Compare the2026 Kia SorentoVS 2025 Lexus NX

Both the Sorento and NX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The NX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Sorento and the NX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Lexus NX:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia Sorento is safer than the Lexus NX:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The NX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the NX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the NX ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’s warranty.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Lexus NX:

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder AWD gets better fuel mileage than the NX 350 running its gasoline engine (23 city/28 hwy vs. 21 city/28 hwy).

Both the Sorento and the NX have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Sorento’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The NX 350h/450h+ doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 350 AWD requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Sorento has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the NX (17.7 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sorento higher (6 out of 10) than the Lexus NX (5 to 6). This means the Sorento produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX every 15,000 miles.

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The NX doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Sorento stops much shorter than the NX:

For better traction, the Sorento EX/SX’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the NX (255/45R20 vs. 235/60R18).

The Sorento EX/SX’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the NX’s optional 50 series tires.

The Sorento has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the NX; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Sorento’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the NX (110.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the NX.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the NX 450h+ AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the NX 450h+ AWD (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a greater minimum ground clearance than the NX 350 F Sport Handling AWD (8.2 vs. 7.7 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Sorento’s minimum ground clearance is .1 inch higher than on the NX (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches).

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the NX can only carry 5.

The Sorento has 2 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 5.6 inches more rear legroom, 2.6 inches more rear hip room and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX.

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the NX.

The Sorento’s cargo area is larger than the NX’s in almost every dimension:

The Sorento’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX’s (2000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus NX is only 2000 pounds. The Sorento offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Sorento has a higher standard payload capacity than the NX (1255 vs. 1125 lbs.).

The Sorento has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the NX (1543 vs. 1205 lbs.).

The power windows standard on both the Sorento and the NX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Sorento is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The NX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Sorento to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The NX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Sorento Prestige has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The NX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its December 2021 issue and they ranked the Kia Sorento X-Line SX Prestige higher than the Lexus NX 350 AWD.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Lexus NX by 28% during 2024.