Kia

Kia Rio Review, Specs & Performance

Practical supermini offering

Well-equipped and stylish

The Kia Rio is an impressive and practical supermini and there's lots of equipment to boost its appeal. It's also a well-built and well-designed creation with nice handling abilities.

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KIA RIO

Overview of the Kia Rio

Engines and performance for the Kia Rio

There's a choice of engines for the Kia Rio, including 1.25 litre and 1.4 litre petrol units with a 1.0 litre turbocharged petrol engine delivering better fuel economy. This unit produces either 99 bhp or 118 bhp with fuel economy of around 63 mpg. There's also a 1.4 litre diesel unit producing 76 bhp which should return around 75 mpg. The 1.25 litre engine returns around 60 mpg and has been designed to be more responsive in urban driving. The engines are mated to either a four-speed automatic transmission or a manual box which features the firm's 'intelligent stop and go' system to boost economy.

Equipment and handling

While the Sportage is the firm's UK bestseller, the Kia Rio is its most popular model around the world. The range was revamped in 2017 with a fresh exterior with impressive improvements being seen in the cabin with soft-touch materials and various colours to make it a comfortable and pleasant place to spend time. Behind the wheel, the Kia Rio delivers a rewarding drive, particularly around town, and the engines perform well on motorways. The suspension set-up delivers a strong grip and it's a nice performer on winding country roads. However, the list of standard equipment boosts its attractive qualities with the Rio featuring remote locking, air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity and automatic light control. There are body-coloured bumpers and mirror casings along with steering wheel-mounted audio controls. The standard kit also includes vehicle stability management, electronic stability control and hill start assist. Other models come with larger alloy wheels, a 5-inch colour touchscreen and a six-speaker audio system. There's also a useful reversing camera and rear parking sensors, cruise control, USB charging points and autonomous emergency braking. The better specified Rios come with privacy glass, satnav, smartphone connectivity, voice recognition and a smart key entry system. Essentially, the Kia Rio does a lot of things really well and is competing in a competitive supermini segment and it deserves close attention for its handling, low running costs and high equipment levels.

More information about the Kia Rio

Why not have a look at the Rio on the official Kia UK company website and get the latest news about it at The UK Kia Owners' Club.

Kia Rio

Kia Rio in a nutshell

With a Kia Rio, you’ll get a great car packed with the latest innovative technology for an affordable price.

What’s more, the Kia Rio has been designed with the driver in mind, giving you a smooth and comfortable driving experience while driving across the country on UK roads.

All of that, coupled with the flexibility to choose standard Kia features and add-ons that work for you, gives you every incentive to choose the Rio

Where to buy a Kia Rio

With over 25 years experience under our belt and BVRLA approved, we partner with many different organisations to match you to an affordable Kia Rio that meets your needs.

We are proud to be known for our stellar customer service and transparent communication, giving us a 4.82-star rating on Reviews.io. Give us a call on 0333 00 333 25 and start leasing a brand new vehicle of your choice.

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