Mazda CX-5 vs. Kia Sportage: Mazda Wins on AWD Price, Kia Has the Hybrid
The Kia starts $1,100 cheaper, but the all-wheel-drive Mazda undercuts its AWD rival. The real difference is a hybrid Mazda still can't offer.
On the sticker, the 2027 Kia Sportage looks like the cheaper compact SUV. A front-drive Sportage LX costs $30,485 with destination, $1,100 less than the $31,585 Mazda charges for the 2027 CX-5 2.5 S. Add all-wheel drive to the Kia, though, and the order flips: the Sportage LX AWD is $32,285, while every CX-5 already comes with AWD.
That is the first of several reversals in this matchup. Mazda held the base CX-5 at last year's price, as we reported when 2027 pricing came out, but it still has no hybrid. Kia sells the Sportage with three powertrains and raised its prices by $200, details in our 2027 Sportage pricing story. Here is how the two line up.
2027 Mazda CX-5 vs. 2027 Kia Sportage: the numbers
| Spec | 2027 Mazda CX-5 | 2027 Kia Sportage |
|---|---|---|
| Base price (incl. destination) | $31,585 (2.5 S, AWD) | $30,485 (LX FWD, gas) |
| Cheapest AWD version | $31,585 (2.5 S) | $32,285 (LX AWD, gas); $34,385 (Hybrid S AWD) |
| Top trim (incl. destination) | $41,035 (2.5 S Premium Plus) | $41,385 (gas X-Pro AWD); $42,185 (Hybrid SX-Prestige AWD); $48,885 (PHEV X-Line Prestige) |
| Destination charge | $1,595 | $1,495 |
| Powertrains | Gas only | Gas, hybrid, plug-in hybrid |
| Gas engine | 2.5L four, 187 hp, 186 lb-ft | 2.5L four, 187 hp, 178 lb-ft |
| Hybrid output | Not offered (Mazda: more powertrains to be announced in 2027) | 232 hp, 271 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 6-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic (gas); 6-speed automatic (hybrid, PHEV) |
| All-wheel drive | Standard on every trim | +$1,800 on gas trims, +$1,600 on Hybrid S and EX; standard on X-Line, X-Pro, PHEV |
| Combined fuel economy | 26 mpg (2026 EPA rating; 2027 TBA) | Gas: 28 FWD, 26 AWD; Hybrid: 41–42 FWD, 35 AWD (2026 EPA ratings; 2027 TBA) |
| Plug-in electric range | — | 33 miles (EPA, per California's DriveClean listing) |
| Cargo behind rear seat / max | 33.7 / 66.5 cu ft (2026; Mazda says 2027 space is improved but gives no figures) | 39.6 / 74.1 cu ft (gas) |
| Max towing | TBA (not in Mazda's 2027 release) | 2,500 lb (gas) |
| Basic warranty | 3 years/36,000 miles | 5 years/60,000 miles |
| Powertrain warranty | 5 years/60,000 miles, transferable | 10 years/100,000 miles, original owner only |
| IIHS | 2026: Top Safety Pick+; 2027: TBA | 2026 (built after May 2025): Top Safety Pick+; 2027: TBA |
| Headlights rated Good by IIHS | 2.5 S Premium Plus only | SX-Prestige and X-Pro Prestige only |
Prices are MSRP plus destination and exclude options, taxes, and dealer fees. Fuel-economy figures are the latest published EPA ratings; neither automaker has released 2027 numbers.
The price gap depends on which wheels turn
If you live somewhere dry and never need all-wheel drive, the Sportage LX FWD is the cheapest way into either showroom, and its 28-mpg rating beats the CX-5's 26. Over five years and 15,000 miles a year, at AAA's national average of $4.2661 a gallon on Oct. 27, that front-drive Kia burns about $11,400 in fuel to the Mazda's $12,300.
Compare like for like, and the Mazda wins. A CX-5 2.5 S is $700 cheaper than a Sportage LX AWD, with the same 187 hp and the same 26-mpg rating. The CX-5 also keeps its price advantage up the range: the Preferred, with 19-inch wheels, a power liftgate, heated seats, and a head-up display, costs $36,145, close to where a front-drive Sportage SX lands.
Where the Kia spends that money is on screens and space. Every Sportage gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen and nearly 6 more cubic feet of cargo room behind the rear seat than the 2026 CX-5. The CX-5 answers with a standard 12.9-inch screen and Google built-in with Gemini on every trim, a rollout Mazda started on the 2026 model.
The hybrid question Mazda can't answer yet
This is the Sportage's real advantage. The 2027 Sportage Hybrid starts at $32,085 with destination for the LX FWD, just $500 more than a base CX-5, and Kia's prices announced on July 20 put the Hybrid S AWD at $34,385. That all-wheel-drive hybrid costs $2,800 more than the CX-5 2.5 S, makes 45 more horsepower, and is rated at 35 mpg combined against the Mazda's 26.
At today's gas price, the AWD hybrid saves about $630 a year, or roughly $3,160 over five years, so it pays back its premium in about four and a half years. Choose a front-drive Sportage Hybrid, rated at 41 to 42 mpg depending on trim, and the savings come much faster, as long as you can live without AWD.
Kia also sells a plug-in hybrid from $42,085, with about 33 miles of EPA-rated electric range. Nothing in the CX-5 lineup competes with it.
The CX-5 isn't the only gas-only holdout in the segment. Chevrolet's Equinox and Volkswagen's Tiguan don't offer a hybrid either. But the class leaders have moved on: the Toyota RAV4 is now hybrid-only, and Honda and Hyundai both sell hybrid versions of the CR-V and Tucson, compared in our CR-V Hybrid vs. Tucson Hybrid test.
Should you wait for a CX-5 Hybrid?
Mazda has promised one. In November 2024, the company said it would add its own hybrid system to the next-generation CX-5, and its 2027 pricing release says additional powertrain options will be announced in 2027. That is the entire official timeline. Mazda hasn't said which months, what the hybrid will cost, how much power it will make, or what mileage to expect.
Waiting only makes sense if a hybrid is the whole reason you are looking at a CX-5 and you can hold on to your current car for a year or more. An announcement in 2027 doesn't mean cars in dealers in 2027, and the first model year of a new powertrain usually carries a premium. If you need a compact SUV this winter, judge the CX-5 as the gas car it is today.
Safety: both have the award the RAV4 missed
Both SUVs earned a 2026 IIHS Top Safety Pick+, which requires a Good rating in the updated moderate overlap test that measures protection for a rear-seat passenger. That is exactly where the redesigned RAV4 fell short, as we explained in our guide to compact SUVs with the 2026 award. The IIHS rating page for the CX-5 shows Good results in every crash test and both front crash prevention evaluations.
There are two catches. Both awards apply to 2026 models, and IIHS hasn't confirmed them for 2027 yet, although both cars carry over mechanically. And both require the top trim for Good headlights: the Premium Plus on the Mazda, the SX-Prestige or X-Pro Prestige on the Kia. Every other trim is rated Acceptable.
Warranty: Kia's is longer, Mazda's travels
Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage doubles Mazda's, and its basic warranty runs two years longer. The fine print narrows that gap for second owners: Kia's long powertrain term applies only to the original buyer, while Mazda's warranties transfer for their full terms. If you keep cars for a decade, the Kia's coverage is worth more. If you trade every four or five years, the difference matters less than it looks.
What we don't know yet
- When the CX-5 Hybrid arrives and what it costs. Mazda says only that more powertrains will be announced in 2027.
- When 2027 CX-5s reach dealers. Mazda says "in the coming months."
- EPA ratings for either 2027 model. The figures above are 2026 ratings for mechanically unchanged vehicles.
- 2027 cargo and towing figures for the CX-5. Mazda claims more rear-seat and cargo space but hasn't published numbers.
- November incentives. Both brands list offers by ZIP code, and October programs end in early November.
Which one should you buy?
If you want all-wheel drive and a gas engine, buy the CX-5. It is $700 cheaper than the equivalent Sportage, carries the same safety award, and keeps standard AWD all the way up the range, so you never pay extra for it.
If fuel cost matters more than the badge, buy the Sportage Hybrid. The front-drive version costs about the same as a base CX-5 and uses nearly 40% less fuel; the AWD version earns back its $2,800 premium in about four and a half years. The Sportage is also the better pick for anyone who needs maximum cargo space, plans to tow up to 2,500 pounds, or wants the longest warranty.
For most buyers cross-shopping these two right now, the Kia is the safer bet, simply because it offers a choice Mazda doesn't. If the RAV4 you wanted is still months away, as our RAV4 wait-time guide shows, the Sportage Hybrid is the most direct substitute of the two.
