It's time for testing the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with my family. Kia's updated seven-seat large SUV is now available as a hybrid in the top-spec GT-Line, so let's get straight into seeing how this new seven-seat ‘HEV' model stacks up as a BabyDrive…
The 2025 Kia Sorento pricing starts at $50,680 (excluding rego, stamp duty etc) for the front-wheel drive petrol base model and the all-wheel drive GT-Line hybrid model tested here is $73,330. There is also a GT-Line plug-in hybrid for $84,660.
How big is the boot of the Sorento Hybrid?
Storage in the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid's boot is very practical for family use. When using the first two rows of seats, it will hold eighteen shopping bags, which matches the Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X, is one more than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid (17), but is smaller than the Nissan Pathfinder (22 bags), Hyundai Palisade (22 bags), Toyota Kluger (20 bags) and Kia Carnival Hybrid (24).
The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat…
…will fit in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with nine shopping bags.
The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with two sibling seats…
…will fit in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with nine shopping bags.
The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat and bassinet beside it…
…will fit in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with one shopping bag.
The Thule Urban Glide 3 double is Thule's beloved ultimate all-terrain stroller…
…with the back wheels on, it will fit in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with four shopping bags.
The Thule Spring, lightweight and one-handed folding stroller…
…fits in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with eleven shopping bags.
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid's boot can also accommodate two 70L and two 40L Thule Chasm duffle bags when using two rows of seats.
You can fit a very large family dog in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid when using two rows of seats.
When using all three rows of seats, the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid's boot will hold five shopping bags, one less than the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, Ford Everest and Isuzu MU-X (6 shopping bags) but quite a lot smaller than the Nissan Pathfinder (8 bags), Hyundai Palisade (8 bags) and Toyota Kluger (8 bags) and Kia Carnival Hybrid (10 bags).
The Thule Spring, lightweight and one-handed folding stroller…
…fits easily in the boot of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid with two shopping bags. When using all three rows of seats.
Also the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid boot can also accommodate a small dog with all three rows of seats in use!
How good is the storage in the 2025 Kia Sorento GT-Line HEV for families?
When it comes to storage in the rest of the Sorento, it is just as practical for families big and small. In the third row, there are cup holders on each side that will fit a reusable or disposable coffee cup, or a water bottle fits there too. Beside them is a large tray good for storing an iPad or book or snack!
For second-row passengers there is a fold-down armrest in the central seatback with two cup holders that will hold reusable or disposable coffee cups or kids water cups.
The rear doors have fantastic storage in the new 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid. The door bin will hold a large refillable water bottle and there is a single cup holder in the doors which is well positioned for kids' drinks and snacks so they can reach them while you are driving and eliminating the constant request for drinks and snacks to be passed from the front!
For older rear passengers, this will hold reusable or disposable coffee cups.
There are double map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold but not conceal an iPad. There are also USB-C sockets on the side of the front seats so second-row passengers can charge devices while driving along.
In the front of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid, the storage is practical too.
There are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup and behind them is a little storage well for keys etc.
In front of the cup holders is a phone charging tray with USB-C sockets.
The central console box is a very practical size for families, with a little shelf in the top.
The glove box will fit a wallet and iPad with the manual.
The front door bins are larger than those in the back! They will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad or wallet will fit in the door bin.
How many child seats will fit in the Kia Sorento?
Now moving on to the rear seats and installation of child seats… This seven-seater 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid family SUV has ISOFix in both of the outer second-row seats. They are not within plastic guides but are nice and easy to connect to.
There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three second-row seats of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid. They are clearly labelled, within plastic guides and easy to connect to through the boot.
In the third row, there are ISOFix for both seats. Again, they are not within plastic guides but are nice and easy to locate and connect to.
There are Top Tether Anchorages on the back of both of the Sorento Hybrid's third-row seats that are within plastic guides and easily located on the seatbacks through the boot. You can install child seats in any of the five rear seats which is great news for large families and for smaller families wanting flexibility for seat positioning.
FIVE child seats fit very comfortably in the back of the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid, which is fantastic! Three across the second row either forward or rear-facing.
I found I could sit between two child seats in the second-row seats, which is great for families with kids both in and out of child seats. (I'm 162cm tall)
In the third row, two child seats fit comfortably, too.
The third-row seats are very comfortable and I could sit back there and I'm 162cm.
The new Kia Sorento Hybrid has good headroom and legroom. We found that with a forward-facing child seat in the third row and a rear-facing infant capsule in the second row, we could fit a 180cm driver in the front.
The second and third-row footwells in the 2025 Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid is pretty much flat, which makes it easy for centre-seat passengers and little passengers to walk to and from their child seats across the car so they don't have to get into the car on the side facing traffic.
The second-row seats are split 60:40, making third-row access good.
If you have two child seats installed in the second row, you can bring the single seat forward (with a child seat installed in it using ISOFix and not the seatbelt), and you will have good access through to the third row.
Or, if you have three child seats installed in the second row, you will have to uninstall one in order to bring a seat forward and climb through.
You can move the front passenger seat forward and backwards using controls on the drivers side of it. These are really helpful for the driver to move the seat when kids are getting in and out of the back at school pick up and drop off without having to get out of the car.
How comfortable is the Kia Sorento GT-Line HEV for families?
All members of the family will be kept comfortable in the Sorento Hybrid.
The Sorento GT-Line Hybrid's rear door windows have built-in window blinds. These are great for keeping rear passengers shaded from the sun while driving along and saving the need to buy ill-fitting aftermarket options.
Front passengers have four air vents across the front dashboard. Two in the centre below the media screen and one at each end of the dash.
The climate controls are on a separate thin touch screen on the dash below the air vents. You can control the front and rear air vents from here and turn the rear vents on and off too.
Second-row passengers have aircon vents in the back of the central console box.
…and third-row passengers have them in the side panels. There are controls here, too, but you can override them from the front dash.
The seat upholstery in the 2025 Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid I am testing is perforated leather with lots of stitch detail feels like it will be very durable but may trap kids crumbs and spills!
How safe is the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid for families?
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid does not have airbags in the third-row which is a major consideration for families. It has seven airbags as standard including:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard on all variants
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating, scoring 85% for child occupancy and 82% for adult occupancy.
Of the child occupancy testing ANCAP wrote:
In the frontal offset test, protection of the neck of the 10 year dummy was ADEQUATE, while the protection offered to all other critical body regions of both the 6 and 10 year dummies was GOOD.
In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both dummies, and maximum points were scored.
The Kia Sorento is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats in the second and third row of seats, and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions. Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed most child restraints could be accommodated in most rear seating positions, however care is needed to correctly install the ISOFix restraints in the third row seating positions.
NOTE: HEV and PHEV variants as offered in New Zealand have top tether anchorages fitted to the 2nd and 3rd row outboard seating positions only. Top tether anchorages are not fitted to the centre seating position in the 2nd row.
The 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid includes a number of safety features and driver assist technology as standard on vehicles built from 14 December 2023 in Australia and 26 January 2024 in New Zealand, adaptive cruise control (ACC), anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – Car-to-Car and VRU, automatic emergency call (eCall), blind spot monitor (BSM), child presence alert, electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder, fatigue monitor and detection, forward collision warning (FCW), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), reversing collision avoidance (camera), secondary/multi-collision brake, speed assistance – auto and intelligent speed limiter/manual speed limiter/speed sign recognition and warning.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
The driver's door control panel has a child lock button, which is great for families who want to lock both the rear doors and windows at the same time so little ones can't fiddle with them.
How easy is the media system to use in the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid?
The media system in the Kia Sorento GT-Line Hybrid is lovely and modern and easy to use while driving.
It has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can safely access your phone's navigation, podcast/music and messaging apps while driving.
The sound menu allows you to change the volume of a lot of things…
…which is helpful if you have noise-sensitive kids or if your little ones are sleeping.
You have voice memos (great for recording those priceless in-car conversations with your kids), weather, navigation and calendar in the menu too.
And you can keep an eye on your battery usage on the Hybrid screen.
What is the 2025 Sorento Hybrid like to drive?
The new Kia Sorento Hybrid is a great car to drive with your family on board. It is lovely and quiet and even with five child seats onboard, I could still see a slither out of the back windscreen which is no mean feat!
The Sorento Hybrid's turning circle is very good for a large seven-seat SUV, making parking and manoeuvring easy.
Visibility is good, but there are lots of aids on board to make it even easier! For example, indicator cameras show up on the driver's display screen, and there is a rear-view camera you can put on the media screen.
The rear view mirror also works as a camera so you can see clearly behind you while driving if child seats or a loaded boot obstructs your view.
When parking, the reversing camera is lovely and clear, with a crisp image.
And there is a 360-degree camera too, making parking easy.
Compare the 2025 Kia Sorento:
Click here to look at the previous model: 2021 Kia Sorento PHEV.
If you are looking at the 2025 Kia Sorento Hybrid you may want to consider the Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, Nissan Pathfinder, Hyundai Palisade, Toyota Kluger, Ford Everest (with the benefit of good off-road and towing potential) or Kia Carnival (for ultimate space and practicality).
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