Watch This Before You Believe the MPG Rating for the 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid (AWD)

[@billlewis1483]

I have the Sportage EX with about 2K in MA. During the first couple of fill-ups, I was getting 37mpg in the cold and using the heater. Now it is warm, and I am using the AC. The last three fillups were 41.3, 41.3, and 42.5 mpg. This is about 50/50 highway/city. There are some tricks. If you drive like a regular engine car, you won't get good mileage. You have to shift your thinking into hybrid mode. As a former engineer and pilot, I put that mindset into it. You have to be thinking ahead of the car. You will never get all the power you put in when you used regenerative braking, but if you watch the info screen when braking, don't get into an accident, and keep the braking level just above the white line, you will maximize your return. The car doesn't appear to use the regular brakes until you hit the white line. Just be safe. Use the cruise control more. It is more efficient than your footwork. Speed changes uses more gas. When the battery is up to 3/4 charge, you want it to shift into EV mode because it takes more power to charge that last quarter. What I do is kick the cruise control up two mph above the speed I want to be at, and when it gets there, I kick it back that 2 mph and it will usually drop into EV mode. Heavy accelerations will use more gas, just like in a regular car. Thanks for the video. Good luck and good driving.

[@RivermanTV-]

Thanks for the cruise control tip!

[@davidwright1752]

The diesel sportage is great on fuel appears to be the same as the hybrid lifetime fuel is 6.6 lt per 100 km or 42 mpg imperial measurements up to 56 on freeway. The hybrid should win in heavy city traffic

[@IntrepidRobot]

Brand new owner and found this video super helpful - thank you

[@Bleed.Blue1990]

Hi,they have fixed the audio issue in sep navigation update. No more you need to crank it upto 50 to hear your music. Thanks for your content on this vehicle.

[@TaraPuzio]

Brand new owner of a 2024. Very informative video-thank you.

[@KickinItWithMyHomies]

nice video - also a kia sportage hybrid owner here. i'm at 8.5k miles in NJ so have experienced the discrepancies between summer and winter as you mentioned. couple things that work for me to get close to the EPA numbers (in Fall Summer) : i put it in Smart Mode rather than Eco mode - for some reason, the mpg track 1-2 higher with the same driving styles/courses. the other thing i learned is that on some flats, rather than accelerate faster than i need to go and then coast to kick into EV (which is what i used to do), i was getting better mpg by giving just enough gas to keep the mpg bar 25+ and this will charge up the battery much faster than usual - once the battery is 75-80% full it will stay in EV mode much longer and kick up the mpg overall. this works better because during the accels the mpg really sucks (

[@RivermanTV-]

Thanks for sharing!

[@jones9664]

Love these real world tests. Good work!

[@ryanjesse4159]

Smart Mode is your best option. Smart Mode alternates between driving modes to match your driving style. Smart mode tracks your driving style and after roughly 10k miles it will start to optimize the efficiency from RPMS, transmission and engine choice. Smart mode is the best driving option for most people because most of us do not drive the same.

[@xmengao0922]

Thanks for revealing the behavior of the sportage re accelearation w/ battery < 50%. For non-EV and non-hybrid driver like me, switching to HEV is an unknown territory. Your info has educated me giving me a new view on HEV sportage.

[@rpdinavahi]

Spot on. We live in MA and we have been averaging about 23mpg all winter with mostly city driving. Hoping we get better mileage in spring and summer.

[@RivermanTV-]

You will notice a big difference once it warms up. After 1.5 years of owning this car, my fuel efficiency has also improved even in the winter. I average over 30mpg on the highway and this week with a little warmers temps (high 30s and low 40s), I was getting 40+ mpg consecutively.

[@Socalgixxer600]

Moving from a 2013 X5 BMW Diesel that got 16mpg around town to over 30 mpg is good, then add in the lower cost of regular unleaded vs diesel is a nice savings.

[@craigcraigster5605]

Cold weather kills performance. A friend of mine has a Toyota RAV4 hybrid and drops fuel efficiency alot. I just ordered a Sportage.

[@mattfeyer8476]

love my Kia, but a few bad things. I average 29-32 mpg Cty/Hwy, the radio/climate combo sucks with big fingers, radio goes to volume 75?, engine wants to run on flat surface even when battery high, occasional lag when pulling out of a driveway, sunroof opens only like 10". other than that, solid build, fun to drive, great comfort.

[@186nat]

Super helpful video I just got the x line prestige PHEV two days ago, haven’t driven hybrid in years and usually gas it on the freeway. Im in San Diego tho so I doubt I’ll run into some of the same issues with temp but now I’ll know what to look out for. My commute is mostly highway too about 25 miles each way so I wanted to stretch it as far as I could w/an suv and be eligible for the carpool lane. The rav4 prime is nowhere to be found and I couldn’t wait to order but I’m def in love with this car so far. Been in sport mode every chance I get😅🤣 One thing is I don’t have a charger at home and wanted to get an adapter for the ccs or chademo for fast charging in public but can’t seem to find any non-Tesla adapters whatsoever. Takes about 2 hours and it’s not really in walking distance from my pad. Send help comment section Lol

[@MilinaMachova]

Spot on video. It's like was listening to myself. But if I can go over 30 MPG I'm OK. (I keep telling myself).

[@RivermanTV-]

In the winter, I agree. But come summer time I want to live in that 38-40 range!

[@markclippendara]

My mileage was not very good when I first got it. I personally think it has a break-in period of around 2,000 mi. I was doing a lot of Highway after the first 500 miles of break-in period in town. And it was a little colder out. Not quite freezing but close. I was getting between 29- 31 mpg- going 65-70 mph. I was pretty upset with this mileage. This is the least efficient hybrid I've had on the highway. But if I drive it regularly in town only; I get about 36 to 37 mpg. And once you learn how to work the gas pedal and know when to tap the brake to put it into EV mode. With the finesse, I achieve about 39 mpg. Perfect conditions and perfect weather while finessing the gas pedal, I got up to 44 mpg.

[@RivermanTV-]

I had a very similar experience. Now during the warm season, I am able to pull over 40 mpg some days doing 90% interstate driving, but usually I sit between the 35-39 range. Once the cold weather comes back around, I struggle to do better than 34 with mostly highway.

[@contemporaryprimitiveman3469]

I am just about to order one. I also live in northern Illinois but I have a heated garage so I don’t anticipate a big loss to cold. My wife’s driving style is perfect for hybrid driving and we drive in more hills not much urban driving.

[@RivermanTV-]

I've just recently started parking in a garage overnight and I have noticed a difference in gas mileage during my morning commute. A heated garage will definitely help in that regard. This car does very well in hills in my experience.

[@GJJC13]

Great video. I am about to get one but am a bit worried on the reiability. I know it is a 2023 model, so too soon for real reliability, but have you or anyone here reading this had any issues with reliability? Also, if you have to step on it, is there any lag? Thanks

[@RivermanTV-]

I haven't had a single issue in 50k+ miles. If you're in Eco mode when you step on it there is a little lag, but Sports mode gets you cooking pretty quickly relatively speaking.

[@mynameissamfisher]

I asked kia about the bad mileage. This is a direct reply Thank you for your inquiry and concern. Fuel economy and engine performance may vary depending on vehicle break-in process and be stablized afte 4,000 miles (6,000 km). New engines may consume more oil during the vehicle break-in period. Sincerely, Kia America

[@vincerossi-g8l]

@rivermantv how does it actually handle/ perform in the snow and ice?

[@RivermanTV-]

As is the case with any car, the tires make the biggest difference. However, I don't have special snow tires and the car handles well in the snow. Snow mode restricts fast acceleration and engages the AWD. I really haven't slid around or felt like I was out of control while driving in winter conditions. The gas mileage suffers in the cold but overall the car handles much better than my front wheel drive Mazda crossover that I had before.

[@marybethwynn1654]

Thank you! I wish I saw your video before I bought my Kia hybrid Sportage. I’ve been waiting to get the hirer mileage since I bought it. I was told it gets 50 mpg. Not!

[@RivermanTV-]

50 is definitely a stretch for longer trips but that's very doable around town. However, not every trip will be that way. The front wheel drive version is most likely to get the higher numbers. Mine is a an AWD but this summer I have been doing a lot of highway trips in the 36-41 range if I watch my driving style and doing much better than that on city only trips.

[@bruanne6367]

Thanks for the reply, have you found the improved mpg is enough to offset the higher gas price?

[@RivermanTV-]

I haven't done the math with concrete numbers from my trips, but if I estimate that my fuel efficiency improvement is roughly 5mpg, that yields an additional 60 miles of range per tank assuming a use of 12 gallons. The difference between filling up with normal vs premium gas is usually only around $6 per tank. If we set fuel efficiency across an entire tank at the EPA estimated 38mpg, we'd be "saving" about 1.5 gallons. Adding that extra 1.5 gallons to the cost of the price of a normal fill-up brings the numbers close to offsetting the higher gas price. But again, this is assuming a 5mpg increase. I've noticed an increase but I haven't quantified it, nor have differentiated the increase when driving highway vs city. I could also be conceptualizing the math wrong here, too.

[@bruanne6367]

@@RivermanTV-yeah, thanks, my heads spinning too.. lol it seems like it might be a 6 of one… kind of thing.

[@dyana9673]

I am getting great milage . However, I had to learn to drive differently. When I first got mine I thought it was horrible. It was all me.

[@brokeboy87]

This was a very informative vid.

[@malcolmbell5266]

I think this is a problem with the AWD. I have a 2 WD Sportage self charging hybrid and I get around 48 miles to the gallon even in low temps

[@RivermanTV-]

Absolutely. The AWD definitely causes fuel efficiency to suffer. But thankfully it's still capable of getting some good numbers after a year and a half of driving it.

[@wearethelandrovers9014]

Do you keep a logbook of your gas and mileage? I have learned over the past 60 years that the only way to get an accurate MPG is with such a record. After 15 or 20 fill-ups and thousands of miles, THEN you can begin to find out the real MPG. Hybrids give their best mileage at about 50 to 55 degrees on a damp day. On my last hybrid, I averaged 47 MPG over 118,000 miles. That includes the tanks at 38 MPG and the ones at 65 MPG.

[@willsherman3527]

We often get closer to 39 or 40. Depends on how you drive. At least that's part of it.

[@RivermanTV-]

This summer I've been living in the 37-41 range on the highway, sometimes even higher than that based on the trip. Style definitely plays a role.

[@djcobb74]

We're at 29mpg AVG after the 1st 200 miles of combo driving. It's no where close to the advertised MPG for normal driving. I don't want to drive it in a special way to squeak out 38mpg. We don't lead foot it at all, just run errands and normal trips on the highway.

[@gregggoldstein3449]

Great Info!

[@Aquas90]

Hi Riverman, My Sportage HEV should be delivered in the next couple of months, but since I live in Bulgaria our speed limits are a little bit higher then the US I was wondering if you have any idea what would be the MPG at 87mph to 93 mph ? I am worried that with that small 1.6Engine this will become only city driving car :(

[@RivermanTV-]

My experience at those speeds is that the car will be around 23-25 mpg. However, the few times I drove consistently at those speeds I was in sport mode. In eco mode, you may be able to get some battery usage to bring those numbers up but I can only speculate. The 1.6L engine does sound small on paper, but the turbo makes a huge difference. She has plenty of power to really get going quickly with seemingly little effort.

[@jedi_knight_tm]

I’m a month in on my first Hybrid, I did purchase the Hybrid EX Sportage. I’m getting use to the system and how to manipulate the mileage as much as possible while in Eco mode. I also wish it got better mileage in the higher speeds more “consistently” during city driving its easy peazy to stay in the 30’s - 40’s. Just got back from a road trip and did about 1,500 miles to break her in. It’s still better than a conventional all gas engine. I’m from SO California so the gas prices are terrible here. My first 2 fill ups I spent $85ish and got close to 900 miles out of that. I put in premium gas. My old faithful would have been $85 and would have been lucky to get 400 or so miles from a full tank. I’m happy with the switch over and this new Sportage. Thanks for the review, good review after 16k miles. 🤙

[@RivermanTV-]

Agreed on all points! When it's warmer out, I definitely expect to pull 450 from each tank which is am upgrade for me no matter how I frame it. I'm sure the Sportage loves that SoCal weather. Happy to share 👊

[@NewYorksFinest1]

Does the 23 Kia Sportage hybrid have a feature where if you release your foot off the pedal it slows down and brakes ?

[@RivermanTV-]

I wouldn't say it brakes but it does transfer energy from the axles to charge the battery. You can bypass this by switching the driving mode of the car.

[@ronchildres2451]

I live in FL and have been doing months of research on the Hybrid SX Prestige and torn between the Hybrid and Plug in Hybrid. My question I spend a good amount of highway driving with cruise control constantly and wondering do you use the cruise and if so have you noticed a mpg change. This is the only one that has gotten my attention and I currently own a 2017 Kia Sorento and it does well on gas but always said I wanted a hybrid to get better mpg. Your thoughts would be appreciated..

[@RivermanTV-]

I don't drive very often with cruise control so I can't speak with any authority. I will say that the car seems to do best in terms of gas mileage when driving requires speed changes. When you let off the accelerator, that energy gets captured then sent to the battery for later use. In my experience, these natural speed changes that happen in any kind of traffic charge the battery quite fast. When using cruise control, the car does still manage to capture energy for the battery, but I don't think it charges as fast as driving without it. I have still been able to get decent gas mileage using cruise control, but going without it seems to yield the best numbers.

[@ronchildres2451]

@@RivermanTV- I appreciate the reply and am waiting on the release of the 2024, as we are almost half way into 2023. Just still torn between the plugin and the hybrid. Thanks again

[@luismarquez8847]

MPG will not be the same in Florida as it will be in Colorado. Terrain huge factor?

[@RivermanTV-]

Climbing hills will require more engine use but there will be a lot of energy captured again on the downhill side. Can't say for sure how much of a role terrain plays but I've done pretty well in terms of gas mileage in hilly and semi mountainous regions.

[@brianmilner1962]

Please note- Iam an advanced driver I own and drive a 1.6turbo petrol Kia Sportage. Urban driving never less than 35 urban driving - 45+ on non motorway driving. So far I haven't had reason to occasion to try motor way . A point the car is driven on normal setting. Seems like the petrol version is the better choice.

[@minus2196]

I recently got a 2023 sportage hev. Right now we’re averaging about 25 and we’re in hot weather. Still learning the ropes but what’s the best way to get the battery charged? Mine seems to sit at 25-50%. Also curious if auto climate vs manual ac controls + seat ventilation make a huge difference in mpg ? And what fuel grade are you using?

[@RivermanTV-]

Honestly the best way to charge the battery is just to control your breaking so that the most energy is captured for the longest amount of time. This takes a little practice and feeling it out while you watch the dash. I can't comment on climate controls affecting gas mileage other than running the heat definitely uses the engine. However, I haven't noticed the AC requiring the engine to be run in summer conditions in my climate. With manual controls you may be able to use a slightly higher temp and lower fan speed. Not sure if that would make a difference but it's worth a shot. As for gas, I usually just buy 87 octane normal stuff.

[@bruanne6367]

@@RivermanTV-I’m just about to but the Tucson sister ship to the Sportage. I was looking at the Kia as well but you just can’t find the top line hybrid in Ontario. In my perusing of the Tucson owner forums I’ve seen several comments that using a higher grade fuel yields better mpg. I guess it depends on the price differences at the pump as to if it’s worth the extra money.

[@RivermanTV-]

@@bruanne6367 I've also noticed the same thing now that I've been consistent with the higher grade. I've read elsewhere that the higher octane does matter more when a turbo is involved and my model has one.

[@davidhenry3674]

I noticed that it's relatively cold there (39F on your dash), is some of the running of the engine due to the need for the hvac system?

[@RivermanTV-]

Yes, exactly. The engine will kick on to supply heat (if switched on) in the winter which lowers the gas mileage. However, the opposite is not true in the summer. The AC system is powered by the electric side and it can generally handle the load without requiring power from the engine.

[@zr2ee1]

Thanks for posting, I've been looking at these and curious. It'll be interesting to see if the different driving modes make any difference or if kia makes any software updates to optimize this

[@RivermanTV-]

There is a massive difference between Eco and Sport modes. For me, the jury is still out on Smart mode. It claims to switch between modes as needed but I can always do that myself. I get better gas mileage in Eco anyways. As for snow mode, it seems like its sole purpose to keep tires from spinning out upon acceleration through powering them up slowly and it does a very good job at it. I use it in snow and on slippery surfaces like steeper boat ramps.

[@MickoLow-ns6oq]

can you show us your driving style on this car?

[@ohenrycooper]

Thanks for the perspective of an owner who lives in 4 season climates. Makes perfect sense, batteries do not like the cold, and everything works differently land of below zero. With all that being said, any problems with the KIA? Would you purchase it again?

[@RivermanTV-]

No problems at this point after ~19k. Love the ride and interior. Not a fan of the rotary shifter but that's a small gripe.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

i just ordered the kia sportage hybrid ex premium and i'm hearing this complaint alot

[@RivermanTV-]

I think you're still going to like it a lot. Once it gets broken in, it'll get some food gas mileage when the conditions are right. The ride, features, and space in the car make up for any gas mileage shortcomings in my opinion.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

@@RivermanTV- I just ordered my car a couple of days ago and left a deposit. They say 4 wks to 6 months to receive it :(

[@RivermanTV-]

Yeah the market for these cars is still a little crazy

[@Pendragon501]

EPA rates HWY mpg at 48 mph. Not sure why they think that's hwy speed.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

So far I'm at 37.1 mpg. City and hwy combined. Im really conscious of making sure it's in ev mode as much as possible.

[@RivermanTV-]

Glad to hear you're pulling some decent numbers

[@stevendaniel8704]

The main reason I am interested is for the increased performance. Th fuel economy is not the top of my list. The standard model HP is pathetic

[@RivermanTV-]

The turbo definitely packs a punch. If you're running sport mode, it's easy to go 90 mph quickly without noticing 🙃

[@tonyc5907]

I drive a lot of highway is it worth? Ik worried kia wont last past 200k any issues you have had?

[@RivermanTV-]

I drive mostly highway and I would say it is worth it. Though I'm not impressed with the cooler weather stats, now that it's warmer out, I'm consistently getting close to or above 38 mpg even on my trips with 90% highway. I'm also worried about longevity but as of 28k miles, I've had no issues.

[@tonyc5907]

@@RivermanTV- I'm sure sub 100k will be fine after that is what worries me. Did you look at the rav4?

[@RivermanTV-]

@@tonyc5907 I did but availability and price ruled it out for me

[@tonyc5907]

@@RivermanTV- What about the Honda CRV?

[@robs9349]

Pretty fair assessment, esp if one keeps in mind that the "better and worse" are compared to one's expectations (or inflated epa # that all vehicles suffer from). Under almost all conditions, a hybrid should / will get (far) better mileage than the non hybrid equivalent. And over a few years of ownership, that is $$ significant.

[@RivermanTV-]

I agree. I just wish the "far" better assessment were more true compared to my last non-hybrid car when it comes to highway driving. I'm only beating it consistently by a few miles per gallon, which is still something but just not exactly what I imagined.

[@davidwright1752]

Mostly highway better of with the diesel about 5 to 5.5 litres per 100 km so about 50 mpg or better that is UK mileage so American it’s about 45 mpg

[@BluegrassNBass]

If it says 38 and can get 30 I am good with that. My current truck gets 15mpg and 13 towing. I'm buying one because I like the looks of them and it will be fine for this family of 4. Washington state here.

[@RivermanTV-]

You'll be able to do better than 30 in the warmer months. Now that our temps are mostly above 40, there has been a noticeable improvement for me. The other day I clocked 42 mpg over 33 miles in mixed driving when the air temps were in the low 50s.

[@gbforfunbruh7090]

Anything over 30 is really good hopefully mine will be here soon so I can be disappointed as well haha. Good video tho

[@RivermanTV-]

I think anything over 30 in the winter is solid but in the summer I want to pump those numbers up!

[@FakeAccount-df7ny]

I only have 350 miles on my hybrid ex with premium package. I'm avg. 31.2 mpg but it's been very cold where I live in Denver. And I don't know if that's because the car is still breaking in the engine and the few times I have done remote start with the heated seats and steering wheel. I owned a 22 Ford Maverick and avg 39.5 with that. I topped off the engine and a quarter tank recently and put in premium top-tier gas to blend in with whatever the dealer put in the tank

[@RivermanTV-]

I did notice the gas mileage improving as I drove the car more, but the cold certainly has an effect once you drop below freezing. The seats and wheel shouldn't require the engine to kick on but if you have the heat running when you start it, it definitely will. I actually got this car because I still haven't gotten my 22 Maverick order. My MPG expectations were kind of tied to the Mav specs hence my slight disappointment. But the interior space, AWD, and features have led me to keep this over the Mav.

[@FakeAccount-df7ny]

@RivermanTV I don't know what it is about the Maverick that is so refreshing, but it's not as solid and or as smooth as the Kia. My EX hybrid w/ prep pkg drives great... lots of plastic but is worth the $35k (37k w/ taxes)

[@FakeAccount-df7ny]

Gas mileage, no power on fr. passenger seat, and power remains on if you have climate control on. It will not go into EV mode with any type of heat or A/C on. I have the EX hybrid w/ prem pkg. and poor mpg here in very cold Denver. No lie... the MPG sucks

[@RivermanTV-]

Weird. I run AC in the summer in EV mode no issue. It's not easy to do better than 30 mpg with the temps the way the are now. Barely got 29 this morning with single digit temps.

[@Uachtar]

Be sure to set a temperature and not having the AC/Heating on Hi or something like that. On Highway with 2 people in the car with 2 heated seat on + heated steering, heat set a 22 °C (72 °F) in sub 0°C(32°F) temperature, i was getting around 32-35 MPG. That is way better than my previous car (Santa Fe 2019 with 2.0L turbo) were in winter i was not able to go higher than 25 MPG (i had difficulties staying above 18 a lot of the time). One thing that i had to change is how i press the gas pedal. With the Santa Fe, i got the habit to push the throttle a little bit than needed to get the engine going and the turbo spin up then i would reduce the throttle a little bit to get a smoother acceleration. I had to break that habit when i got the Sportage HEV as i would use way more the gas engine than needed. I am satisfied with the mileage i am getting with the sportage HEV. The winter mileage tax is about the same as my old car but overall, the mileage is still way better.

[@ozzzy3z946]

My 2025 ICE gets 32 to 34 mpg on the highway.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

I didn't know the 23 Kia Sportage hybrid had a key. I thought they are push start

[@RivermanTV-]

I believe it is only in the EX trim

[@reneedillon4355]

@@RivermanTV- LX has a key - others are keyless

[@beandippin263]

Hold on so you are telling me batteries don’t like cold?

[@yourmanzach2307]

this is the cheapest hybrid SuV. Some people are getting the 38mpg.

[@RivermanTV-]

In warm temps I've gotten over 40 on the highway

[@CHN-fh2sn]

Probably shouldn't have bought a hybrid if most of your driving is highway especially with a 1.6 liter turbo.

[@RivermanTV-]

Shoulda got a truck 🫠

[@peterharris6223]

battery? does that mean I have to charge it?

[@RivermanTV-]

Nope , nothing for you to charge manually. The regenerative braking system in the car charges the battery as you drive.

[@peterharris6223]

@@RivermanTV- ok thank you

[@Ryan-um8ug]

Next video turn off your radio how annoying.

[@saturnsl21999]

😂

[@soNso2]

You trusted the # 100%. Come on bud. If it's close were good.

[@NewYorksFinest1]

im driving a 2018 mazda 6 speed and i get 38 mpg in my mazda

[@michaelflude9334]

My god I couldn't listen to this

[@littlet7556]

So, you need retarted driving skills to get a few more MPG!? No thanks, KIA!

[@glenncastell864]

Just get the diesel and stop wasting your time with all this hybrid/EV bullshit.....

[@RivermanTV-]

As far as I know, a diesel SUV with this level of cargo space that gets 30-50mpg with a turbo doesn't exist. After 50k miles, this vehicle is killing it 👍

[@AddictedAngler]

hybrids suck at highway mpg

[@RivermanTV-]

I've gotten over 40 mpg on the highway but there are also days when I'm stuck at like 32-34.

[@TeamMabango]

I get mostly 38 to 40+ mpg on highway. I find it to have better mpg on highway compared to city driving where most of the speed limits are at 35.

[@jacobtor5349]

Don’t think small don’t worry about mpg , make good money and drive to the speed