Kia Sorento Hybrid Wins Over Highlander Shopper by $10K and Legroom

This past 4th of July, Torque News met with the owner of a new Kia Sorento Hybrid. Martha floored us with her knowledge of the three-row SUV marketplace. It’s true that we’ve never interviewed a more knowledgeable owner. She can recite specs on third-row legroom and captain's-chair availability by trim the way a gearhead recites the displacement of vintage muscle cars. We learned a lot from Martha about this segment, and hope we can convey some of her excitement about the Sorento hybrid in this story.

Kia Is Riding High, and Deservedly So
Kia is presently riding a wave of immense success with record-setting deliveries in America across many models. Among the most important models for this popular brand is the three-row Sorento SUV. It’s Kia’s second-best-selling model and top-selling three-row vehicle overall (out of 4). There are many reasons the Sorento deliveries are up this year, and its hybrid powertrain is the linchpin of that sales success. The hybrid versions are up 114% this year. It’s no secret that hybrids are the hot powertrain in 2026. Cox Automotive reported this week that hybrids now own 18% of the U.S. automotive market, roughly triple what battery-electric vehicles command. Kia’s hybrids are among the best on the market. Paired with the outstanding designs the company offers, they are a hard package to beat.

We asked our contact at Kia if he could shed some light on why the Sorento Hybrid is doing so well in 2026, and he told us:

For shoppers who do not need the full space of the Telluride, the Sorento Hybrid offers buyers a three-row SUV that excels in many areas, including terrific use of its space, and a third row when you need it.

That last part turned out to be spot on, as we’ll explain in the section on why Martha opted not to get a Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

Please allow us to switch over to an interview format for the next few sections of this story. We want to let Martha do the talking.

Hybrids Were This Shopper’s Only Consideration, and EVs Were Off the Table
TN: Martha told TN that she and her husband only considered hybrids when replacing her current SUV. Here’s a long quote in her own words on this reason she chose the Kia Sorento Hybrid:
Martha: This is not our first hybrid. We actually have a Toyota Camry hybrid that we got five or six years ago, and we really like it. We like how much we save on gas, but we also like that we’re not tied to electric charging, so we really wanted to get a hybrid for our next car. A major reason we chose a hybrid is that we travel. We drive to see my mother, and that’s a five-hour drive. We don’t want to be beholden to charging and not having an open space to charge. Also, the price of electric cars is still a little high, whereas hybrids are becoming a lot more common, so it made sense for us to go hybrid rather than full electric when the infrastructure isn’t really there on the routes we travel. We also like the current hybrid we already have. The gas mileage of the Sorento Hybrid is great (34 MPG Combined EPA Estimate). We’ve had the car for a week and have gone up and down to New Hampshire, and I’ve gone in and out of Boston, and I still don’t need to fill my tank. It really hits home to me how important having the hybrid system is when I’m in stop-and-go traffic, using my battery and not using up gas. I feel great about that aspect.

Why Martha Chose the Sorento Hybrid Over the Highlander Hybrid
TN: Martha is no stranger to hybrid three-row vehicles. She is coming from a three-row Nissan Rogue. She dug deep into the specs of the Highlander Hybrid, and even went to dealers to see it and price it out. The Camry Hybrid she and her husband own earned Toyota that first look. Here’s what Martha says about why she opted to go with Kia’s Sorento Hybrid instead. 
Martha: I’ve actually wanted a Toyota Highlander hybrid for probably six years now, and so I thought for sure that’s what I was going to get. However, the Highlander Hybrid did not meet my expectations for two reasons. First, my kids are older now, and they have gone through their growth spurts, so they have these long legs. I really wanted to have extra second-row legroom, and the Highlander was actually smaller than the current vehicle that I drive in the second row. That just wasn’t going to work for my kids' age. The second thing is that the Toyota Highlander was just so much more expensive. It was an additional 10 grand.

Captain’s Chairs Were a Key Consideration for Martha
TN: Martha’s top priority was her children’s size and comfort, but almost as important to her was the fact that she has two large, aging dogs. They need both space and a way to get into their spots. So, she knew that having two seats in the second row, called captain’s chairs, was a must-have.
Martha: The dogs were a big reason why we wanted the captain's chairs. We wanted a path for them to get to that third row. That extra second row space was also key. We wanted them to be able to jump in at the foot level instead of jumping up high to the top of the middle seat. As it turns out, the dogs actually love the captain's chairs when the children aren’t sitting in them.

Another plus of captain’s chairs is that I like to do woodworking. Smaller SUVs like a RAV4 don’t have that split down the middle of the second seat, which my current Nissan Rogue does. I use that 40-20-40 second row split seating to put long lumber inside. With the captain chairs in the Sorento Hybrid, I’ll be able to continue doing that because the center section is open.

Why Not a Telluride Hybrid?
TN: One question readers may be asking is why Martha didn’t opt for Kia's largest three-row hybrid, the Telluride. She did consider it. Here’s why she opted to get the Sorento Hybrid.
Martha: I am glad that Kia made this kind of midsize SUV so I didn’t have to go to the bigger Telluride. Here in Boston, it just feels too large when I’m parking downtown. I'm really excited that we didn’t have to go super big in order just to have the extra legroom. The Sorento Hybrid is a perfect vehicle for our needs without being big for the sake of it. 

We’d like to thank Martha for offering her insights on why the Kia Sorento Hybrid offered the perfect combination of size, seating configuration, price, and powertrain. The Highlander Hybrid is an outstanding vehicle, and we are sure that shoppers will be sad to see it no longer be an option after this year. Maybe Toyota realized that loyal Toyota hybrid shoppers were already finding other options when the company decided to end its long run this year and to offer only the larger Grand Highlander as an option in the future.

Full disclosure: I'm a longtime Highlander owner, and part of what drew me to Martha's story was disbelief. Why would a shopper who set out to buy a Highlander Hybrid drive home in anything else? After hearing her reasoning about legroom, price, and those captain's chairs, I understand her choice. Toyota should, too. If you found this story helpful, tell us in the comments below, and Highlander loyalists are welcome to make their case.

John Goreham is a 14-year veteran of Torque News. An accomplished writer and a long-time expert in vehicle testing, Goreham also serves as the Vice President of the New England Motor Press Association and has a growing social media presence. He’s also a 10-year staff writer and community moderator for Car Talk. Goreham holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and an undergraduate Certificate in Marketing. In addition to vehicle and tire content, he offers deep dives into market trends and opinion pieces. You can follow John Goreham on X and TikTok, and connect with him on LinkedIn.