Ford Kuga 2026 review | The underdog family SUV

What is the Ford Kuga?

The Kuga is Ford’s answer to the likes of the Peugeot 3008, Kia Sportage, Vauxhall Grandland and Hyundai Tucson. It’s also the larger sibling to the Ford Puma, which has been the best-selling car in the UK since the Ford Fiesta was discontinued. As a result, the Kuga sits somewhat in the shadows, and perhaps doesn’t get the attention it deserves. However, it’s practical, drives well and is affordable to buy and own, just like the smaller Puma.

Fundamentally, the Kuga is a crossover that aims to deliver the style and practicality of an SUV with the lower running costs and ease of use of a traditional hatchback. The original Kuga made its debut in 2008 and was based on the same platform as the second-generation Ford Focus, meaning it was great to drive. In 2012, it was replaced by a slightly larger second-generation Kuga, which was closely related to the US-only Ford Escape.

Neither car set the sales charts ablaze, with the Kuga getting lost in a sea of new SUVs from almost every car brand. It wasn’t until the current Kuga arrived in 2020 that the Blue Oval finally had a machine that finally took the fight to the class leaders. And the package got stronger still with the launch of a facelifted model in 2024.

How practical is it?

The Ford Kuga offers all the space and practicality a family is likely to need. Aside from thick A-pillars that get in the way slightly at junctions, it combines that with a high and commanding driving position.

There's plenty of headroom and legroom for a tall driver, and enough adjustment in the seat and steering wheel for those of smaller stature to get comfortable. For the most part, Ford gets the basics like driving position spot on; there’s a sense that people who know how a car should feel have assisted in every aspect of the Kuga’s development.

The rear seats have a 60:40 split, with the two outer perches both having Isofix mounting points for child seats. The bench also slides forwards and backwards, so you can choose between more than a metre of rear legroom or an additional 141 litres of boot space. Speaking of which, boot capacity measures between 412 litres and 553 litres (slightly less in plug-in hybrid versions), depending on the position of those rear seats. Fold them flat, however, and you have up to 1,534 litres.

What’s a little frustrating is the lack of features to enhance practicality. Items such as luggage mats, or boot storage nets and their mounting points, are mostly optional extras. The costs aren’t huge in terms of a new car, but these are things that other manufacturers offer for free.

Furthermore, it's a shame the dashboard isn't better finished, as plusher plastics would have helped the Kuga to steal a few more customers from prestige SUVs. It's not badly put together, just a little too hard and shiny in places.

What's it like to drive?

Ford has forged a reputation for making cars that are great to drive, regardless of whether they’re superminis or SUVs. The Kuga is not as nimble as the smaller Puma, but its steering is direct and well-weighted, and it dives into corners with surprising enthusiasm. As you’d expect, there’s some roll, but body movements feel well controlled, allowing you to blast along your favourite country road with confidence.

The Kuga’s party trick is to combine this driver engagement with genuine comfort, its well-tuned suspension offering a supple ride over bumps and potholes. There’s a little firmness at low speed, but it’s never uncomfortable and occupants are unlikely to be shaken or stirred. Noise levels are low, too, with very little roar from the road or rustle from the wind. It all conspires to make the Kuga a soothing long-distance cruiser.

When it comes to engines, the mid-life refresh means there is no longer the option of a diesel. This will no doubt be a disappointment to some, but there is a choice of petrol, petrol hybrid and petrol plug-in hybrid. This distinguishes the Kuga from the Puma, as the smaller sibling is either petrol-powered or fully electric.

The Kuga plug-in hybrid looks a bit of an oddball on paper, due to a beefy 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine. It’s paired with an electric motor and a 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery, plus a Ford-developed CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) and front-wheel drive. With 239bhp, 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds and the official fuel economy figure is 235-313mpg (recorded as part of the WLTP test cycle). Its electric-only driving range is 37.2-42.8 miles.

The regular, non-plug-in hybrid also has a 2.5-litre engine, but a tiny 1.1kWh battery works with the electric motor for a total of 177bhp in the- front-wheel-drive Kuga, or 180bhp if you go for all-wheel drive. Ford claims 45.5-53.2mpg combined for the front-driven car and 44.1-49.5mpg for the 4WD version. Performance-wise, the former hits 62mph in 9.1 seconds and the latter in 8.3 seconds, despite an extra 76kg of weight.

Finally, there’s a conventional turbocharged 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engine, which serves up 148bhp and 177lb ft of torque. Zero to 62mph is over in 9.5 seconds, making it the slowest Kuga of the bunch, but it does come with a six-speed manual gearbox and weighs just 1,526kg, more than 160kg less than any other car in the range. The petrol car achieves 39.2-44.8mpg in the standard test.

Technology, equipment & infotainment

The Kuga spec ladder is made up of the entry-level Titanium, followed by ST-Line and ST-Line X. Whichever rung you opt for sets the parameters for which powertrain you can have. Unsurprisingly, you’ll need to go for a higher trim level if you want the plug-in hybrid.

The Kuga Titanium comes with the 1.5-litre engine only, but it’s decent enough in terms of the level of equipment on offer. You get 17-inch alloy wheels, full LED headlights and LED rear lights, front- and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster that sits alongside a 13.0-inch central display (upgraded from an 8.0-inch display in the pre-facelift model).

The infotainment is of particular interest, as it now includes Ford’s latest-generation SYNC 4 software, with twice the computing power of the previous SYNC 3 system. It has 5G connectivity, cloud-connected navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a DAB radio and Amazon Alexa all built in. Also included as standard are keyless entry, a six-speaker audio system, a heated windscreen (a much-loved Ford feature) and various safety systems, like pre-collision assist with autonomous emergency braking, blind spot alert and lane-keep assist.

Jump up to the ST-Line and you get a number of upgrades, such as 360-degree cameras, 18-inch wheels, a powered boot lid, adaptive cruise control, a B&O sound system with 10 speakers and a subwoofer.

One useful trick: the adaptive cruise control doesn’t just look ahead at what other cars are doing, but it looks and thinks ahead about what the road is doing. So, if you’re on the motorway with the cruise control set at 65mph, you’ll just pootle along as normal. However. if there’s a bend in the road where you’d likely take a lift on the throttle, the car will do that for you. Smart stuff.

Having said all of that, a look at the options list for the Kuga shows you that a lot is only available when you pay extra. The Dynamic Matrix LED headlamps, with a 'Coast-to-Coast' light bar between the lamps, are something you’d expect to be included on the top-spec ST-Line X. But no, it’s an option costing more than £1,000. Similarly, a head-up display is a paid-for option, as is the 12-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat. All but two of the paint colours will cost extra, too, and there’s no choice at all when it comes to interior materials and colours, You’d better be a fan of black fabrics and black leather.

If the worst happens, the third-gen Kuga's safety standards are excellent. It has a five-star rating from the crash test experts at Euro NCAP. An autonomous emergency braking system is standard across the board, as is lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist.

Ford Kuga running costs

In the grand scheme of things, the Kuga isn’t wildly expensive. Yes, it’s annoying that there are some options you’d think would be included. But the range kicks off at around £33,000 for the Titanium, rising to around £38,000 for the ST-Line and £40,000 for the ST-Line X (and potentially more on top).

The ST-Line is probably the sweet spot, and while we’re certainly drawn to the front-wheel-drive 1.5-litre petrol, less than £1,000 more takes you to the hybrid. Given the hikes in economy and performance, that feels like a sensible decision, and to some extent it future-proofs the car in terms of value. A real win of this Kuga is that it fits beneath the £40,000 ‘luxury car’ threshold for VED road tax’. Opt for the same engine in the ST-Line X, or the regular hybrid with all-wheel drive, and you’ll be above the £40,000 threshold, meaning considerable extra expense (another £425 on top of the £195-per-year annual flat rate) between years two and six of the car's life.

Buy any new Ford and you get a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, plus one year’s worth of Ford Assistance, covering you for breakdowns in the UK and Europe. The warranty can be extended for an additional cost, either to four years and 80,000 miles, or five years and 100,000 miles. Other costs may include a Ford Protect Service Plan, the Ford Protect Wear and Tear plan (this covers non-service items that are likely to wear out, such as brake discs and pads), or the Service Plan Plus, which is both of these plans combined.

Ford Kuga reliability

Although there are few horror stories about the previous-generation Kuga, the new car is much more complex than its predecessor. And the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey found the latest Kuga somewhat lacking as well. It came 11th out of 15 in the large SUV category, with a score of 89.6%, compared to the class-leading Mercedes GLC’s score of 97.9%. Ford didn’t score particularly well in the overall manufacturer standings, either, finishing in joint 24th place out of 30 brands (alongside Volkswagen) with a score of 90.5%.

Like all Ford passenger cars, the Ford comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty that can be extended at extra cost. That length of warranty is pretty much the minimum you'd expect of any new car, and it’s a little disappointing. It's considerably shorter than the seven-year/100,000-mile cover on a new Kia Sportage, or the potential ten-year/100,000-mile warranty on a Toyota RAV4 that you'll get if you you service the car within the main dealer network.