2023 Kia Sportage Plug-In Hybrid Claims 34 Miles of Electric Range

• Kia has shared details about the new plug-in-hybrid version of the 2023 Sportage.

• It comes with a larger battery and more powerful electric motor compared with the standard hybrid and promises an electric range of 32 miles.

• The 2023 Sportage plug-in hybrid will go on sale in the third quarter of this year.

UPDATE 10/28/22: Kia has released updated information regarding the Sportage PHEV, which now has a claimed electric range of 34 miles. Kia also revealed power and torque figures for the Sportage PHEV’s plug-in hybrid setup, which makes 261 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

The Kia Sportage received a redesign for 2023 and is sprouting all sorts of new variants. A hybrid model was revealed a few months ago and now we have the details on the plug-in-hybrid model, which will go on sale in the U.S. in the third quarter of 2022. It will join the Mitsubishi Outlander, Toyota RAV4, and the closely related Hyundai Tucson in offering a plug-in option to compact-SUV shoppers.

Like the hybrid, the Sportage PHEV is powered by a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four and an electric motor. But the plug-in version gets a more powerful electric motor and a bigger battery pack that's said to provide 32 miles of electric range on a full charge. Kia won't say what the hybrid powertrain's total output is, but we reckon it's about the same as the Tucson PHEV and the larger Kia Sorento PHEV, both of which make 261 hp. A six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive put the Sportage plug-in's power to the ground.