The Honda CR-V is one of the market’s most popular compact crossover SUVs, but the Kia Sportage has been around longer. The Sportage is one of the original names from Kia, entering the U.S. market in 1993. The first Honda CR-V came along in 1995. Both SUVs enter a new generation for 2023 but is it truly fair to compare the 2023 Kia Sportage to the 2023 Honda CR-V?

Which compact crossover SUV has more options?

The 2023 Kia Sportage offers more options for consumers looking for variety in their SUVs. The Sportage has a traditional gasoline lineup, hybrid models, and plug-in hybrids.

Trim levels for the Sportage are:

• LX
• EX
• X-Pro Prestige
• Hybrid LX
• Hybrid SX Prestige
• PHEV X-Line AWD
• PHEV X-Line Prestige

Turning to the 2023 Honda CR-V, a traditional gasoline lineup and hybrid models comprise the offerings from this SUV. The CR-V also has an abbreviated lineup for 2023, moving away from the base LX trim.

CR-V trim levels include:

• EX
• Sport
• EX-L
• Sport Touring

The Sport and Sport Touring models use the hybrid powertrain for the CR-V while the EX and EX-L enjoy the traditional gasoline setup.

Does the 2023 Kia Sportage have a lower starting price than the 2023 Honda CR-V?

The FWD Sportage LX starts at $25,990, while the FWD CR-V EX begins at $31,110. This could be a deciding factor for drivers searching for the most budget-friendly compact crossover SUV.

Going to the other end of the spectrum, the PHEV X-Line Prestige is the most expensive Sportage, model and it costs $42,990. The most expensive CR-V is the Sport Touring with the AWD setup, which costs $38,600. This is a flip from the base model.

Which SUV has a better warranty package?

The 2023 Kia Sportage brings a better warranty than the 2023 Honda CR-V.

The Kia Sportage offers:

• Bumper-to-Bumper: 5-years/60,000-miles
• Powertrain: 10-years/100,000-miles
• Scheduled Maintenance: None
• Roadside Assistance: 5-years/60,000-miles

The Honda CR-V offers:

• Bumper-to-Bumper: 3-years/36,000-miles
• Powertrain: 5-years/60,000-miles
• Scheduled Maintenance: 2-years/24,000-miles
• Roadside Assistance: 3-years/36,000-miles

Is the 2023 Kia Sportage more efficient than the 2023 Honda CR-V?

The conventional Sportage uses a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine which provides 25 city/32 hwy mpg in FWD models. For AWD versions, the numbers drop to 23 city/28 hwy mpg. The Sportage PHEV reaches 84 MPGe, and the hybrid Sportage LX offers 42 city/44 hwy mpg.

The traditional CR-V brings 28 city/34 hwy mpg for FWD models while AWD versions reach 27 city/33 hwy mpg. The CR-V hybrid models hit 43 city/36 hwy mpg for FWD models.

Overall, the Sportage PHEV is the most efficient of these compact crossover SUVs, but consumers searching for the most efficient conventional powertrain should turn to the FWD CR-V EX trim.

Does the Sportage have better infotainment and connectivity than the CR-V?

The standard touchscreen of the 2023 Kia Sportage measures 8 inches, while the base 2023 Honda CR-V has a 7-inch touchscreen. The Sportage offers a 12.3-inch screen at higher trims, while the largest screen for the CR-V is 9 inches.

The CR-V does bring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with wireless charging to the top two trims, but the Sportage offers more.

The Kia Sportage has a multi-connection Bluetooth system, a wireless hotspot for five devices, Smart Speaker integration, and over-the-air updates.

Which compact crossover SUV is better?

J.D. Power offers a complete comparison of these two compact crossover SUVs, but from the highlights we’ve covered, it’s easy to see the 2023 Kia Sportage has more for consumers than the 2023 Honda CR-V. The Sportage has more trims, more powertrains, better connectivity features, and a lower starting price.

The Honda CR-V might be one of the most popular SUVs in this class, but it doesn’t compare to what you’ll find when you put it up against the Kia Sportage.