Compare the2027 Kia TellurideVS 2026 Lincoln Navigator

Both the Telluride and Navigator have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Navigator’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Kia Telluride has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Navigator doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Telluride has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Navigator doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Kia Telluride’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Lincoln Navigator does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Telluride uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Navigator uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Telluride and the Navigator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Navigator’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lincoln covers the Navigator. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Navigator ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 66 percent more Kia dealers than there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Lincoln is rated below average.

On the EPA test cycle the Telluride gets better mileage than the Navigator:

Regenerative brakes improve the Telluride Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Navigator doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Navigator requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Navigator. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Telluride higher (6 out of 10) than the Lincoln Navigator (5). This means the Telluride produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Navigator every 15,000 miles.

The Telluride offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Navigator doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better maneuverability, the Telluride’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Navigator’s (39.2 feet vs. 41.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Telluride X-Pro has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Navigator (9.1 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Kia Telluride may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 950 to 1550 pounds less than the Lincoln Navigator.

The Telluride is 10.8 inches shorter than the Navigator, making the Telluride easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Telluride is 8.1 inches shorter in height than the Navigator, making the Telluride much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Telluride’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Navigator doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Telluride uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Navigator doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Telluride has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 2.5 inches more rear headroom and 1 inch more rear legroom than the Navigator.

The Telluride’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Navigator’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

A Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the Telluride, using the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the Navigator.

The Telluride Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction, infotainment and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Navigator doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

When the Telluride SX/Prestige is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Navigator’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Kia Telluride stands out above the Lincoln Navigator by offering not one, but two Qi-compatible phone chargers in the front seat. This convenience helps travelers with multiple devices to keep powered up on-the-go. Wireless charging eliminates lost or cluttered charging cables and one of them provide more flexibility.

The Telluride Prestige’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Navigator doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Telluride is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Navigator doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The Navigator has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The Navigator was last chosen as a North American vehicle of the year in 2018.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Lincoln Navigator by almost six to one during 2025.