KIA Sportage: Is the Plug-in Hybrid Version Never Profitable?

KIA offers its Sportage as a plug-in hybrid, but how many kilometers are needed to recoup the additional cost compared to the combustion engine?

More than just choice, the customer is mainly overwhelmed when examining the KIA catalog. Three versions of the Sportage SUV compete among themselves. But the temptation is strong to take out a calculator and consider profitability.

In Internal Combustion, the KIA Sportage starts at 32,290 euros. With 148g of CO2/km, its 2024 eco-tax will be 1,901 euros, totaling 34,191 euros. If you decide before December 31, 2023, the eco-tax will be “only” 1,276 €. With a weight under 1,600 kg, it will be exempt from the weight tax. Phew.

Meanwhile, the plug-in hybrid version starts at 45,490 euros, a difference of 11,299 euros. No small amount…

Nearly 180,000 km before amortization

Let’s look at consumption: 6.5 liters per 100 km in WLTP combined cycles for the combustion version, 1.1 liters / 100 km for the plug-in hybrid. How is this possible? Because its homologation allows up to 78 km in 100% electric mode.

Let’s keep it simple and accept the idea that the actual consumption difference is around 5.4 liters per 100 km. In reality, the combustion engine will consume about 8 liters, and the plug-in hybrid—if never charged—about 10 liters. Let’s move on.

With a difference of 5.4 liters per 100 km, and at a unit price of 1.8 euros per liter, the hybrid will cost 9.7 euros less per 100 km. Unfortunately, we must include the cost of electric recharging: (15 kW x 0.23 euros) per 100 km. That’s 3.45 euros. Therefore, the gap is reduced to only 6.25 euros per 100 km.

Conclusion

To recover a purchase cost difference of 11,299 euros, with a savings of 6.25 euros every 100 kilometers, it would require driving approximately 180,784 kilometers. And this is in the best-case scenario. Few plug-in hybrid SUVs are known to consume so little…

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