Compare the2026 Kia Sorento Plug-In HybridVS 2026 Toyota Sienna

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota Sienna doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and Sienna have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 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 Sienna’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.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Toyota Sienna, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Sienna.

Both the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid and the Sienna have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Sienna’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Sienna. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Sienna ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below average.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 16 more horsepower (261 vs. 245) than the Sienna’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid running on electricity gets better mileage than the Sienna:

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid can travel with zero emissions for 30 miles. The Sienna can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sienna LE/XLE’s standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sienna LE/XLE.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is .4 feet tighter than the Sienna’s (37.9 feet vs. 38.3 feet). The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Sienna XSE/Limited’s (37.9 feet vs. 39.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Sienna (6.9 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 1 foot, 2.1 inches shorter than the Sienna, making the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid is 1 foot, 2.5 inches shorter than the Sienna XSE.

The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom and .4 inches more rear legroom than the Sienna.

The Sienna’s spare tire is stored in the cargo area, where it diminishes the useable cargo capacity and interferes with loading and unloading. The Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s spare is out of the way underneath.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento Plug-In Hybrid’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Sienna doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Kia Sorento outsold the Toyota Sienna by 24% during 2024.