Kia Rio hatchback review - Carbuyer

The Rio is Kia's entry in the supermini class and a cheaper alternative to the Ford Fiesta. All-new for 2011, it continues Kia's march upmarket and benefits from smart, contemporary styling, generous space inside and an appealing engine range -- two diesels (1.1-litre and 1.4) and two petrols (1.25 and 1.4).

[slamdunk]

I just bought this car and the result is very satisfied...it's been my dream car since 2012. Praise the Lord.

[secret]

Just bought one... Fantastic car... Very stylish... Comfortable... Economic.. Well made... I just can't believe its Kia... Really love it

[Jackoccy]

I bought one of these, tried every other car in it's competition. Kia was the only one to give me all the features that you'd usually have to pay extra for all included in the price. AMAZING.

[magicgryszun]

Got one recently and am calling it "pensioners car" :) Only because never drove anything below 1.6L and less than 115bhp. My Rio is 2016, 1.25l producing 86bhp (i think), so i feel taking off on a slow side. 1st gear is very short too, thats mean playing with a stick a lot in a slow narrow and hilly places where i live. But as soon as she's going is superb! On a cost of petrol side am doing between 35 to 40 mpg, remember folks in hilly narrow roads! Still 20 mpg more than my last VW Beetle (2004, 1.6L)!!!
Very practical, very comfy and easy to drive and i love it! Will never come back to more saucy cars for sake of tax, insurance and mpg... Yes am almost 40 and start getting mid life crisis;)
In the end it is lovely car, well build and doing its job very well!
Was looking for newer car for almost 4 months, did my maths and research, and i choose Rio and am a happy bunny.
Thanks Matt for yours honest reviews of all cars! Helped here a lot!

[akie]

Excellent review of a really good little car.
I drove the 1.4 petrol and was really impressed how smooth and quiet it was, perhaps a little slow.
I too can't stand the badge snobs who are stuck in the past and really have no idea, Hyundai/Kia are on a roll and are now making excellent cars.

[michaelreid]

The car here, LG61 WWY, passed its MOT in September 2020 with 65k miles on the clock after 9 years on the road. So it could still be out there, being all reliable and stuff.

[heinrichredelinghuys]

Bought my Rio 1.4 Tec about a month ago and I must say I am very impressed.
The extras you get as standard are really awesome. Park distance Control, Electric Wipers, Electric Lights, Bluetooth, Climate Control, Leather seats etc... And it gives me 5.5litre / 100km (18.2km/l). I was completely sold when I found that the new Kia range were done by an ex-Audi engineer. And I can see that in the quality of all the finishing as well.

Lastly, when I compare the price with other competitors, in South Africa, VW Polo, Ford Fiesta & Mazda 2, are between 10% - 15% more expensive. So the choice was obvious.

[aranjit]

My dad just bought this car. BOY I LOVE IT! The radio screen thing is

[Voltikz]

i actually already own this car, my first car and i must say, i love it, i have driven the Ford Fiesta and the Renault Clio, but i dont really like them, ok granted the rear window is a little bit of a problem same with the A pillar, but that being said, i find it harder to park in the other two, its great to drive, but dont expect the 88mpg, i drive as smooth as i can and cant even get that on the motor way, but i do get the high 70s in the 1.1 diesel, you get about 400-500miles of range in the tank, depending on how you drive and where, but be aware there is a few more problems with this car, for one, when you put the wipers on you get a very bad chattering from the drivers wiperblade at the bottem, and the worse one, is sometimes you cant put the car in reverse, you have to select first, and then reverse, the lip in the boot is high, BUT for me, it isnt so bad, i keep my daughter pram in the boot so when we go shopping, none of the shopping falls out and i do keep the pram in the boot when we go shopping, the back is actually alot bigger than you think, my 6ft 4 brother can actually sit in the back with room to spare, his head does graze the roof but nothing that he isnt used to, you do get some major noise when going over a rough patch on a road but no more than any other car, over all, its a really good little car, nice and easy to drive around town and on backroads, a little bit more noisy on the motorway than id like, but a good car

[marklloyd]

Just got one days ago and have fallen in love with it!

[RallyLife]

My old best mate had one of these. He used to call it the sewing machine because you had to get the pistons going up and down very quickly to make the power. I borrowed it for a week and having had owned a Mazda 2 (and loved it) I found the car had some incredible blind spots. The dash instruments are nice, its quiet, warranty is nice. The brake assist is more of an annoyance for someone with good clutch control. The 1.4L 6spd was gutless. Good car but if fun is your thing, it's not for you.

[goffy]

I have this car and it's very good. lots of rooms in front and back. you don't hear it running, good sound system, eco, and very fun to drive. If you need this tipe of car this is for me best choice

[PeeVee]

I've been driving a Rio for just over a month and could've not been more pleased.

[snnyburnett]

I knew he'd find a way to mention a volkswagen, he never fails to.

[maltysir]

Excellent review. Good teachers never tire of repeating useful information, such as "plenty of adjustment..."! Mat's cheerfulness is so refreshing; I watch there reviews to brighten up my day!

[lemonadeez]

I was sitting here thinking how good this reviewer is.
Just the facts presented incredibly impartially.

[Fertro]

I'm surprised at how much Kia has lifted their game. It was only a few years ago that they were bland hatchbacks, and now they're very nice looking cars. I'd happily own one.

[mechanicadam]

good review :), i have been very interested in this kia rio for along time and i am impressed with the 1.1 diesel - 3 cylinder, if i had the money i would buy one. but atleast someone has finally agreed with the idea i have had in my head for such a long time, to make diesel turbos, small but very economical.

[nosmaada]

I BOUGHT MY KIA RIO 5 DOOR OCTOBER PAST LOVE IT NO FAULTS SO MUCH
MY DAUGHTER BOUGHT THE PICANTO SHE LOVES IT
PADDYWACK

[EndingSummerwithRalph]

It's like under $13, 000 in the US thats why I'm looking at it as a second car. Had very bad luck with VW before, maybe I will look at the Ford as well but doubt it's that cheap.