Compare the2026 Ford Bronco SportVS 2026 Kia Sorento

The Bronco Sport has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Sorento doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco Sport. But it costs extra on the Sorento.

Both the Bronco Sport and the Sorento have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Kia Sorento:

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Kia Sorento:

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

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

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Kia dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Sorento doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Bronco Sport’s reliability 27 points higher than the Sorento.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport third among small suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Sorento isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Bronco Sport’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (200 vs. 181) than the Sorento LX/S’ standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport gets better mileage than the Sorento:

The Bronco Sport 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 Sorento doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Bronco Sport stops shorter than the Sorento:

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Sorento; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento (8.8 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ford Bronco Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 pounds less than the Kia Sorento.

The Bronco Sport is 1 foot, 4.5 inches shorter than the Sorento LX/S/EX/SX, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Bronco Sport uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sorento doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sorento doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Bronco Sport has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom and 2.6 inches more rear headroom than the Sorento.

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume than the Sorento with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 12.6 cubic feet).

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Sorento’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Sorento’s (2200 vs. 2000 pounds).

The Bronco Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

If the windows are left open on the Bronco Sport the driver can close all of them from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Sorento can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Sorento doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Bronco Sport’s 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 Sorento’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Bronco Sport’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the Sorento’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

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 Bronco Sport’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Sorento’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Sorento doesn’t offer cornering lights.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Ford Bronco Sport retains 48.91% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 47.74% resale value of the 2026 Kia Sorento after five years, which can save the Ford’s owner.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Ford Bronco Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Sorento isn't recommended.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Kia Sorento by 42% during 2025.