Since debuting in summer 2010, the stylish and powerful Sportage compact crossover has received tremendous praise and experienced remarkable growth – sales more than tripled in the year following its launch – and Kia's venerable CUV was selected as the 2011 "International Truck of the Year" by International Car of the Year (ICOTY) jurors. For 2012, Sportage offers increased levels of refinement and comfort and new available in-car infotainment technology along with its world-class design, fun-to-drive performance and class-leading fuel economy. In keeping with Kia's commitment to safety, the Sportage offers an impressive roster of standard safety equipment and has been recognized as a 2011 "Top Safety Pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Consumers Digest, a leading consumer resource for automotive reviews, recently named four Kia vehicles "Best Buys" - the 2012 Kia Optima, 2012 Sorento, 2012 Soul and 2012 Sportage. This latest recognition comes on the heels of Kia Motors America (KMA) announcing the company's best-ever October sales and setting its 14th consecutive monthly sales record.

United Services Automobile Association (USAA), a leading financial services provider to the U.S. military and their families, honored Kia Motors America (KMA) by naming the 2012 Kia Sportage to its second annual "Best Value" vehicles list, which identifies the top 2012 automobiles in 16 categories that give consumers the most bang for their buck. The Sportage rose to the top in the Small SUV category, recognized for offering a competitive price and low insurance costs as well as being one of the Small SUV Top Safety Picks for 2012 from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2012 Kia Sportage compact CUV has been named one of the "Top Cars for Teens" by well-known and highly respected travel and transportation organization Automobile Association of America (AAA). The Sportage was lauded for its dynamics, dependability, overall value, long list of standard safety features and impressive performance in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) crash safety tests, including a "no tip"¹ evaluation during the tests.

J.D. Power 2015 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) has ranked the Kia Sportage as the leader in the Small SUV category, marking the first-ever VDS award in the brand’s history. The industry-wide study examines problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year old vehicles (2012 model year). Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100). Thus, a lower score reflects a higher long-term quality level. The Sportage ranked first in a field of seven contenders with a score of 129 PP100. This latest recognition for Sportage follows the model’s two consecutive J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey (IQS) awards in 2013 and 2014.