Compare the2026 Nissan RogueVS 2026 Kia Sportage

The Nissan Rogue has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help 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 Sportage doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Sportage doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Rogue has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Sportage’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Rogue has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Kia charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning on the Sportage.

Both the Rogue and the Sportage have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the Kia Sportage:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Rogue’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Sportage runs out after 100,000 miles.

Nissan pays for scheduled maintenance on the Rogue for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Nissan will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sportage.

There are over 34 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Rogue’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Rogue third among compact suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Sportage isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 8th.

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (201 vs. 187) and 47 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 178) than the Sportage’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Rogue is faster than the Kia Sportage:

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the Sportage:

The Rogue 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 Sportage doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Rogue 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 Sportage doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Rogue’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Sportage are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops much shorter than the Sportage:

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sportage doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Rogue Platinum handles at .83 G’s, while the Sportage X-Pro Prestige pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Sportage’s (35.4 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Rogue Platinum is quieter than the Sportage X-Pro Prestige (73 vs. 74 dB).

The Rogue has 3.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Sportage (105.4 vs. 102).

The Rogue has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Sportage.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Rogue Platinum’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Sportage doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Rogue Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sportage doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Rogue’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 Sportage’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Rogue’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Sportage’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 Rogue’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sportage’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Rogue to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Sportage doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Rogue and the Sportage offer available heated front seats. The Rogue Platinum also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Sportage.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Nissan Rogue and the Kia Sportage, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its June 2023 issue and they ranked the Nissan Rogue Platinum first. They ranked the Kia Sportage X-Pro Prestige third.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Rogue first among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Sportage isn’t in the top three.

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Kia Sportage by 58% during 2024.