2025 Kia K4 Sport review

It’s the end of an era for one of Kia’s most beloved models – and the beginning of something new. The Korean brand has farewelled the long-running Cerato and introduced its replacement: the all-new Kia K4.

The name brings it in line with Kia’s global naming convention, but while there’s not much change under the hood, the K4 arrives with a bold new look, a hefty tech upgrade, and a noticeable price bump.

Does the K4 have what it takes to maintain the Cerato’s status as the second most popular small car and take on the heavyweights in its segment? We put it to the test.

The Kia K4 Sport we have on test sits in the middle of the range priced from $35,190 before on-road costs. That’s a $6030 jump over its Cerato Sport predecessor.

As before, the K4 range sticks with familiar grades: S, Sport, and Sport+, while the new GT-Line replaces the Cerato GT – retaining its 1.6-litre turbo engine, though now with less power.

Prices are up across the board. The entry-level S kicks off at $30,590, the Sport+ lands at $37,590, and the GT-Line tops the lineup at $42,990. It’s the only variant to score the 1.6-litre turbo petrol, swapping out the naturally aspirated 2.0-litre found elsewhere in the range for more power and better fuel economy.

Premium paint is $600 extra – unless you’re happy with white, the only colour without a price tag.

The K4 brings more standard kit than the Cerato it replaces. The S now includes 16-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, adaptive cruise control, LED headlights, and USB-C charging ports.

Step up to the K4 Sport and you’ll gain a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 5.0-inch climate-control screen, and built-in satellite navigation.

However, it misses out on some of the GT-Line’s luxe touches like the eight-speaker Harman Kardon audio system, wireless phone charger, artificial leather trim with white accents, ventilated front seats, ambient lighting, power driver’s seat, sunroof, and a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Design-wise, the K4’s looks are polarising – but I’m not mad about it. With its fastback-like silhouette and hint of Back to the Future DeLorean vibes, I’ll take bold over boring any day.

At launch, the K4 is sedan-only, but Kia says a hatchback variant will land on our shores later this year.

In terms of rivals, the K4 Sport is $1690 more than the Hyundai i30 Elite Sedan and $270 above the Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid Sedan. On the flip side, it undercuts the Mazda 3 G20 Touring by $1920.

At first glance, the K4’s interior looks futuristic and space-age, perfectly in step with the bold exterior design. But look a little closer, and a few flaws start to show.

Take the two-spoke steering wheel, for example. It’s certainly an eye-catching design, but the plasticky finish feels seriously cheap – almost like it’s been 3D printed.

Material quality is where the K4 Sport really shows its budget roots. Unlike the more premium variants, this grade is riddled with hard plastics that clash with the car’s high-tech aesthetic. It’s a disappointing contrast that cheapens what could have been a more cohesive, modern cabin.

The tech layout is ambitious, with three screens stitched together across the dash for infotainment, climate control, and the instrument cluster. However, from my driving position, the climate-control display was completely obscured by the steering wheel, rendering it essentially useless. Thankfully, physical shortcut buttons sit below the infotainment screen, and they quickly became my go-to during my time with the car.

The cloth seats are manually adjustable, but they’re well padded and genuinely comfortable – no complaints there.

At 4710mm long and 1850mm wide, the K4 sedan is 70mm longer and 50mm wider than the Cerato. And you can really feel that inside. The cabin feels generous, especially up front, challenging the idea that this is a 'small' car. There’s a decent centre console bin, glovebox, bottle holders in the doors, a phone nook, and clever adjustable cupholders that’ll happily hold a chunky water bottle.

In the back, there’s a fold-down armrest with cupholders, door bins, USB-C ports, and air vents. It’s a decent offering, but the space doesn’t quite match the front. A six-foot (183cm) passenger may find their knees brushing the hard shell of the front seatbacks, toe room is limited, and the swooping roof line cuts into head room.

Boot space, on the other hand, is where the K4 shines. With the rear seats up, you get a generous 508 litres, dominating over rivals like the Hyundai i30 (474L), Toyota Corolla (470L), and Mazda 3 (444L). There’s not much going on in terms of features, but you do get a 60:40 split-fold with release levers accessible from the rear. No official figure is quoted with the seats down, but it opens up plenty of extra room.

One caveat: the boot uses old-school goose-neck hinges, which can intrude on your cargo if it’s packed to the rafters.

There’s also a temporary spare wheel stashed under the floor.

I really admire Kia’s bold approach to the tech in the K4. Most grades – bar the base S – come equipped with a pair of crisp 12.3-inch displays: one for infotainment and one for the digital instrument cluster, separated by a 5.0-inch climate-control panel. The climate screen can also expand into the infotainment display when needed, which is a neat touch.

The screen resolution is sharp, the graphics are slick, and the system is pleasingly snappy to use. Customisation options for the instrument cluster are a bit limited, though.

Physical shortcut buttons and a volume dial below the screen (and more controls on the steering wheel) make it easy to make adjustments while driving – something I always appreciate.

Standard across the K4 range is wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connection, embedded satellite navigation, and AM/FM/DAB digital radio. Audio comes courtesy of a six-speaker system which, while not premium, doesn’t sound too shabby.

In my time with the car, the infotainment set-up worked flawlessly. Pairing was fast, the interface is intuitive, and everything just made sense straight away – no fiddling or digging through menus required.

Also worth a shoutout is Kia Connect, now standard across the range. It brings handy features like over-the-air software updates, remote vehicle functions, and emergency SOS calls.

At the time of writing, the Kia K4 has not yet been tested by ANCAP. However, a rating should come later in 2025.

The Kia K4 boasts an extensive list of active safety features – but for me, it ended up being more of a lowlight than a highlight.

From the moment you set off, you're met with a chorus of beeps and bongs. The most frustrating offender? The road sign recognition system. It alerts you if you exceed the detected speed limit – but the key word here is detected. The system isn’t always accurate. On my daily commute, it repeatedly flagged a 60km/h zone as 15km/h, setting off panic-inducing alerts even though I was well within the actual speed limit.

You can mute these alerts using a button on the steering wheel, but the system resets every time you restart the car. And even if you mute it, the car will still chirp every time the speed limit changes – just in case you forgot how annoying it is.

Instead of making me feel safer, the system was a constant distraction. It felt more like a nagging back-seat driver than a helpful co-pilot.

Parking sensors are another area where the K4's safety tech overdoes it. They’re overly sensitive and beep loudly, making parking feel more stressful than it should be – especially in a car this long. A 360-degree camera would go a long way to ease those nerves, but sadly it’s not available in the K4 range.

That said, not all the safety tech was overwhelming. Lane-keep assist was far more subtle and behaved exactly as it should – quietly helping out without trying to take over.

The K4 also comes with seven airbags, including a front-centre airbag for added protection in a side impact.

The Kia K4 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, plus up to eight years of roadside assistance is available, provided you continually service through Kia’s dealer network.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first. Over three years, you’ll pay $1262, while five years comes in at $2269. And if you stick it out for the full seven-year warranty period, expect to fork out $3330 in total.

That makes the K4 one of the pricier options in this class when it comes to maintenance. For comparison, five years of capped-price servicing for a Toyota Corolla will set you back just $1225. The Hyundai i30 lands in the middle at $1795, while the Mazda 3 is even steeper at $2258.

As for insurance, a comprehensive policy for the K4 returned a quote of $1644 per annum, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Kia’s fuel consumption claim for the 2.0-litre engine echoes the outgoing Cerato at 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres. However, in our real-world testing, we recorded a noticeably higher figure of 9.3L/100km.

That’s a little disappointing, especially considering I wasn’t heavy on the throttle. That said, my daily commute involves navigating thick inner-city traffic, which likely played a big role in the higher-than-expected figure.

For comparison, the Toyota Corolla Hybrid sips just 3.9L/100km, while the Mazda 3 with its 2.0-litre engine is rated at 5.8L/100km. Even the Hyundai i30 sedan, with the same 2.0-litre engine as the K4, comes in lower at 6.1L/100km.

If efficiency is high on your priority list, there are certainly thriftier options out there.

There are two powertrains available across the Kia K4 line-up. The S, Sport, and Sport+ variants are powered by a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine producing 112kW and 192Nm. Meanwhile, the flagship GT-Line swaps that for a punchier 1.6-litre turbo with outputs of 142kW and 265Nm.

The K4 Sport tested here falls into the first camp, pairing the 2.0-litre engine with a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels.

Off the mark, the K4 is perfectly acceptable – it delivers what you’d expect from a naturally aspirated engine. It’s a no-thrills experience that gets you from A to B without much fuss. But ask for more power, and things start to fall apart. Acceleration at higher speeds is sluggish, with the engine getting loud and laboured without delivering much in return.

It’s disappointing that despite the substantial price hike over the outgoing Cerato, the K4 Sport carries over the exact same power outputs.

There is a ‘Sport’ driving mode, and while it tightens up the steering and sharpens throttle response slightly, the difference is subtle at best.

That said, the steering feel is good; it’s nicely weighted and responsive to inputs. The suspension is also well tuned, delivering a comfortable and composed ride. I really enjoyed the sense of low, grounded driving you get from the K4. And despite expecting more cabin noise, I was pleasantly surprised by how quiet it is inside.

Visibility is excellent, with big windows and a traditional sedan body helping you keep tabs on your surroundings easily. Overall, the K4 Sport delivers a driving experience that’s predictable, comfortable, and fuss-free – likely what most buyers in this segment are after.

Kia quotes towing figures for the K4 with a maximum capacity of 610kg unbraked and 1100kg braked.

It could handle a small trailer, but if towing is something you’ll be doing on the regular, the K4 isn’t the tool for the job.

The Kia K4 Sport lands a few solid hits with its bold design, high-tech cabin, and composed ride. But it doesn’t quite deliver the knockout blow. Performance is merely adequate, and the overzealous safety systems can be more frustrating than reassuring. Add in the noticeable price jump – without a big leap in performance or efficiency – and it starts to lose its edge against hybrid-equipped rivals.

Still, if you're after a stylish, spacious, and tech-laden small sedan, the K4 makes a strong case in these areas. It might not be ready to claim the title just yet, but Kia has shown it knows how to throw its weight around.