Sportage: yearly fuel cost
A larger family SUV with genuine hybrid efficiency, the 2024 Kia Sportage will cost roughly £1,063 a year to fuel at 8,000 miles and £1.45 per litre — about £89 a month, or £20.40 a week. Its WLTP combined figure of 49.6 mpg beats the SUV segment average of 44.3 mpg in our 20-car dataset by a comfortable margin, which is impressive given the Sportage's 215 PS output and 8.3-second 0–62 sprint. Over five years, the fuel bill totals roughly £5,300 — noticeably less than a comparable pure-petrol SUV, despite the Sportage's size and performance. For families who need the space but refuse to be punished at the pump, the hybrid Sportage hits a sweet spot. Its seven-year warranty also means those fuel savings keep coming long after most rivals' cover has expired.
Real-world returns of 46–48 mpg are typical against the 49.6 mpg WLTP claim, and the shortfall usually comes from motorway work, where the hybrid system leans more on the petrol engine. Getting the best from it means using Eco mode as your default, anticipating traffic so you brake regeneratively rather than abruptly, and keeping motorway speeds at 70 mph or below — push toward 80 and the economy penalty is steep. Also check tyre pressures monthly; SUVs are sensitive to them. Verdict: the Sportage delivers near-claimed economy for relaxed drivers, and its hybrid tech makes town running genuinely cheap for a car of this size. Keeping the air-con moderate and the windows closed at speed — the Sportage's tall body punishes open-window drag — squeezes a few more miles from every tank.