2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid vs 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV

The Kia Sportage is the automaker’s longest-running nameplate in North America. It started out as a no-frills off-roader, but today the Sportage competes in the red-hot small crossover SUV segment against big names like the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4, as well as the Hyundai Tucson from Kia’s parent brand. All of those nameplates have added hybrid variants recently, so Kia followed suit as part of a 2023-model-year redesign. This segment slots in size-wise below mid-size SUVs such as the Kia Sorento (also offered as the Sorento Hybrid and PHEV) and Kia Telluride.

The 2023 Kia Sportage Hybrid will be offered alongside non-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions of the new Sportage, which represents the nameplate’s fifth generation. The hybrid model is part of an effort to create more space between the Sportage and the smaller Kia Seltos, which also brought increased interior space, more tech, and radical exterior styling.

The Sportage Hybrid is offered in Canada in EX and SX trim levels. We drove the U.S. equivalent of the SX trim for this review. Note that this isn’t the same lineup as the non-hybrid Sportage, which is offered in Canada in five different trims (LX, X-Line, EX, EX Premium, and X-Line Limited).

The 2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV trades on the established Equinox nameplate to help ease the transition to battery-electric power, but the Equinox EV is just that: an EV, from the ground up. Its dedicated architecture is wholly independent of the internal-combustion-engined (ICE) Equinox compact SUV. In Canada, it’s available in 2LT, 2RS, 3LT, and 3RS trims. Accounting for current availability puts base MSRP at $48,199 before fees for the 2LT, but that will fall when the 1LT trim level becomes available in 2025.

Verdict: The Equinox EV does exactly what its name promises, offering the benefits of electric power in a comfortable package, and at a price point that’s hard to beat.