Kia has revealed the facelifted Sportage SUV for the Korean market.
That car is a little different to the Sportage we get in Europe – they get a long-wheelbase model, while our version is a little shorter for tight European cities. However, these updates will probably get translated directly onto the Euro Sportage, so expect it to look pretty much the same as the Korean car you see here.
A sprinkling of updates in the cabin and under the body also help keep the Sportage in the fight for top family SUV – an ultra-competitive category.
2025 Kia Sportage facelift styling
Pre-facelift Sportages had an intricate front end, with headlights and running lights that intersected the broad front grille. The new version simplifies things, with a wide rectangular grille flanked by blocky, upright headlights.
This echoes the bluff styling on the chunky Kia EV9 and facelifted Kia Sorento seven-seaters… as well as the dinky Kia Picanto city car.
The rest of the new car's exterior appears mostly unchanged, although the LED signatures in the brake lights will likely be redesigned for the update. Compared to the facelifted Korean model you see here, the European version will continue to be around 15cm shorter, with no small rear quarterlight window behind the rear doors.
2025 Kia Sportage facelift interior
Most of the cabin updates are centred around the dashboard. The twin-screen infotainment system gets new displays and a slicker, curved housing, plus a strip of ambient lighting to help everything feel a bit more up to date.
You'll also find the angular air vents of the old car swapped out for a simplified vent that runs the width of the dash. Ahead of the driver is a new two-spoke steering wheel – this has electrostatic sensors to detect when you're holding it while the car's semi-autonomous driving functions are active.
This Korean car has nifty blue-and-white two-tone interior upholstery, which we're big fans of. We don't know if this option will make it to UK cars, but most buyers will probably pick the more boring black-trimmed option anyway.
2025 Kia Sportage facelift engines and performance
Kia hasn't confirmed any engine lineup details for the European Sportage yet, but we don't expect it to stray far from the current lineup. As a result, entry-level cars are likely to keep the 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech. It's not clear whether the six-speed manual will be retained, but Kia has replaced the seven-speed DCT automatic with a new eight-speed unit.
Meanwhile, both full-hybrid and plug-in-hybrid models should stay in the lineup. A slightly more powerful electric motor should make these versions a bit smoother to drive, and Kia's added an 'infant mode' that softens pedal inputs if you're carrying little ones in the back seat. Updates to the car's front dampers as well as some extra sound-deadening material should make life on the road even more hushed.
2025 Kia Sportage facelift price and specs
The current Sportage lineup starts from slightly less than £30,000, with top-spec models costing around £45,000. We don't anticipate a big shift away from these figures.
Kia's lineup is almost universally well equipped, so even entry-level Sportage models are likely to include all the key features and functions you'd expect like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, climate control and adaptive cruise control.
2025 Kia Sportage facelift release date
At this stage, Kia has only confirmed details for the facelifted Korean-market Sportage. Clearly, the update is ready to go on the long-wheelbase car, so it'll probably be arriving in Europe fairly soon. We expect a launch date at some point in 2025, possibly around halfway through the year.
Typically, it takes 12-24 months for nearly new examples to trickle down to Motorpoint stores. That means you should be able to get a facelifted Sportage with thousands off the brand-new price at Motorpoint around 2026/2027.
Huge savings on the Kia Sportage
If you don't want to wait for the facelifted Kia Sportage to arrive, you can find massive discounts on the current model if you shop used Kia Sportage cars at Motorpoint. Not sure about the big Kia? Check out our list of the best Kia Sportage alternatives.
