LOOKS

As a new vehicle in the compact sedan segment, the 2025 Kia K4 gets a chance to come in with a new look and stand out among its rivals.

It successfully does so, delivering a wider build, an eye-catching front end, unique lighting designs in front and rear, unique creases, and a sloping roofline. There’s no mistaking the K4 for any other compact sedan — it’s its own animal in terms of design.

Wheel sizes range from 16 to 18 inches, depending on the trim level you choose.

The K4 features LED lighting (headlights, fog lights, rear lights), heated outside mirrors, a power sunroof with sunshade, and the GT-Line models will add gloss black exterior accents.

Moving inside the K4, while the seats are not going to be luxury level in this price range, they are still made from quality synthetic leather materials and quite comfortable. There’s a solid amount of legroom for rear passengers compared to other compact sedans, so all five passengers can travel in comfort.

The K4 also features a sleek, futuristic dashboard, making it a modern-looking vehicle. It offers heated front seats, and some trims will get a sport steering wheel with paddle shifters.

Cargo space in the K4’s trunk clocks in at 14.6 cubic feet. Rear seats fold down if you need to expand the cargo area and carry longer or larger items.

It’s also worth mentioning that a new hatchback version of the Kia K4 is coming for the 2026 model year, which will offer more cargo space than the 2025 K4 sedan.


HOW’S THE RIDE?

There are two engine offerings on the 2025 Kia K4.

Most trim levels come with the standard engine, which is a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder offering 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque.

The GT-Line Turbo trim K4 that I tested featured a more powerful 1.6-liter, turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, delivering a solid 190 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque.

The K4 comes only in front-wheel drive, with no option for AWD. Some rival small sedans do offer an AWD version.

While the K4 isn’t going to enter the ring and claim the crown as the most sporty and fun-to-drive compact sedan (the Mazda3 probably takes that title), it holds up well in terms of overall performance, especially with the turbo engine.

The K4 delivers a smooth, quiet ride, and is more than capable of merging and overtaking on the freeway. Handling is solid and it’s an agile vehicle due to its small size.

The 0-to-60 times are roughly 7 seconds with the turbo engine, and in the mid 8-second range with the base engine. If you value power, go for the turbo, but it only comes on the top trim level so most people will likely end up with the base offering.

In terms of drive modes, you get just two in the K4: Normal and Sport.

 
TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY 

The tech setup in the 2025 Kia K4 is impressive for a smaller vehicle.

The K4 features a pair of large, 12.3-inch screens, one in front of the driver for the gauges and a touchscreen in the center of the vehicle that is the heart of the infotainment offerings. 

There are also some physical climate buttons below the center screen. If you want to use touch controls for climate, an additional 5-inch touch display is included above the physical controls, located between the two 12.3-inch screens.

The K4 offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for phone mirroring. Kia Connect technology lets you use your phone to lock/unlock the car, adjust climate controls and more.

A wireless phone charger is included, satellite radio is offered (with a 3-month trial), and you get several USB ports. The eight-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system offered high-quality sound.

Touchscreen controls were well-organized and easy to master, and I also found voice commands to be very reliable.

Moving on to safety, the K4 also delivers in this arena, providing all the major systems expected on today’s new vehicles.

Among the highlights was Highway Driving Assist, a helpful system which will take control of the vehicle and keep it within your lane and a safe distance away from the vehicle ahead.

And the optional Surround View Camera System, with its top-down view, was helpful in parking situations.

Other standard safety features include a full array of airbags in both rows, plus:
— Automatic Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection
— Lane Keeping Assist
— Driver Attention Warning
— High Beam Assist 
— Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist — Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist 
— Safe Exit Warning

Optional safety features include the Blind-spot camera, which will show an image of the vehicle's blind spot in the instrument panel when you activate a turn signal.

MPG

Fuel mileage depends on which engine you choose in your K4.

On the turbo engine that was in my test vehicle, a GT-Line Turbo model, the numbers are listed at 26 mpg city/36 highway/29 combined. The base engine will get you 30/40/34.

I averaged around 25 mpg in mostly city driving, so numbers appear fairly accurate on the turbo.

Compared to rival compact sedans, the K4 competes well on fuel mileage, but where it is bested is by the hybrid versions of rival sedans (Civic, Elantra, Corolla). There is no hybrid version offered of the K4.

PRICE

The 2025 Kia K4 that I tested was priced at $31,445). This is the top of the price range for this vehicle, and the base price of the K4 is around $23K.

With a starting price in the low-20s, the K4 is one of the most affordable vehicles for sale, and it’s good to see Kia is sticking around the small car segment when many others are bailing out to focus on SUVs and other larger vehicles. 

Trim levels of the 2025 Kia K4 include: LX, LXS, EX, GT-Line, and the GT-Line Turbo trim that I tested.

If you don’t need the more powerful turbocharged engine on the GT-Line Turbo, the lower trim levels will be adequate.

Compared to rival compact sedans, the overall price range of the K4 is in line with most competitors, and starts a couple grand below some of those rivals.

Adding to the value equation are Kia’s superb warranties, including: 
— 10 Year/100,000 Mile Limited Powertrain Warranty
— 5 Year/60,000 Mile Limited Basic Warranty
— 5 Year/60,000 Mile Roadside Assistance 

BOTTOM LINE

The 2025 Kia K4 is a well-designed, affordable new option in the compact sedan segment, and it’s nice to see that not all brands are leaving this segment, as affordable small cars are still important for many families.

The K4 serves as a strong alternative to more well-known vehicles like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla for shoppers in this segment, and is worth a test drive.

===

AutoTechReviews.com can be found on Twitter @AutoTechReview, or stay updated at the AutoTechReviews Facebook page. Follow AutoTechReviews on Instagram at @Autotechreviews or on TikTok at @AutoTechReviews.. Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.