2025 Kia K4 Review: A Honda Civic for Android Users

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Building a cheap car is more like baking than cooking. The list of ingredients isn’t long, but each one is irreplaceable. Also, as with baking, a pinch of love is never wasted. After all, there are few things more tragic than an econobox that doesn’t love itself. I suppose that makes the 2025 Kia K4 like a really good chocolate chip cookie, or pecan pie, or whatever dessert you’re into. 

I know—it looks like a complicated car, with all those angles, the triangular C-pillar, and so many pixels on the dash. But the K4 is actually quite simple at heart. Here’s a cheap sedan that nails the fundamentals, punches above its weight, and doesn’t treat itself like your second or third choice. It also starts at just $23,165, though you’d never guess that depending on the trim.

In recent years, the advice you’d give to anyone looking for a car like this was to just walk ‘round the corner to the nearest Honda dealer and drive home in a Civic. (If they couldn’t bear the thought of being caught in something so ordinary, there was always the Mazda 3.) But now, thanks to Kia, there’s an actual decision to make.

The Basics

The Kia K4 is new for the 2025 model year, replacing the Forte as the brand’s cheapest sedan, though not its cheapest vehicle. The Forte used to start at $21,145, which undercut the $21,885 Soul. Kia’s effectively raising the barrier to entry here for customers who want into a sedan.

Mind you, I do think the K4 is roughly $2,000 more car than the Forte. For starters, it’s nearly three inches longer and two inches wider. Passengers in the rear have almost 2.5 inches more legroom, which counts for a lot in a small car like this, although that’s eaten into trunk space by less than a cubic foot. Intelligent cruise control now comes standard on all K4 trims, as does a 12.3-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and four USB-C ports. This thing’s got the tech angle covered.

But let’s step back outside the K4, because design is a big part of this car’s story, in a good way. What I love about the exterior is that Kia’s made a statement without tacking on fake vents, or promising performance the car doesn’t have. The K4 looks clean, simple, and smart, and it is.

I know it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I can’t get enough of that simplified, triangular C-pillar and the clever implementation of the door handle. The body crease that sinks behind the front wheels, cuts a straight line through the doors, and rises in exactly the same way over the back is a stroke of artistry when the light hits right and you notice it for the first time. Yes, the K4 stretches the limits of what can be considered compact, but it looks light on its feet, like a baby Stinger with brains.

Inside, the K4 is airy and futuristic, yet uncomplicated. The sticker on my GT-Line tester came to $28,345; it’s basically the nicest K4 you can buy aside from the powertrain, which we’ll touch on next. For that money, though, you really can’t ask for more. Higher-end models like this one get a richer instrument-cluster interface (lower trims have a simplified presentation with what looks like old-style LCD readouts for speed and rpm) and a classy little 5-inch touchscreen between it and the center stack just for climate control.

The fit and finish are impeccable; the plastics are as nice as those in any car I’ve ever driven, and there are so many little touches to appreciate, like the use of knurled scroll wheels for adjusting volume and navigating menus. I have no notes on the GT-Line’s all-SynTex faux-leather seats, either, except to say that the cheaper partial-cloth option looks pretty appealing to my eye, too.

And that’s what strikes you about the K4: you get the sense Kia sweated every detail, even the standard equipment, with common sense. For example, the drive mode button is huge and situated obviously at the base of the steering wheel, not dumped randomly between the cupholders and cigarette lighter where you’d never find it without looking down. Why isn’t every car like this?

Driving the Kia K4

Although the Kia K4 feels like a very different car from the Forte, its powertrain is more familiar. The standard engine is once again a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder producing 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque. That’s sent through a CVT to the front wheels. The rear suspension on the LX through EX trims is a torsion beam, while the GT-Line and GT-Line Turbo receive a multi-link arrangement.

Again, my tester was a GT-Line, which meant it got the improved suspension but not the 1.6-liter, 190-hp turbo-four and eight-speed auto. Honestly, I was OK with this. Yes, if I were buying one of these I’d probably splurge for forced induction, but for most people, the base mill is totally fine; not fast, but definitely not dangerously slow, either. Just don’t expect the CVT to match your urgency if you’ve got to make that left turn now.

Dynamically, even the relatively sporty GT-Line suspension is comfortable, and steering is predictable, even if it is geared toward lightness for driving ease. That’s my main takeaway behind the wheel of the K4; this is in no way, shape or form a Hyundai Elantra N, nor does it promise that experience. That’s not to say I wouldn’t love to see what Kia’s rendition of such a sport compact might look like.

Kia K4 Features, Options, and Competition

• LX: The cheapest Kia K4 you can buy is the LX trim for $23,165 delivered. That gets you the same powertrain as the car I drove but also amenities like a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, automatic emergency braking, intelligent cruise control, lane keep assist, and four USB-C ports split evenly between front and rear passengers.
• LXS: Step up to the LXS for $24,165 and you get more active safety features like blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts, plus the drive mode selector and 60/40 folding rear seats. 
• EX: The $25,165 EX is a step below the GT-Line tested, adding more displays, dual-zone climate control, and a wireless phone charger to the LXS. 

• GT-Line (tested): The non-turbocharged GT-Line you see here had the $1,100 Premium Package on top of its $26,365 starting price, tossing in an eight-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system that includes a subwoofer (it sounds great), ventilated front seats with memory for the driver’s, and full SynTex upholstery. It also had a $900 sunroof. The total sticker came to $28,345.
• GT-Line Turbo: Of course, there’s the 190-hp Turbo at the top of the range, for $29,265, and Kia’s confirmed that a very sleek hatchback version is on the way, too.

Compared to the Honda Civic ($25,400 to start), the K4 is about even in performance on paper but you can get far more tech for the money through Kia. Honda’s more advanced Google-based infotainment system with wireless phone projection requires an upgrade to the $33,100 Sport Touring Hybrid.

Then there’s the Toyota Corolla ($23,935) and Mazda3 ($25,335). The Corolla has a roughly 20-hp advantage on the K4 and Civic and compares well with the K4 on tech value, but it’s a dated car with easily the least pleasant and most cramped cabin of the bunch. The Mazda3, meanwhile, is the driver’s choice. Sure, it’s expensive and not particularly spacious either, but with 191 hp and a true automatic transmission rather than a CVT, the 3 holds a certain charm so long as you can accept a slight decrease in fuel economy. It’s also got an absolutely stunning interior.

Finally, we’d be remiss not to mention the Hyundai Elantra ($23,320), which shares the K4’s platform and is, in many respects, a similar car in different clothes. That said, Hyundai does offer the Elantra as a hybrid, something Kia isn’t doing, at least for now. That version will set you back at least $26,645 to start, in exchange for its 54 mpg.

Fuel Economy

Here’s how the Kia K4’s fuel economy shakes out against the leading competition. The Corolla is about even and the Mazda 3 far behind, owing to its conventional six-speed auto, while the Civic clearly has an advantage. I found Kia’s estimate of 33 combined mpg to be about right in my testing.

Value and Verdict

Ever since all the American brands gave up on them and small crossovers took over, compact sedans have felt like an underloved segment. Why sell a normal car when you can force consumers into bigger, taller vehicles with deeper profit margins? Ever fewer automakers are fighting the good fight, and it’s for that reason that I’m thankful the 2025 Kia K4 is fantastic.

At the same time, it’s not roundly better than the competition. That’s no fault of Kia’s—it just speaks to how compelling some of the alternatives are, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Almost like the Mazda 3, I read the K4 as appealing to a certain buyer who wouldn’t just default to a Civic or Corolla.

In the K4’s case, it’s the kind of person who upgrades their phone every other year—a Galaxy, to be specific, since “Apple just doesn’t innovate anymore.” The Kia K4 is a strong value, but it’s also tech-forward and a little weird. In other words, it’s the early adopter’s cheap sedan.

Quick Take

The Kia K4 separates itself from other compact sedans with aspirational, unique design and tech value more so than an emotive driving experience.