diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index 26ff1354..7d12ec4f 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/stretchr/testify v1.9.0
 	golang.org/x/sys v0.26.0
 	gopkg.in/evanphx/json-patch.v4 v4.12.0
-	k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20241106230208-459b3bf01982
+	k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20241108114310-4772861d607e
 	k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20241106231735-d941d9fb4c83
 	k8s.io/cli-runtime v0.0.0-20241105234034-30b82e78f32f
 	k8s.io/client-go v0.0.0-20241107030607-c57dbd8decb0
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 6f9e7007..4aa2c944 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -202,8 +202,8 @@ gopkg.in/inf.v0 v0.9.1/go.mod h1:cWUDdTG/fYaXco+Dcufb5Vnc6Gp2YChqWtbxRZE0mXw=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1 h1:fxVm/GzAzEWqLHuvctI91KS9hhNmmWOoWu0XTYJS7CA=
 gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.1/go.mod h1:K4uyk7z7BCEPqu6E+C64Yfv1cQ7kz7rIZviUmN+EgEM=
-k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20241106230208-459b3bf01982 h1:dawXS/j3CvWhfIXAJA29WpGivkWXdaOE6HmDY24ujcU=
-k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20241106230208-459b3bf01982/go.mod h1:a1KpjW7qk2zdbW2qzX85ex/fBhKNkow9dOvgGEKU+u8=
+k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20241108114310-4772861d607e h1:SJxpg9FSTdq3qp/R+LRlZv+xjY+miO+30ZpC7QkSkoM=
+k8s.io/api v0.0.0-20241108114310-4772861d607e/go.mod h1:h7yaPC7+0KxMELdLjLoo6n6m3EWq6AeHEY25PjH4cPI=
 k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20241106231735-d941d9fb4c83 h1:4KfMPmiiRIpvYJQ8cBYFEFht59EKysW1anuJWzHLHNg=
 k8s.io/apimachinery v0.0.0-20241106231735-d941d9fb4c83/go.mod h1:HqhdaJUgQqky29T1V0o2yFkt/pZqLFIDyn9Zi/8rxoY=
 k8s.io/cli-runtime v0.0.0-20241105234034-30b82e78f32f h1:MV1YnjgZhMzrdCt6HNUhCycAg6uphIgNgbyAyj4DBOI=
diff --git a/pkg/util/podutils/podutils.go b/pkg/util/podutils/podutils.go
index 642a6d47..dfefdef4 100644
--- a/pkg/util/podutils/podutils.go
+++ b/pkg/util/podutils/podutils.go
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import (
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
 	metav1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/util/sets"
 )
 
 // IsPodAvailable returns true if a pod is available; false otherwise.
@@ -113,8 +114,8 @@ func (s ByLogging) Less(i, j int) bool {
 		return afterOrZero(podReadyTime(s[j]), podReadyTime(s[i]))
 	}
 	// 5. Pods with containers with higher restart counts < lower restart counts
-	if maxContainerRestarts(s[i]) != maxContainerRestarts(s[j]) {
-		return maxContainerRestarts(s[i]) > maxContainerRestarts(s[j])
+	if res := compareMaxContainerRestarts(s[i], s[j]); res != nil {
+		return *res
 	}
 	// 6. older pods < newer pods < empty timestamp pods
 	if !s[i].CreationTimestamp.Equal(&s[j].CreationTimestamp) {
@@ -161,8 +162,8 @@ func (s ActivePods) Less(i, j int) bool {
 		return afterOrZero(podReadyTime(s[i]), podReadyTime(s[j]))
 	}
 	// 7. Pods with containers with higher restart counts < lower restart counts
-	if maxContainerRestarts(s[i]) != maxContainerRestarts(s[j]) {
-		return maxContainerRestarts(s[i]) > maxContainerRestarts(s[j])
+	if res := compareMaxContainerRestarts(s[i], s[j]); res != nil {
+		return *res
 	}
 	// 8. Empty creation time pods < newer pods < older pods
 	if !s[i].CreationTimestamp.Equal(&s[j].CreationTimestamp) {
@@ -190,12 +191,41 @@ func podReadyTime(pod *corev1.Pod) *metav1.Time {
 	return &metav1.Time{}
 }
 
-func maxContainerRestarts(pod *corev1.Pod) int {
-	maxRestarts := 0
+func maxContainerRestarts(pod *corev1.Pod) (regularRestarts, sidecarRestarts int) {
 	for _, c := range pod.Status.ContainerStatuses {
-		maxRestarts = max(maxRestarts, int(c.RestartCount))
+		regularRestarts = max(regularRestarts, int(c.RestartCount))
 	}
-	return maxRestarts
+	names := sets.New[string]()
+	for _, c := range pod.Spec.InitContainers {
+		if c.RestartPolicy != nil && *c.RestartPolicy == corev1.ContainerRestartPolicyAlways {
+			names.Insert(c.Name)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, c := range pod.Status.InitContainerStatuses {
+		if names.Has(c.Name) {
+			sidecarRestarts = max(sidecarRestarts, int(c.RestartCount))
+		}
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+// We use *bool here to determine equality:
+// true: pi has a higher container restart count.
+// false: pj has a higher container restart count.
+// nil: Both have the same container restart count.
+func compareMaxContainerRestarts(pi *corev1.Pod, pj *corev1.Pod) *bool {
+	regularRestartsI, sidecarRestartsI := maxContainerRestarts(pi)
+	regularRestartsJ, sidecarRestartsJ := maxContainerRestarts(pj)
+	if regularRestartsI != regularRestartsJ {
+		res := regularRestartsI > regularRestartsJ
+		return &res
+	}
+	// If pods have the same restart count, an attempt is made to compare the restart counts of sidecar containers.
+	if sidecarRestartsI != sidecarRestartsJ {
+		res := sidecarRestartsI > sidecarRestartsJ
+		return &res
+	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 // ContainerType and VisitContainers are taken from
diff --git a/pkg/util/podutils/podutils_test.go b/pkg/util/podutils/podutils_test.go
index b514a403..1515823d 100644
--- a/pkg/util/podutils/podutils_test.go
+++ b/pkg/util/podutils/podutils_test.go
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ func TestActivePods(t *testing.T) {
 	time1 := metav1.Now()
 	time2 := metav1.NewTime(time1.Add(1 * time.Second))
 	time3 := metav1.NewTime(time1.Add(2 * time.Second))
+	restartAlways := corev1.ContainerRestartPolicyAlways
 
 	tests := []struct {
 		name string
@@ -364,6 +365,81 @@ func TestActivePods(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "higher sidecar restart count should sort before lower restart count",
+			pod1: &corev1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "podWithMoreRestarts",
+					Namespace: "default",
+				},
+				Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
+					NodeName: "node1",
+					InitContainers: []corev1.Container{
+						{
+							Name:          "sidecar",
+							RestartPolicy: &restartAlways,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				Status: corev1.PodStatus{
+					Phase: corev1.PodRunning,
+					Conditions: []corev1.PodCondition{
+						{
+							Type:               corev1.PodReady,
+							Status:             corev1.ConditionTrue,
+							LastTransitionTime: time1,
+						},
+					},
+					ContainerStatuses: []corev1.ContainerStatus{
+						{
+							RestartCount: 3,
+						},
+					},
+					InitContainerStatuses: []corev1.ContainerStatus{
+						{
+							Name:         "sidecar",
+							RestartCount: 3,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			pod2: &corev1.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{
+					Name:      "podWithLessRestarts",
+					Namespace: "default",
+				},
+				Spec: corev1.PodSpec{
+					NodeName: "node1",
+					InitContainers: []corev1.Container{
+						{
+							Name:          "sidecar",
+							RestartPolicy: &restartAlways,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+				Status: corev1.PodStatus{
+					Phase: corev1.PodRunning,
+					Conditions: []corev1.PodCondition{
+						{
+							Type:               corev1.PodReady,
+							Status:             corev1.ConditionTrue,
+							LastTransitionTime: time1,
+						},
+					},
+					ContainerStatuses: []corev1.ContainerStatus{
+						{
+							RestartCount: 3,
+						},
+					},
+					InitContainerStatuses: []corev1.ContainerStatus{
+						{
+							Name:         "sidecar",
+							RestartCount: 2,
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {