Hyundai Tucson vs KIA Sportage vs Renault Kadjar: which one is the best value for money?

By Farzana Chaumoo

The two Korean automakers, KIA and Hyundai, have been fraternal rivals for years. Hyundai and KIA have shared parts and both automakers are known for their reliability. Both the Sportage and Tucson have an excellent interior build quality and can even give Volkswagen a run for solidity levels. Renault's build quality doesn't quite match up, however, it's packed with features. Our value pick goes to the Tucson and here's why.

Practicality

The Sportage has the biggest dimensions but the Tucson is the winner for boot space here. Space and versatility are one of the key factors in modern compact vehicles. Buyers look toward whether seats can fold flat, how capacious is the luggage area, whether there are Isofix child-seat mounting points and how much of room is available for all passengers. An idea of this can be gathered from the car's dimensions.

The little Kadjar does have the most ground clearance at 200 mm, which is 28 mm more than the Tucson, as well as having the most narrow boot opening. All three of these vehicles have square boot openings making it convenient to load large items while the boot lips are conveniently low too. The Sportage has one up here with its electric tailgate, however, the motion is notably slow. 

While the Koreans offer rear reclining seats and rear ventilation vents, all three vehicles offer excellent rear passenger space. 

	Tucson	Sportage	Kadjar
Length	4 475 mm	4 480 mm	4 449 mm
Width	1 850 mm	1 855 mm	1 836 mm
Height	1 660 mm	1 655 mm	1 607 mm
Wheelbase	2 670 mm	2 670 mm	2 646 mm
Boot capacity/seats down	488 L/1 478 L	466 L/1 455 L	370 L/1 478 L

Performance vs economy

The Kadjar is the most underpowered vehicle here but it is the most fuel efficient one too. The Kadjar's peak torque also closely matches the Tucson and Sportage. Today's modern petrol engines are not only better suited for short run-around trips such as a school run or trips to the grocer, but they're also invariably less expensive to purchase. The diesel engines are better for long distance trips where you are going to cover almost 20,000 kilometres a year. 

	1.6 Turbo Tucson	1.6T GT-Line Sportage	1.5 Turbo dCi Kadjar
Power/Torque	130 kW/265 Nm	130 kW/265 Nm	81 kW/260 Nm
Claimed fuel consumption	8.5L/100 km	7.5L/100 km	4.7L/100 km

Warranty

Warranties are all pretty even between these three automakers, except that Hyundai offers a 7 year/200 000 km warranty on its powertrain and is the clear winner here.

Hyundai offers a 5 year/150 000 km Manufacturer's Warranty; along with an additional 2 year/50 000 km Manufacturer's Powertrain Warranty; 5 year/150 000 km Roadside Assistance; and a 5 year/90 000 km Service Plan. 

Renault offers a 5 year/150 000 km Warranty; a 5 year/90 000 km Service Plan and 5 year/150 000 km Roadside Assistance.

KIA offers a 5 year/Unlimited Kilometres Warranty; a 5 year/90 000 km Service Plan and a 5 year/Unlimited Kilometres Roadside Assistance.

Value for money

The Kadjar is no longer available on the new car market but on the used car market the Kadjar would be our value pick. On the new car market, our value pick goes to the Tucson, especially because of its 7-year warranty. The Kadjar is a little outclassed by its rivals but it's perfect for a small family, while also being the more affordable option. The Sportage has the best build quality and offers plenty of standard spec. The Tucson has a spacious and practical cabin while also offering a good level of refinement.