 2.0 CRDi manual went into limp mode pulling out of a junction. A 2018 1.6 GDi had brakes that grabbed at 14,000 miles.
On the test drive, try a hill start and a few slow downshifts, and check the air conditioning blows properly cold, since one 1.6 T-GDI owner found it weaker at 8,000 miles. Look at every tyre valve, because one on a 2017 car shot out when the owner tried to pump up a tyre that the pressure warning had flagged as low. Get the service book and make sure the oil's been changed on time.
Real-world economy on this generation: Kia Sportage 38.5 mpg, Kia Sportage 42.7 mpg.
Sellers rarely admit these faults outright
Paste any Kia Sportage advert and we check it against the faults, the MOT record and these figures in seconds.
Check an advert now (free) →Owners report 37.8 mpg across the Kia Sportage engines with data, about 83% of the official figure, from 2,240 submissions.
Kia Sportage Real MPG by engine →It's quiet at speed, which makes it a relaxed car for long motorway runs. The ride stays comfortable even on the larger wheels with low-profile tyres, so there's no need to hold out for a version on smaller rims to get a settled drive. That's a combination that suits anyone covering big distances in a family car.
It works as a family car too: the boot's big and the rear doors open wide, so getting people and things in and out isn't a struggle. The first Sportage from 1995 to 2003 could handle itself off road, and one owner of a 2012 petrol automatic got 45,000 miles out of a set of tyres, with more left in them.
The Kia Sportage to shortlist is a 2.0 CRDi diesel manual from 2010 on, while the 2010 to 2018 1.6 GDi petrol is the one to skip, as its timing chain tensioner can fail from 60,000 miles. Our database holds 3 known Kia Sportage faults, 2 rated high severity, and the sections above say which generation and engine carry them.
Hear the engine start from cold, because a rattle on a 1.6 GDi points to the timing chain tensioner. Read the MOT history for repeat advisories and ask for invoices for any work the seller mentions. Then paste the advert into the free check, which reads it against every known Kia Sportage fault before you travel.
Owners report 37.8 mpg on average, about 83% of the official figure, from 2,240 submissions. Chain (2.0 CRDI, D4HA): no fixed replacement interval, so budget for it if the history does not show it done. The known faults page lists a rough repair cost against each fault. Kia Sportage Real MPG by engine.
If you used the Honest John car-by-car reviews before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Kia Sportage buying advice now lives. It is written from the archived owner reports and model notes (archived page, 74 items read for this model), our own known-faults database, the confirmed service intervals and the Real MPG figures. Every number on the page comes from that data, not from the text. The same data feeds our free advert check.
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The Kia Sportage is one decision. Reading the advert, the history and the seller are the rest, and these cover them.
Looking at a Kia Sportage right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.