Sordo began in motocross at age 12 and also experienced success in hillclimbing, karting, and touring cars. He first drove in a WRC event at Rally Catalunya in 2003, finishing 18th overall in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII. He won the Spanish Junior Championship that year and retained the title in 2004, accumulating further international experience at WRC events in Argentina, Germany, France, and Spain.
For 2005, Sordo committed to a full season driving a Citroën C2 S1600 in the Junior World Rally Championship with Kronos Racing from Belgium. He also switched co-drivers, pairing with Marc Martí, the former co-driver of double World Champion Carlos Sainz. Victories in Sardinia, Finland, Germany, and Spain brought him the junior world title.
Those results earned Sordo a drive in a Kronos Total Citroën-prepared Xsara World Rally Car as the team's third driver in 2006. Early podiums at Rally Catalunya and the Rallye de France led to promotion to the second driver berth from the Rallye Deutschland onwards, alongside Sébastien Loeb and ahead of team-mate Xavier Pons. Sordo finished the 2006 season with four podiums, 49 points, and fifth overall in the drivers' championship.
For 2007, Citroën Sport named Sordo their second driver for the works team return, with Sébastien Loeb leading the push on the C4. Sordo began the season with second at the Monte Carlo Rally and added six further podiums in Portugal, Italy, Spain — where he led a WRC event for the first time — France, Japan, and Ireland. He placed fourth overall in the drivers' championship with 65 points, behind Loeb, Marcus Grönholm, and Mikko Hirvonen of BP Ford World Rally Team.
In 2008, Sordo took third in Argentina and second in Jordan after a slow start. On 12 July he won the SM O.K. Auto-Ralli, the fifth round of the Finnish Rally Championship — his first win in a WRC car. Back in the WRC, he recorded three consecutive runner-up finishes in Germany, New Zealand, and Spain behind Loeb. At the season-ending Wales Rally GB, Loeb and Sordo secured Citroën's fourth manufacturers' crown; Sordo finished a career-best third in the drivers' standings.
In the 2010 WRC season Sordo collected several top-five finishes and a second in Bulgaria behind Loeb, giving Citroën their first one-two of the season. He was subsequently replaced by Sébastien Ogier for the remaining gravel rounds of the works team, and demoted to the Citroën Junior Team alongside Kimi Räikkönen. He switched co-driver to Diego Vallejo from Rallye Deutschland onwards and ended the season with 63 points in fifth place under the old scoring system.
For 2011, Sordo joined MINI in their first WRC season, securing podiums with third in Germany and second in France. In 2012 he continued with MINI for their first full season. He won the 2012 Tour de Corse in the IRC driving a MINI, taking his maiden IRC victory. That same year he made a one-off appearance for Ford as a stand-in for the injured Jari-Matti Latvala in Argentina.
After two seasons with Prodrive/MINI, Sordo rejoined Citroën for 2013, driving the second DS3 WRC. At the 2013 Rallye Deutschland, he was in third position on day two when both leader Jari-Matti Latvala and second-placed Thierry Neuville left the road. Sordo inherited the lead with Neuville just 0.8 seconds behind, with two stages remaining. He held on through the Power Stage and won at his 106th WRC start — his first WRC round victory.
Since the 2014 season, Sordo has driven for Hyundai Motorsport, competing in the second or third car in selected events.
In 2019, Sordo achieved his second career victory at Rally Italia Sardegna. He had been second for most of the rally behind Ott Tänak, but the Estonian suffered a power steering failure at the Power Stage, giving victory to Sordo. A year later, Sordo won the 2020 Rally Italia Sardegna, his second consecutive victory at the event. He is the only driver alongside Sébastien Loeb, Sébastien Ogier, and Thierry Neuville to have won the Italian rally multiple times. At Rally Monza later that season, Sordo finished third after leading much of the event, helping Hyundai win the constructors' championship.
In October 2021, Sordo renewed his contract with Hyundai Motorsport through the 2022 season and announced that 2022 would be his last season. At the 2021 Rally Catalunya, after winning four consecutive stages (SS15, SS16, SS17, and the Power Stage), he finished third and achieved his 50th WRC podium.
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