The sporty and stylish 2024 Kia K5 is a practical midsize sedan with an outstanding warranty and an exciting GT model. Pricing starts at $25,390. The Kia K5 is something a little different in midsize sedans, and among our highest-rated. It’s one of the liveliest entries in the segment, especially the fast, fun, 290-horsepower GT model. It’s also among a handful available with all-wheel drive, giving it extra appeal in snowy climates. And the interior is appealing for its class-above design and tech. The Kia K5 competes with midsize sedans like the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Subaru Legacy.
2024 Kia K5 Pricing
The 2024 Kia K5 starts at $25,390. That’s for the base LXS trim. The most popular EX trim starts at $29,290, and the sporty GT model begins at $31,790. AWD is a $1,600 option for the GT-Line trim. The pricing of the Kia K5 is similar to the Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Altima. It’s a bit more affordable than the top sellers in this class; the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. These are manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) and don’t include the $1,125 factory-to-dealer delivery fee (destination charge). Before buying a K5, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Kia K5 resale value is about average for the segment. The Kia K5 gets just one minor update for the 2024 model year. Heated front seats are now a standard feature in the GT-Line trim.2024 Kia K5 MSRP K5 LXS $25,390 K5 GT-Line $26,890 K5 EX $29,290 K5 GT $31,790 What’s New?
Power, Ride and Handling
The Kia K5 is powered by a 180-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder engine matched with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front- or all-wheel drive. The GT model packs a bigger, 290-horsepower turbo engine with front-wheel drive. We found the base engine to be adequate for daily driving duties. It’s a nice match to the K5, striking a good balance of performance and efficiency. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord both have base engines that are slightly more powerful and efficient. The enthusiast in us prefers the bigger turbo engine in the K5 GT. On top of the engine upgrade, it has improved brakes, suspension, and exhaust to make it a well-tuned sport sedan without sacrificing any of the practicality of the K5. There’s just one thing: We wish it were available with all-wheel drive (AWD). The only trim of the K5 available with AWD is the GT-Line. You can only get it with the base engine, but AWD makes it more suitable for snowy climates and gives it better traction on dry pavement. We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize sedans, including this Kia K5. With the base engine, the Kia K5 gets a combined fuel economy rating of 31 mpg with front-wheel drive and 28 mpg with all-wheel drive. That’s about on par with the competition, but it’s worth noting that the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and Hyundai Sonata all offer hybrid powertrains that are much more efficient than the K5. More K5 fuel economy information is available on the EPA’s website.Fuel Economy
Upscale Interior
We know we say this about every modern Kia, but the K5 feels like a more expensive car on the inside. The materials are nice, and we love the intuitive infotainment system, especially with the 10.25-inch screen that you get in all but the base trim. The seats are comfortable, but the driving position is a little awkward for some of us and took us some getting used to. We found the rear seats roomy enough for adult comfort, but just barely. It has 35.2 inches of rear legroom. That’s the same as the Nissan Altima, and measurably less than the Honda Accord with 40.8 inches and the Toyota Camry’s 38.0 inches.
Sleek Exterior
The 2024 Kia K5 is one of the sharpest-looking midsize sedans on the market, and the performance-oriented K5 GT takes it up another notch. The K5 GT-Line offers some of the same sporty design touches, but without having to step up to the GT’s 290-horsepower engine.
Our Favorite Features and Tech
Available AWD Kia Drive Wise Available 10.25-inch touchscreen K5 GT sport sedan Panoramic sunroof
This optional system provides an extra layer of reassurance for drivers living in areas where the winter can be rough. And only a few midsize sedans offer it.
Standard Kia Drive Wise safety tech features in the K5 include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, driver attention warning, and more. This is part of what’s made the K5 an IIHS Top Safety Pick+.
The 10.25-inch touchscreen available in the K5 is user-friendly, feature-rich, and has lovely graphics. It comes with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, SiriusXM, and more.
Although it’s at the top of the K5 midsize sedan range, the GT still has the moves and the looks to please drivers who want a sport sedan without having to spend the usual sport-sedan money.
The optional panoramic sunroof opens up the interior of the K5, giving it a more premium feel.
Engine and Transmission
The Kia K5 is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine rated at 180 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. Output is sent to the front or all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The sportier K5 GT is powered by a 2.5-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine making 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. This engine also uses the 8-speed automatic transmission, but you can only get it with FWD. Only the Hyundai Sonata can equal the Kia K5’s class-leading warranty coverage. It’s backed by a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty and 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain coverage. The Kia K5 has earned the coveted IIHS Top Safety Pick+ because of its good crash-test ratings and generous standard safety features. Standard Kia Drive Wise safety features include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, and driver attention warning. Optional features include navigation-based adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and a surround-view monitor.5-Year/60,000-Mile Warranty
Safety
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Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings. We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.) We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
