Kia Sportage upgrades, generation by generation.

QL cars from 2016 to 2021, mostly for an Android screen on base cars, a reversing camera and front parking sensors; the case study on this page is a 2017–2019 QL with all three done at once. SL owners come for the same Android screen, NQ5 owners for dash cams, front sensors and a wireless CarPlay adapter.

On petrol and diesel cars, no: the dash cam is hardwired from the fuse box under the dash on the driver's side with a low-voltage cut-off. On NQ5 hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars we take power from the 12 V circuit only, with the cut-off set for the smaller battery, and never go near the high-voltage system.

No. The Kia-specific screens plug into the factory loom, so the steering-wheel buttons, the factory microphone and the USB port keep working, and the climate panel on the SL and QL is a separate unit that stays exactly as it is. The fascia is moulded for the Sportage dashboard, so it looks factory rather than fitted.

SL — 2010–2015: CD radio with a small display and Bluetooth on most cars; 7-inch touchscreen navigation on higher trims, no CarPlay. QL — 2016–2021: 5-inch display audio without CarPlay on base cars to 2018; 7-inch touchscreen or 8-inch navigation with CarPlay and Android Auto on most 2017 and later cars. NQ5 — 2022 on (petrol, mild hybrid, hybrid and plug-in hybrid): 8-inch display audio with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto on base cars, 12.3-inch navigation with wired CarPlay on most; ccNC with wireless CarPlay on the 2025 facelift. Not sure? Send the reg on WhatsApp and we tell you the generation and the route.

CarPlay: Android screen on SL and base QL cars, a wireless adapter on touchscreen QL and NQ5 cars. Reversing camera: Camera in the tailgate on the factory touchscreen, the Android screen or a mirror monitor. Car radio: A 9 or 10-inch Android screen in place of the SL radio or the QL 5-inch display audio. Dash cam: Hardwired from the driver's-side fuse box with a cut-off; 12 V side only on hybrid NQ5 cars. Parking sensors: Front sensors added to QL and NQ5 cars with rear only, colour-matched sensors on the SL. Ambient lighting: Ambient LED kits on the SL and QL, factory mood lighting extended on the NQ5. Subwoofer: Under-seat or boot subwoofer on a DSP amplifier; JBL and Harman Kardon cars keep their amp. Speakers: Plug-in door speakers for the six-speaker system; JBL and Harman Kardon amplifiers kept. Soundproofing: Doors and floor treated with butyl and foam, trim refitted without marks.

CarPlay: under an hour for activation, two to four hours for a box or a screen. Reversing camera: two to three hours. Car radio: two to three hours, usually the same day. Dash cam: one to two hours for a front camera, about two with a rear camera. Most Sportage owners wait at the workshop or drop the car in the morning and collect it the same day.

SL: the CD radio with a small display and Bluetooth on most cars; 7-inch touchscreen navigation on higher trims, no CarPlay stays and we add to it. QL: the 5-inch display audio without CarPlay on base cars to 2018; 7-inch touchscreen or 8-inch navigation with CarPlay and Android Auto on most 2017 and later cars stays and we add to it. NQ5: the 8-inch display audio with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto on base cars, 12.3-inch navigation with wired CarPlay on most; ccNC with wireless CarPlay on the 2025 facelift stays and we add to it. Steering-wheel buttons, factory amplifiers and cameras are carried over on every route; the only route that changes what you see is an Android screen, and even then the controls are kept.

Send the reg or the year on WhatsApp or the form below and we confirm the generation, the route, the price and the next free slot. Every job carries a one-year warranty on the work, done at our workshop in Rosemount Business Park, Dublin 11, Monday to Saturday.