The Kia Sorento is a great family SUV with three rows of seats to take everyone on adventures, but is it safe? Let’s look at its crash results and features to see if it will protect yourself and passengers in the event of an accident. 

Is the Kia Sorento Safe? 

The 2020 Kia Sorento is an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) top safety pick for 2020. But this award only applies to vehicles with forward collision prevention and LED projection headlights. 

The IIHS performs tests to determine how well a vehicle can protect a realistic crash dummy from head-on and side-impact collisions. Also, the IIHS tests vehicles on how well they can avoid a collision. 

The crash tests are performed at 40 mph in a controlled setting. The results are Superior, Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor, and a vehicle will not pass the safety standards unless they score at least an Acceptable score in each category. 

The Kia Sorento scored a Good in every category, including Roof Strength, Side Impact, Front Passenger Impact, Front Driver Impact, and more. 

While using realistic test dummies, IIHS determined that the Kia Sorento is good at protecting the driver and passenger’s head, neck, chest, arms, and legs. 

The front and side airbags were found to be good at protecting the dummies from stiff structures or outside objects that could cause injuries. 

NHTSA Safety Ratings 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also performed tests on the 2020 Kia Sorento involving realistic crash dummies. 

Their tests are performed at 35 miles an hour to determine safety during frontal crashes, side impacts, and rollover risks. 

The NHTSA rates vehicles on a scale involving five stars based on crash simulations. The Kia Sorento scored 5/5 stars in each category except for the rollover risk. 

The rollover crash is based on a loss of control scenario, and the Kia Sorento only scored 4 out of 5 stars. However, the 2020 Kia Sorento only has a 15.80% risk of rolling over, so it’s not something to worry too much about. 

2020 Kia Sorento Safety Features 

The optional 2020 Kia Sorento safety features include: 

• Stability control to reduce engine power and apply brake pressure if a loss of control is sensed. 

• Frontal airbags, side airbags, and overhead airbags. 

• Lane-keeping assist in making sure you maintain your lane. 

• Forward collision prevention warning to apply the brakes and alert you of an incoming impact. 

• Surround-view monitoring to detect potential collisions all around the vehicle. 

• Blindspot collision avoidance to detect potential vehicles that may be difficult to see to prevent side impacts. 

• Rear cross-traffic avoidance to prevent you from hitting another vehicle while in reverse. 

• Smart cruise control with stop and go to help you maintain your preferred distance from the vehicle in front of you. It will automatically stop if necessary and start again with a tap of the accelerator pedal. 

• Child safety sensors that detect the latch of car seats and adjust the airbags during collins based on the severity of the impact to protect children. 

So, yes. The Kia Sorento is an incredibly safe option for you and your family. Even your children will be protected from the force of airbags should an accident occur.