2021 Kia Rio Review

　　

2021 Kia Rio Review

byRyan ZumMallenContributor

　　Ryan ZumMallen has worked in the automotive industry since 2012. He has written thousands of car-related articles and tested and reviewed hundreds of vehicles over the course of his career. Ryan has also contributed to Road & Track, Autoweek, Trucks.com and more. In 2019, Ryan published his first book, Slow Car Fast, on the millennial generation and its unique take on modern car culture.

　　The Kia Rio is a survivor. Most subcompact sedans this size have long since been discontinued — even the Toyota Yaris that earned our top-rated ranking in 2020 got the boot — but the Rio has been in production since it debuted for the 2001 model year. Just sing along to the lyrics of Destiny's Child's Survivor as you drive along in your Rio: I'm a survivor/I'm not going to give up/I'm not going to stop/I'm going to work harder.

　　This small car has remained popular over the years for its inexpensive base price, high fuel economy and long warranty. For 2021, the Rio gets new styling on its front and rear bumpers plus a standard 8-inch touchscreen to make it more enticing. There's also wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you no longer have to use a USB cord to activate these smartphone connection systems.

　　Remaining rivals on the market include the Hyundai Accent, Nissan Versa and Mitsubishi Mirage G4. The Rio is a solid pick here and delivers on everything we expect for an entry-level sedan or hatchback.

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Below Average

　　7.1

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.0/10

　　How does the Rio drive? The Rio is underpowered and underwhelming on the road. The 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine makes just 120 horsepower, and while that's typically enough for city streets, you have to use every single one to get up to speed on the highway. Lane changes and overtakes require more caution than anything else, and gaps that would be easy to exploit in most cars require more thought to slot into thanks to the Rio's prevailing lack of punch. The one saving grace has to be its continuously variable automatic transmission, which is smooth and does a commendable job of exploiting what power the Rio has.

　　Because of the Rio's soft suspension tune and near gripless all-season tires, it's not all that enjoyable to zoom around city streets. The steering is far too eager to recenter itself and has an elastic feel to it. The Rio is a car that's happiest at half speed, and for its target audience, that's likely more than enough.

　　

Comfort

7.0/10

　　How comfortable is the Rio? The Rio's price of entry might be low, but that doesn't mean you're getting something that isn't sophisticated enough to deal with the ruts, lumps and bumps of day-to-day driving. A squishy suspension tune and tall tire sidewalls mean that the Rio rides surprisingly well. It isn't perfect, but the ride is better than you might expect.

　　Unfortunately, we can't stop there. The soft ride is a plus, but wind noise is almost always audible inside the cabin, and even if the suspension is set up for comfort, you do get shocks through the seat while going over bigger bumps. The seat itself is conventionally shaped, but it offers neither above-average support nor comfort. Also the absence of any armrest padding just feels inconsiderate.

　　

Interior

7.5/10

　　How’s the interior? Durable plastics coat a spartan interior, but simplicity is one of the Rio's strong suits. It gets high marks for ease of use with logically laid out physical climate controls and easy-to-read dials. It's also quite easy to see out of the cabin in all directions and relatively roomy inside even though it's one of the smallest cars on the market.

　　One of our biggest complaints with the interior has to be the compromised driving position. Because the wheel doesn't telescope, taller drivers will feel like they will need to sit too close to the pedals to be comfortable. We understand that cheap cars aren't the places to look for luscious interior spaces, but we'd happily pay a little more for some of the basic creature comforts that would take the pain out of commutes.

　　

Technology

7.0/10

　　How’s the tech? The Rio's infotainment system is easy to navigate and simple to zip through, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard niceties. We did find ourselves wishing for a slightly nicer stereo, but the system in the Rio is hard to fault.

　　If anything, Kia could have included more safety features in the Rio. Blind-spot monitoring was something we missed, and the lane keeping assist system in the Rio is nowhere near as helpful as those in other Kias like the K5 and Seltos. Small cars might be built to a price, but that doesn't mean you should be forced to miss out on important safety tech.

　　

Storage

7.5/10

　　How’s the storage? Despite its small stature, the Rio — in its hatchback version — offers a surprising amount of space for cargo loading. With the rear seats up, you're offered 17.4 cubic feet of free space in the hatch area. That's a little bigger than what you get from a typical midsize sedan's trunk, assuming you load all the way to the roof. Fold the second row down and you'll have 32.8 cubic feet available. A low floor makes loading and unloading an effortless experience.

　　The Rio's interior cabin storage features the requisite cubbies and cupholders, but it isn't exceptional in this regard. Also the center console is pretty small, but to be fair, it's a narrow car. The limited rear quarters won't be optimal for fitting a car seat either, and there's no special access to LATCH anchors offered.

　　

Fuel Economy

9.0/10

　　How’s the fuel economy? According to EPA estimates, the Rio will get 36 mpg combined (33 city/41 highway), but in our hands the Rio performed far better. Over the course of our 115-mile evaluation route, the super-sipping Rio managed an impressive 43 mpg. It's one of the most fuel-efficient non-hybrid cars we've recently tested.

　　

Value

8.5/10

　　Is the Rio a good value? Our test car stickered for around $20,000, making it one of the least expensive new cars you can buy. Given that fairly low price point, the Rio is actually pretty well built. The cabin has a lot of hard plastic panels, but they will likely hold up well after years of abuse. Unfortunately for the Rio, the Kia Forte, which doesn't cost that much more, offers more backseat space, a better ride, and looks and feels significantly more modern. That said, there's little doubt that the Rio is a good value for the money.

　　Kia's excellent warranties provide five years/60,000 miles of bumper-to-bumper and 10 years/100,000 miles of powertrain coverage. Roadside assistance is also provided for the duration of the five-year warranty period.

　　

Wildcard

5.0/10

　　Unfortunately for the Rio, what it lacks most of all is personality. Sometimes small cars have a bit of charm to the way they drive, but that's not the case here. The Rio is a device. It's an easygoing companion that asks for little more than a little fuel in return for its services, and that's all it has to be. If you're looking for something with a little X-factor for the same money, you're going to have to look elsewhere.

　　

Which Rio does zzdcar recommend?

Our pick is the loaded S trim due to its relative low cost and impressive value. We would also add the S Technology package for its comprehensive set of driver safety aids.

　　

2021 Kia Rio models

The 2021 Kia Rio can be equipped as a four-door sedan or a hatchback, which Kia calls the 5-Door. The sedan is available in two trim levels: the base LX and the S. The 5-Door is only sold in S trim. All Rios are powered by a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (120 horsepower, 112 lb-ft of torque) mated to a continuously variable transmission. All Rios are front-wheel-drive.

　　LX

　　The standard Rio keeps costs low but includes these necessities as standard:

　　Heated exterior mirrors 15-inch steel wheels Adjustable tilting steering wheel 3.5-inch driver information display 8-inch center touchscreen Air conditioning Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration Front USB port Cloth seats Height-adjustable driver's seat Four-speaker stereo systemS

　　A more fully equipped model comes with:

　　Remote keyless entry Cruise control Sliding center armrest Rear USB port 60/40-split folding rear seatS Technology package

　　This jam-packed collection of optional features for the S trim drastically increases available technology and safety equipment with:

　　LED headlights 15-inch alloy wheels Push-button start 4.2-inch driver information display Automatic climate control Upgraded stereo system Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios) Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane) Lane keeping assist (steers the Rio back into its lane if it begins to drift over the lane marker) Lane following assist (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane) Driver attention warning (issues an alert if sensors determine you are becoming fatigued)

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2021 Rio Highlights

Type: HatchbackSedanSedan

　　Trim: LXSLX

　　

Base MSRP	$16,050
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	36 MPG
Cost to Drive	$104/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	13.7 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles