Kia Rio (05-11) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 05 January 2010
The Kia Rio is a small hatchback that's often overlooked in favour of more stylish or well known makes. But the Rio has plenty going for it, especially as a good value and cheap to run town car. It's robustly built with a neat interior, the majority of models are well equipped and it's also easy to drive with light steering. It doesn't feel especially modern inside, nor on the move where it lacks refinement and can be quite noisy at higher speeds. But both engines in the range are more than capable and return decent economy, making the Rio cheap to run. All models from January 2010 come with an unrivalled seven-year warranty as standard, replacing the previous three year scheme.
3 out of 5

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3.5 out of 5

Buying used

Despite being the more expensive model when new, it's the higher-spec LX and Rio 3 models that are the most popular, so you could get a well equipped car for a good price. The 1.5-litre CRDi engine is the best choice, but it's not worth paying much more over a 1.4-litre petrol as the smaller engine is already very economical.

  • Boot/Load Space Kia Rio (05-11)
  • Interior Kia Rio (05-11)

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See 209 used Kia Rios for sale, starting at £2,895

3 out of 5

Selling

You shouldn't have too much problem selling a Rio. It's fairly well recognised now, although you're still likely to encounter buyers who think Kia only makes poor quality cars. The generous equipment levels and strong reliability should be good selling points. If you've got a base-level model you can list it as a good value runabout. If you've got a model with a seven-year warranty (from January 2010) this is another good selling point as it can be transferred to subsequent owners.