2025 Kia Telluride vs. 2025 Honda Pilot Comparison

Maybe the Kia Telluride is the hottest thing in the 3-row midsize SUV market. Or maybe the all-new Honda Pilot is the hottest thing in the 3-row midsize SUV market. They’re both great-looking, highly capable family haulers with seating for up to eight and reasonable sticker prices. They’re both selling fast, and they’re both incredibly well-rounded.

Let’s make a tale-of-the-tape comparison to see what sets them apart.

2025 Kia Telluride

The Kia Telluride made its debut in 2020 and was an instant hit. With a stylish and masculine exterior and a V6 engine putting out 291 hp, it gives buyers looking for room and capability an excellent starting point.

Perhaps even more impressive is that you can dress this ute up, pushing it from handsome to dashing. There are 10 different trim combinations available to interested buyers, from the base model LX to the SX Prestige X-Pro. The LX comes with front-wheel drive, but for $2K, you can add all-wheel drive. Once you move into the EX X-Line, AWD is standard equipment.

The Telluride’s a great place to be if you need your technology. It features five USB-C ports throughout the SUV and a free 1-year subscription to Kia Connect Ultimate, which offers improved navigation with real-time and predicted traffic levels. Pricing for the Telluride starts at $37,585.

Kia Telluride Highlights

Big power: The Kia Telluride features a 291-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front- (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). That kind of power helps when tooling around town or trying to get out of town.

Safe space: The Telluride can carry up to eight people, so it’s important to know it’s a safe vehicle. It features a 5-star overall rating from NHTSA and the Top Safety Pick+ award from IIHS.

The longest warranty in the business: Kia protects the Telluride with a 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. That’s a powerful differentiator — major repairs on your 2025 Telluride could be covered in 2035.

Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Telluride models for sale near you.

2025 Honda Pilot

The Pilot’s 2023 makeover proved it can look rough and ready while still performing soccer mom duties. When families want to go off the beaten track, Honda’s got a trim package for that: the TrailSport edition. It features steel skid plates, an extra inch of ground clearance, the TrailWatch Camera System to better navigate rocks and trees around the vehicle, and special software designed to help it traverse more challenging terrain than its predecessor.

Whether you’re looking to get away from it all for a few days or simply need a roomy, comfortable place to be while getting around town, the Pilot is ready. Honda upgraded the Pilot’s on-road componentry, such as its suspension and steering. The changes made it stiffer, giving it more agility for moments when being nimble is critical. Pricing for the Pilot starts at $41,595, including destination fees.

Honda Pilot Highlights

Off-road ready: The top-of-the-line TrailSport, with its 285-horsepower V6 engine, the most powerful Honda engine ever, can tow 5,000 pounds. Honda claims that equates to a 24-foot camper or a 22-foot boat.

Traffic Jam Assist: Under the right conditions, the Honda Pilot can pretty well drive itself through slower-moving highway traffic. Just keep a hand on the steering wheel to let it know you’re paying attention, and it’ll go, stop, and steer for miles at a time. It works very well, and it’s standard across the lineup.

Easy access: The Touring and Elite models offer a removable center seat in the second row, making access to the third row easier. The seat can then fit under the cargo space floor in readiness for when the Pilot needs to be an 8-seater again.

Check this week’s Fair Purchase Price or see the Pilot models for sale near you.

Similarities

All 3-row SUVs are similar, but we’ll pull back the curtain on our work enough to say that this is one of the hardest comparisons we’ve made. These two are at the top of their class, with similar aesthetics and similar specifications.

Conclusion

When automakers design a new car, they typically buy the best models in its class to keep around as benchmarks. We have no doubt that was the case here. This is one of the closest comparisons we’ve ever written. The Telluride’s lower price and longer warranty will make it the right choice for some. The Pilot’s flexible seating and professional grade off-road TrailSport trim will make it the right choice for others.

But many shoppers could flip a coin between these two and be happy with how it landed.

The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors.
The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for vehicles and vehicles in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership.
These prices are updated weekly. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) quoted includes the destination fee, but does not include tax, license, document fees, and options.

Specs

	2025 Kia Telluride	2025 Honda Pilot
Popular Powertrains
Engine	3.8-liter V6	3.5-liter V6
Horsepower	291 hp @ 6,000 rpm	285 hp @ 6,100 rpm
Torque	262 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm	262 lb-ft @ 5,000 rpm
Transmission	8-spd automatic	10-spd automatic
Fuel Economy	20 city/26 highway/22 combined	19 city/27 highway/22 combined
Also Available	AWD	AWD
Specs
Basic warranty	5 years/60,000 miles	3 years/36,000 miles
Powertrain Warranty	10 years/100,000 miles	5 years/60,000 miles
NHTSA Overall Safety Rating	5 stars	5 stars
Max Seating Capacity	8	8
Wheelbase	114.2 inches	113.8 inches
Overall Length	196.9 inches	199.9 inches
Width	78.3 inches	78.5 inches
Height	68.9 inches	71.0 inches
Turning Diameter	38.8 feet	37.8 feet
Headroom, Front	40.9 inches	40.5 inches
Headroom, Rear	40.2 inches	40.2 inches
Headroom, 3rd Row	38.1 inches	39.3 inches
Legroom, Front	41.4 inches	41.0 inches
Legroom, Rear	42.4 inches	40.8 inches
Legroom 3rd Row	31.4 inches	32.5 inches
Shoulder Room, Front	61.6 inches	61.9 inches
Shoulder Room, Rear	61.2 inches	61.7 inches
Shoulder Room, 3rd Row	55.3 inches	59.5 inches
EPA Cargo Volume	21.0/46.0/87.0 cubic feet	18.6/48.5/87.0 cubic feet