2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid

The Sorento succeeds in packaging three-row practicality in the footprint of a midsize crossover, and the available plug-in hybrid adds electric range and significant fuel savings to the appeal. This year marks a midcycle face-lift, a year after those same updates came to the all-gas Sorento. The 2025 Kia Sorento PHEV’s most direct competitors are other plug-in hybrid SUVs such as the Mazda CX-90 and Mitsubishi Outlander.

What’s New

• Refreshed design with new front and rear ends
• New entry-level EX trim
• Dual 12.3-inch front displays for SX Prestige trim
• Cityscape Green, Mineral Blue, and Volcanic Sand exterior colors
• Dust Blue interior color option

What We Think

Even if the Sorento PHEV is a niche vehicle, it offers much to like. It's a rather sharp-looking SUV, with an edgy exterior and a spacious, convenient, and stylish cabin. Although the Sorento is a three-row SUV, the PHEV version has only six seats and a snug third row, potentially limiting its family functionality. Still, there's a good amount of cargo space with the third row folded.

The Sorento PHEV drives comfortably, with balanced handling and stability aided by its heavy battery pack. This SUV's ability to cover 30 miles using only its electric motor is its primary appeal. Power suffices, but we've noticed there is sometimes a slight hesitation pulling away from a stop. At least braking feels consistent, an area some hybrids struggle with.

Other SUVs on either side of the size spectrum—from Kia and other automakers—might have more conventional appeal, but the Sorento PHEV offers a compelling, if unusual, mix of attributes. As long as you have the motivation and means to regularly charge the small battery, the Sorento PHEV has the right stuff to be a solid daily driver. 

Range, Charging, and Performance

The 2025 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid pairs a 1.6-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder with a single electric motor to send 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque to a standard all-wheel-drive layout by way of a six-speed automatic transmission. We've found that setup good for 0–60 mph in 7.4 seconds, about a second behind the Sorento's available turbocharged engine and a second ahead of the basic Sorento Hybrid.

The central draw of the Sorento PHEV is its capability to run purely on electric power, enabled by a 13.8-kWh battery. Buyers can expect to cover around 30 miles on electricity alone before relying on the gas engine, at which point they'll still achieve about 74 mpg-e combined based on Kia’s estimates. Recharging the battery should take approximately 3.5 hours with a Level 2 charger.

Safety Features

Kia equips every plug-in hybrid Sorento with a host of its Drive Wise driver assist features. Basic EX models receive navigation-based adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, front automatic emergency braking with junction assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keep assist, driver attention warning, safe exit assist, high-beam assist, rear occupant alert, speed limit assist, Highway Driving Assist, and front and rear parking distance warning.

Stepping up to the 2025 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid SX-Prestige adds a host of other tech. Notable features include Kia’s machine-learning enabled navigation-based adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, Highway Driving Assist 2, blind-spot monitoring with parallel exit, an upgraded version of forward collision avoidance, side parking sensors, rear parking collision avoidance, and a 360-degree camera. We’ve found Kia’s active driver assistance features to be some of the best in the industry, and the Sorento Plug-in Hybrid has a robust suite of these capabilities.

Cargo Space and Interior Room

The 2025 Kia Sorento Plug-in Hybrid defies convention with its midsize footprint and three-row layout. It offers less cargo volume than proper three-row SUVs but boasts more legroom than smaller utes with a third row. All Sorento PHEVs receive second-row captain’s chairs.