Kia’s best-selling model in the world is heading toward a complete reinvention. Spy photographers have captured the next-generation Kia Sportage undergoing testing in Europe, revealing a dramatically different design direction that takes the compact SUV in a significantly boxier, more upright, and more rugged direction — while also confirming that the new model will ditch pure combustion engines entirely in favor of a fully electrified powertrain lineup.
The all-new Sportage is expected to debut in mid-2028, arriving as a 2028 or early 2029 model in the United States.
A Complete Break From Current Styling
The current fifth-generation Kia Sportage debuted in 2021 and was widely praised for its sharp, distinctive design featuring split lighting units, a heavily sculpted body, and a driver-focused interior with a sweeping dual-screen dashboard. It was one of the most visually striking compact SUVs in its segment when it launched.
The next-generation model, captured in prototype form with heavy camouflage, moves in an almost entirely different direction. In a side-by-side comparison with its predecessor, the all-new Kia Sportage immediately stands out, courtesy of its boxier overall design. It has a flatter roofline that is a tiny bit angled toward the rear, has more sharp angles on the outside than ever before, and features flush-mounted door handles.
Up front, it kind of looks like a smaller version of the Sorento, and it is one. It has new Y-shaped daytime running lights, a thin light strip between the hood and the grille, a flatter nose, a similarly-sized air intake in the middle of the new bumper, and headlights that appear to be an evolution of the current ones.
The proportions are also larger. A heavily camouflaged prototype of the redesigned Sportage appears to conceal a more upright shape, and it gives the impression the test vehicle is slightly larger than the current model. That size increase would be consistent with how Kia has grown the Sportage with each successive generation, and it would help differentiate the new model from the smaller Seltos below it in the lineup.
Hybrid-Only in Europe — At Least
The powertrain story is one of the most significant changes. Underneath the boxier sheet metal, the Euro-spec 2028 Kia Sportage will bypass unassisted internal combustion entirely. The lineup will rely on three gas-electric powertrains, beginning with a 48-volt mild hybrid. Higher up the spectrum, prospective customers will be presented with a full hybrid and a plug-in hybrid.
Kia supposedly targets major efficiency gains for all three, with the plug-in hybrid targeting an electric range of 100 kilometers — approximately 62 miles — in the WLTP. This, in turn, would make the Sportage Plug-In Hybrid a viable zero-emission commuter.
Sixty-two miles of electric range in a PHEV form is notably generous. For context, the current 2027 Kia Sportage PHEV offers approximately 32 miles of electric range. Doubling that figure would make the new Sportage PHEV genuinely competitive with larger and more expensive plug-in options, and would allow most daily commuters to complete their round trips entirely on electric power without burning any gasoline.
It remains to be seen whether the US market will receive the same all-electrified powertrain lineup, or whether Kia will offer a conventional gasoline option for American buyers who have shown reluctance to pay the premium for electrified variants. Based on the current US market’s trajectory — where hybrids now account for over 15% of new car sales — a hybrid-focused Sportage would be well-timed regardless.
A New Interior Language
The carparazzi managed to catch a brief yet revealing glimpse of the interior, where the Pleos architecture introduced by the Hyundai brand is clearly visible. Pleos is the new infotainment and software platform that Hyundai Group is rolling out across its brands — the same system that debuted in the new Hyundai Tucson and is expected to power the next generation of Kia, Hyundai, and Genesis models.
The next Kia Sportage has a large screen inside. Some physical buttons are expected to survive. That balance — large central screen combined with retained physical controls for frequently used functions — reflects the feedback that buyers and critics have given about recent cars that eliminated all physical buttons in favor of purely touch-based interfaces. Kia appears to be taking a more pragmatic approach.
Why This Matters for Buyers
The Sportage is not a niche product. With nearly 570,000 units delivered last year, the Sportage was Kia’s most popular product, accounting for just over 18 percent of total deliveries. In the US specifically, the Sportage Hybrid has been one of the standout performers in the compact hybrid SUV segment, consistently praised for its value, fuel economy, and available technology.
A next-generation Sportage with a boxier design, a longer PHEV electric range, and the new Pleos software platform would strengthen an already competitive product. It would go up against the redesigned Toyota RAV4 — now hybrid-only for 2026 — as well as the updated Honda CR-V Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, and potentially the upcoming Nissan Rogue e-Power.
The compact hybrid SUV segment is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested battlegrounds in the US auto market through the end of the decade, and the 2028 Kia Sportage is clearly being designed to compete at the front of that field.
What to Expect Next
Kia has not officially commented on the next-generation Sportage. Based on the development timeline and the level of completeness visible in recent spy shots, a reveal could come as early as late 2027, with the vehicle going on sale in the US sometime during the 2028 calendar year.
For current Sportage owners or buyers considering the 2027 model, the practical calculation is familiar: the existing car is refined and well-equipped, but its successor will be meaningfully different. Those who want the new platform, the longer PHEV range, and the updated interior may find it worth waiting until mid-to-late 2028 to see what Kia officially reveals.
