Kia Sorento Safety Rating by Year
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Kia Sorento in 15 model years from 2011 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. Check a specific Sorento’s crash and title history below.
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Kia Sorento— By the Numbers
- Model years rated, 2011–2025
- 15
- 2025 overall rating
- 5★
- Highest overall on record
- 5★
- Lowest rollover risk shown (2016–2017, 2019)
- 15.0%
- Recall campaigns, 2025 record
- 3
Model years rated, 2011–2025
2025 overall rating
Highest overall on record
Lowest rollover risk shown (2016–2017, 2019)
Recall campaigns, 2025 record
Quick Answer
- What is the Kia Sorento safety rating?
- NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Kia Sorento in 15 model years from 2011 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
- Which Kia Sorento years have the highest safety rating?
- The 2014–2020, 2024–2025 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record.
- Did NHTSA rate every Kia Sorento model year?
- Every model year from 2011 to 2025 has a rating on record.
What changed across Kia Sorento model years
For 2024 and 2025 the overall result went back up, but the frontal crash result stayed where it had been for 2021 through 2023. On a recent Sorento, read the frontal row on its own rather than inferring it from the overall score.
The overall score reaches its highest, 5 stars, in 2014–2020, 2024–2025.
Kia Sorento safety ratings, year by year
The Sorento's overall score moved in blocks: lower from 2011 through 2013, higher from 2014 to 2020, lower again for 2021 to 2023, then back up for 2024 and 2025.
| Model year | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover | Rollover risk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | |
| 2024 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.9% | |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.8% | |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.0% | |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.8% | Full 2018 ratings |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.0% | |
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.0% | |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.5% | |
| 2014 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.5% | |
| 2013 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.8% | |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.8% | |
| 2011 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 16.9% |
The ratings describe the SorentoNHTSA crashed. Check the one you’re buying.
Salvage and rebuilt brands, reported accidents and odometer records follow the VIN.
Recalls and complaints by model year
NHTSA files these beside each year's crash-test results. They describe what owners and the agency reported afterwards, not how the vehicle was built to perform in a crash.
| Model year | Recall campaigns | Owner complaints | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 73 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 | 39 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 | 119 | 0 |
| 2022 | 6 | 187 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1 | 134 | 1 |
| 2019 | 2 | 426 | 1 |
| 2018 | 3 | 252 | 1 |
| 2017 | 4 | 801 | 3 |
| 2016 | 8 | 1248 | 3 |
| 2015 | 3 | 749 | 4 |
| 2014 | 6 | 984 | 8 |
| 2013 | 5 | 981 | 10 |
| 2012 | 5 | 877 | 10 |
| 2011 | 8 | 1517 | 10 |
Whether a recall was repaired on a particular car is in the manufacturer’s records for that VIN; a dealer or NHTSA’s VIN lookup can confirm it. The recall check by VIN lists the campaigns filed for a model and year.
Buying a used Sorento: which year's rating applies
A rating belongs to one model year and one version. Before relying on any figure on this page, match it to the Sorento in front of you.
Read the model year off the VIN before reading the grid: the overall result changes between 2013 and 2014, between 2020 and 2021, and again between 2023 and 2024. The 2011 also carries a lower side-impact result than any later year.
NHTSA publishes separate results by version, and the row shown here is a front-wheel-drive Sorento for 2018, 2019 and 2021 but a version driving all wheels in the other years. For 2021 it published more versions than in any other year and the row shown is labelled a later release, so confirm the car's drivetrain and which 2021 version it is before taking a result from that row.
Whatever the year, check the specific VIN in NHTSA's recall lookup for open recalls. The recall figures on this page describe the model year, not whether this particular car had the work done.
How NHTSA's ratings work
NHTSA announced new NCAP crash tests and rating criteria in July 2008, including a new overall rating that combines the frontal, side and rollover results. It then postponed the change by a year: the new criteria apply to vehicles tested beginning with model year 2011, not 2010 as first announced.
In NHTSA's own words, its rollover resistance ratings “estimate the risk of rollover if a vehicle is involved in a single-vehicle crash.”
One limit applies to every vehicle here. NHTSA notes that the frontal crash rating “depends on vehicle mass, and cannot be compared across vehicle weight classes” — a full-size truck's frontal stars and a compact car's are not the same measure.
- Federal Register, 73 FR 79206 (Dec. 24, 2008) — new NCAP criteria begin with model year 2011
- Federal Register, 73 FR 40016 (July 11, 2008) — NCAP testing and rating changes, including the overall rating
- Federal Register, 68 FR 59250 (Oct. 14, 2003) — NCAP rollover resistance ratings
- NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Year pages and related models
Every version NHTSA rated in a given year, plus rating histories for other models.
Every rated version of the 2018, with inspection notes.
6 rated model years, 2020–2025.
12 rated model years, 2011–2022.
4 rated model years, 2020–2023.
15 rated model years, 2011–2025.
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Kia Sorento Safety FAQ
What NHTSA’s record shows across model years, and what it cannot tell you about one car.
What is the Kia Sorento safety rating?+
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Kia Sorento in 15 model years from 2011 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
Which Kia Sorento years have the highest safety rating?+
The 2014–2020, 2024–2025 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record.
Did NHTSA rate every Kia Sorento model year?+
Every model year from 2011 to 2025 has a rating on record.
Are Kia Sorento ratings from before 2011 comparable?+
Not like for like. NHTSA changed its crash tests and rating criteria starting with model year 2011, so this page lists 2011 and later only. Earlier ratings came from different tests.
Does the rating apply to a used Sorento?+
It applies to the Sorento as built. A used one that has been in a serious crash, rebuilt from salvage or had airbags replaced is no longer the vehicle NHTSA tested. NHTSA's 2025 record lists 3 recall campaigns; a VIN check shows that car's title brands and reported accidents, plus the recall campaigns filed for its model and year.
Every year’s rating is for the model. The VIN is for the car.
A crash rating can’t see a salvage or rebuilt title, reported accidents or an odometer rollback. The VIN record can.
Or get the full VIN history reportVerificaciones VIN relacionadas
Más herramientas para verificar el historial de cualquier vehículo