- The 2025 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid adopts the lineup's redesign from 2024
- Sorento plug-in hybrid costs $49,365
- Most buyers paid $10,000 less for similar plug-in hybrid Sorento just three years ago
The 2025 Kia Sorento PHEV features revised styling and tech in line with the standard Sorento and Sorento Hybrid, but its effective cost as gone up dramatically from when this plug-in hybrid crossover launched three years ago.
Kia on Tuesday announced that the 2025 Sorento PHEV will cost $49,365 with the mandatory $1,375 destination charge. That's for the base EX grade; an SX Prestige model is also available starting at $54,465 with destination. The SX Prestige was the sole trim level available for the 2024 model year, when it was priced at $51,655. Neither version is eligible for a federal EV tax credit.
The Sorento PHEV arrived in 2022 with a $46,165 base price. But it was also eligible for a $6,587 tax credit (the credit was then based mainly on battery-pack size) that brought the effective price down to $39,578 for buyers that were tax-credit eligible.
2025 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid
While not every buyer was able to take advantage of the tax credit when it was available, the Sorento PHEV costs $10,000 more today when the price hike for the 2025 model and the loss of the tax credit are factored in.
For 2025, the Sorento PHEV receives the same facelift as the Sorento Hybrid, which was first applied to non-hybrid Sorento models for 2024, highlighted by a more prominent grille.
Inside, the SX Prestige grade now has a curved panoramic display incorporating a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch touchscreen, while the base EX has a 12.3-inch touchscreen with a standalone instrument cluster. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard with both configurations, with digital key functionality on SX Prestige models. Adaptive cruise control that Kia claims can learn driving styles, as well as the automaker's Highway Driving Assist 2 system, are now available as well.
2025 Kia Sorento plug-in hybrid
The powertrain, consisting of a 1.6-liter turbo-4 and 6-speed automatic transmission teamed with a single electric motor and 13.8-kwh battery pack, with standard all-wheel drive, is unchanged. It's likely to make the same 261 hp as before, and Kia expects 30 miles of electric range.
Buyers don't have many other choices for similar-sized plug-in hybrid crossovers. The Sorento's Hyundai Santa Fe sibling got a major update for 2024, but no announcement has been made regarding the return of the plug-in hybrid model. The Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe offers more capability, but less efficiency, with an EPA-rated 26 miles of electric range and 23 mpg combined after using its plug-in charge.
