Name: 2025 Kia K4
Brand: Kia

2025
Kia K4

EPA MPG: 33 mpg

Kia K4 First Drive

Summary

Introduction

A Desirable New Car for Under $25,000? Yes, Please.

The new K4 is one of the least expensive new cars on the market, but there's a lot to like about it beyond its price.

Overview

After we fully test the 2025 Kia K4 sedan we just purchased, we’re going to end up with a whole lot of numbers. We’ll measure its fuel economy, how fast it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph, how many feet it takes to stop in a panic-braking situation, and the highest speed it can achieve while swerving to avoid an obstacle in the road. Our testers will rate how comfortable we find it, how pleasant it is to drive, and how effective its active safety features are. Then, we’ll combine all those numbers into a single road-test score.

But we already know the most important number: $24,320. That’s how much we paid for our Kia K4 LXS, including a $1,155 destination charge. These days, the average new car costs almost twice as much, according to data from Cox Automotive. There’s only a handful of new cars left that sell for less than $25,000.

With used cars still in short supply and most of the new car market focused on luxury vehicles and pricey pickups and SUVs, the K4 fills a niche that’s getting smaller every year. Even the least expensive K4 still costs $2,000 more than the starting price of the 2024 Kia Forte, the slightly smaller sedan it replaces.

Knowing that buyers wouldn’t have many other choices, Kia could’ve made the K4 a car of last resort—the same way a gas station doesn’t need a Michelin star to sell hot dogs. But so far, the K4 has shown itself to be a stylish sedan that’s pleasant to drive and easy to live with in its own right. It just happens to cost $25,000.

We’ll spend a lot more time with the K4 when we’re done putting 2,000 break-in miles on it. That’s when we’ll start putting it through more than 50 tests at our 327-acre Auto Test Center in Connecticut, including fuel economy, braking, acceleration, and emergency handling. We’ll also drive it on road trips, jaunts to the grocery store, and everything in between.

In the meantime, CR members can read our initial thoughts on the K4 below.

It competes with the Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra, Subaru Impreza, and Toyota Corolla.

Impressions

What We Like

The price

If you qualify for a five-year loan at Kia’s 3.49 percent promotional interest rate and don’t put down any money, the monthly payment on a brand new K4 LXS like ours would be around $442 a month before taxes and fees. If you have a trade-in or a down payment, it would be even less. Plus, the engine, transmission, and drivetrain would still have another five years of warranty coverage left once you paid the car off.

Cargo space

For a car this size, the trunk has a lot of room for packages and luggage. We’ll measure just how many suitcases it can carry, but we suspect it’ll outdo some larger cars.

How it drives

Economy cars sometimes feel like they’ve been assembled from leftover parts. Although the K4’s engine and transmission have been carried over from the Forte, they still feel like a perfect fit. We’re impressed by how lively the K4 feels around town. Acceleration can be a bit jumpy from a full stop, and you’ll have to really floor it to get enough power for high-speed merges, but the four-cylinder engine delivers when asked. In terms of handling and steering feel, the K4 is definitely aimed at commuting rather than racing, but it’s also quite responsive when pushed closer to its limits. We wish the suspension were a tiny bit more plush, but it does a reasonably good job keeping bumps and harshness out of the cabin.

The quiet interior

If you’re thinking about buying a used luxury car in the same price range as the K4, you might want to reconsider—the Kia is probably going to be quieter inside. Yes, the K4 costs more than the Forte it replaces, but Kia apparently spent all that money on soundproofing. We complained that the outgoing Forte was “raucous and loud,” but the K4 is as hushed as some cars that cost twice as much.

Looks

As much as we love our spreadsheets, we know that good design sells cars. We don’t factor style into our scoring, nor should we—there’s a reason why CR doesn’t rate clothing anymore—but we’re heartened to see that Kia’s designers didn’t dress the K4 in rags. At a glance, it’s hard to distinguish from the larger K5, and it certainly doesn’t look like a stereotypical economy car. From the unique head and taillights to the squared-off steering wheel, it’s the Shein-priced version of automotive runway fashion. But it also proves that modern design doesn’t have to be confusing.

We’re glad that the controls are easy to understand and well-labeled, with a traditional gear selector plus buttons and knobs for audio and climate control. We haven’t yet tried the optional 30-inch multi-screen display that’s available on higher trim levels and shown off in advertising, but we suspect they aren’t worth the upgrade. The LXS’ controls—including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay—are perfectly serviceable and modern.

What We Don’t Like

There’s no hybrid version

Yes, the K4 promises a commendable 33 mpg in combined city and highway driving, according to EPA estimates. But the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid—which is built on the same platform as the Kia K4 and shares many underlying parts—got 48 mpg overall in our testing. (Hyundai and Kia share a corporate owner.) Sure, a hybrid would be more expensive up front, but if the Elantra is any guide, the fuel savings would make up for that difference in a few years. As with all vehicles we evaluate, we will measure the K4’s fuel economy as part of our instrumented testing.

Weird interior asymmetry

The front driver and passenger door panels are mismatched shades of gray, an intentional design choice. Similarly, the HVAC’s temperature controls don’t allow a “middle” setting—one blue or one red light must be illuminated. We’ll admit that these are extremely minor complaints, but many of us at CR pay a little more attention to that kind of detail than the average person, and there’s not a ton else to complain about..

What We’ll Keep an Eye On

The continuously variable transmission (CVT)

Some of us noticed some odd behavior when driving down hills. Sometimes, the car would feel sluggish and the engine would sound loud, with engine revs hanging around 3,000 RPM while coasting. It felt like when drivers slow down a vehicle using engine braking by downshifting a manual transmission—except the K4’s engine continued to rev for longer than usual, even after we got on level ground.

A driving position that doesn’t fit all drivers

Those of us who like to have some support under our thighs didn’t enjoy the manual seats in the K4, which have relatively flat bottoms. Others found the driver’s seat comfortable on longer trips. A few folks noted that the most comfortable steering wheel position blocks the view of the turn signal and headlight icons. We’ll have more opinions to share after more drivers of different sizes spend time behind the wheel.

The rear seats

We found the silly rear exterior door handles annoying. They’re up near the windows and open at an odd angle. Still, the K4 has a remarkably roomy rear seat. We wouldn’t be upset if our Uber driver pulled up in a K4, because it feels more spacious than plenty of larger vehicles. A few drivers complained that the vehicle’s low stance and door opening make it difficult to get in and out without serious ducking, but we liked that the front seat backs are molded into large plastic “handles” that make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle.

Active Safety and Driver Assistance

Our LXS came with blind spot warning (BSW) and rear cross traffic warning (RCTW), two features that are proven to reduce crashes. The base LX—which starts at $21,990—does not, which means the K4 will not be on our list of safest vehicles. We only award cars that make key active safety features standard across all trim levels.

It’s remarkable that a car in this price range comes with adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane centering assistance (LCA), but we noticed that LCA makes lots of little steering corrections to keep the car within its lane lines and lets drivers cruise with their hands off the wheel for far too long without an alert or a warning. ACC occasionally got too close to the car ahead, then slammed on the brakes suddenly to prevent a collision. The automatic high beams didn’t react quickly enough, either, occasionally shining glare at other drivers for a few seconds.

We’ll fully evaluate both systems when we put the K4 through standardized challenges on our advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) loop.