2026 Kia Sorento Trim Guide: Which Trim Should You Choose?

Work through these in order and the trim usually picks itself.

• Engine: LX and S use a 2.5L 4-cylinder making 191 hp and 181 lb-ft, paired with an 8-speed automatic. EX, SX and SX Prestige use a turbocharged 2.5L making 281 hp and 311 lb-ft, paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission. That 90-hp step is the biggest single jump in the range, and it lands between S and EX.
• All-wheel drive: It is not offered on the LX at all, but it is available on S, EX and SX. The SX Prestige includes it as standard. So if that matters to you, the LX is out of the running before anything else gets decided.
• Seating: LX and S seat 7 on a second-row bench. The three upper trims are listed at 6, with second-row captain's chairs standard on the two SX trims and available on the EX through its Premium Package. Kia also lists 7-passenger seating as available with that package.
• Comfort and technology: Every trim gets the 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so nobody starts out with a small screen. What climbs with the trims is seating material, climate control, audio, the sunroof, wheel size and how much of the driver-assistance suite you get.

Starting prices are before destination, and each figure below is where that trim opened for 2026.

Read this one as a staircase. Each row assumes everything below it.

Each write-up below does the same two jobs: who the trim is genuinely right for, and who should keep reading. It helps to have the Sorento inventory page open alongside this guide, so you can see what is listed right now as you read.

The LX launched at $32,390 and comes with front-wheel drive only, which settles the all-wheel-drive decision before you look at anything else. It still gives you the same 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless phone mirroring as every trim above it, seating for 7, and the full standard safety suite, so the basics are not what you give up at the bottom of the range. What the lower price costs you is comfort rather than capability: cloth seats, manual air conditioning, a small 4.3-inch instrument cluster and a tailgate you lift yourself.

Choose this if the $32,390 launch price is the deciding factor and front-wheel drive suits you, or you already know you will not be driving it in winter conditions where traction matters.

Look elsewhere if all-wheel drive is even a maybe, because the LX does not offer it at any price and you cannot add it later.

The S launched at $35,290 with front-wheel drive and $37,290 with all-wheel drive, so it is the first trim where the all-wheel-drive decision and the comfort decision are both still open. It fixes the LX's biggest daily annoyances: heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, Premium Leatherette instead of cloth, a 10-way power driver's seat and wireless phone charging. A panoramic sunroof is available through a package. What it does not change is the engine.

Choose this if all-wheel drive matters to you but the turbo does not, or you want the comfort upgrades over the LX without paying for power you will not use.

Look elsewhere if the stronger engine is the point, since the S still uses the 191-hp 2.5L either way.

The EX is where the engine decision gets made, and it launched at $38,490 with front-wheel drive. The turbocharged 2.5L makes 281 hp and 311 lb-ft through the dual-clutch transmission, and that changes how the Sorento feels on a merge ramp with the family aboard. The EX also brings the full 12.3-inch navigation system, 20-inch wheels, LED fog lights, an 8-way power passenger seat and a smart power tailgate. Add the EX Premium Package and you get second-row captain's chairs, Bose audio and a panoramic sunroof, so the seating decision can move to 6 here if that suits you.

Choose this if the turbo is the reason you opened a trim guide at all, and you would rather put the money into power than into leather and audio.

Look elsewhere if ventilated seats or a heated steering wheel matter more to you than holding the price down at the engine step, since both of those start at the SX.

With the SX, which launched at $42,290 with front-wheel drive, the comfort and technology stop being options and start being standard equipment. What the EX asks you to add, the SX includes: second-row captain's chairs, a panoramic sunroof and Bose audio. On top of that come ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a 12.3-inch reconfigurable digital instrument cluster, power-folding mirrors, rain-sensing wipers and rear door sunshades. The driver-assistance step matters too, with a stronger blind-spot system, a surround view monitor and Highway Driving Assist 2 with automatic lane change.

Choose this if you spend real time on the highway and want the seats and assistance features that make those miles easier, or you would rather have the EX's options built in than pieced together.

Look elsewhere if you want all-wheel drive included rather than added, since the SX still lists it as an option and only the SX Prestige makes it standard.

The SX Prestige launched at $46,790, and it is the only trim where standard all-wheel drive, the turbo engine and the full comfort list all arrive together with nothing left to option. It adds Perforated Leather seating, a 14-way power driver's seat with power thigh extension, a 12-speaker audio system with an external amplifier and a household-style power outlet, and it wears the skid-plate exterior treatment. Kia also offers an off-road-oriented X-Pro version of this trim, which launched at $47,790 with all-wheel drive.

Choose this if you have already decided you want the Sorento fully equipped and would rather pay once than assemble it option by option.

Look elsewhere if the SX already answers your four decisions, since the engine, seating count and driver-assistance suite are the same in both, and the added leather and audio are the only real gap to weigh against the higher price.

Of the four decisions, this is the one that is genuinely local rather than a matter of taste. Butler County sits on the Allegheny Plateau, so the roads roll and climb, and a Western Pennsylvania winter puts snow and road salt on all of them. The Route 8 run south toward Cranberry and the north Pittsburgh suburbs is not always the same surface at both ends. All-wheel drive is optional on the S, the EX and the SX, and standard on the SX Prestige. It is also the one thing you cannot add to an LX later, no matter how the rest of the shopping goes.

The Sorento sits at 6.9 inches of ground clearance across the range, so the trim you pick does not change how much road you clear underneath. What does change with the trim is the drive-mode setup, and it is worth knowing that this is not a simple ladder that improves as the price climbs.

The LX carries only the basic Sport, Eco and Smart selector. The S, the EX and the SX each carry that same selector plus an added terrain selector with Normal, Sport, Smart, Snow, Mud and Sand. The SX Prestige carries the terrain selector on its own, without the base Sport, Eco and Smart set. Put plainly: if snow and mud modes are what you want out of a Western PA winter, the S is where they start, and stepping up to the EX or SX buys engine and comfort rather than more drive modes.

Some things do not change with the trim, and they are worth knowing before you shop by price alone.

Cargo space is the same throughout: 12.6 cubic feet behind the third row, 38.5 to 45.0 behind the second row, and 75.5 behind the front seats. The Sorento measures 189.6 inches long and 74.8 inches wide on a 110.8-inch wheelbase, whichever trim you pick.

The Sorento carries the top overall 5-star U.S. government crash rating. Standard driver assistance across the range includes forward collision avoidance with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist and driver attention warning. The two top trims build on that with the stronger blind-spot system, surround view monitor and Highway Driving Assist 2.

Warranty coverage is identical on every trim:

Once you have it narrowed to a trim or two, the fastest way to settle it is to sit in both. Browse the Sorento inventory to see listings and prices, or look across the range on our Kia model showroom. You can value your trade-in and start your financing online before you come in, then schedule a test drive at a time that suits you. For deals, check our new Kia specials, where the mix changes month to month, so it is worth seeing what applies now. Every new Sorento we sell comes with Kelly Confidence ownership benefits.