Zeekr X (awd) vs Kia Sportage

What's the difference?

Zeekr is a new electric brand and the X small SUV is one of its first cars to come to Australia.

Owned by the Chinese carmaker Geely, which also has a big stake in Volvo, the X is designed in Sweden, built in China and now sold here.

Rivals to this little electric SUV include the Smart #1, Volvo EX30 and Xpeng G6.

The Zeekr X line-up is currently very simple - there’s the rear-wheel drive version and the all-wheel drive we tested. 

An updated Sportage is a big deal for Kia. It's the brand's best-selling model in Australia and around the world, and arguably has never faced more and stiffer competition.

There's a new Mazda CX-5 around the corner, this time with a hybrid, and Toyota has just whipped the covers off its new RAV4. And that's before you mention Hyundai, Volkswagen, Honda or the litany of Chinese newcomers all here for slice of the pie.

Kia tells us this mid-life update is designed to look better, drive better, offer better tech, better safety and better equipment right across a vast range that includes petrol, diesel, hybrid, two-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, turbo and non-turbo alike.

So the question is, is all of that enough to keep the Sportage fresh in the face of all this new competition? Let's go find out.