2025 Kia K4 Undercuts Corolla and Civic at $23,145

The 2025 Kia K4 plays hopscotch over the line that separates small sedans from medium-sized ones, but the K4’s pricing stands firmly within cheap car territory nowadays. The K4 will start at $23,145 including destination when it lands at Kia dealers in the U.S. this September.

The K4 will replace the outgoing Forte as the small sedan of Kia’s lineup and it slots beneath the K5, which has a similar design. A base model K4 LX carries a premium of $2,000 compared to the Forte LX. Then again, that’s comparing a new model with an older one that has been discontinued, and obviously car prices have only gone in one direction since the Forte’s departure. It’s also worth noting that the K4 is several inches longer and wider than its predecessor, and Kia says it’ll be the largest compact sedan in its class.

2025 K4

The K4 will start with the LX trim, then increase in $1,000 increments through the LXS and EX trims. Once we get to the K4 GT-Line, pricing jumps to $26,345, while the uppermost GT-Line Turbo trim will start at $29,245. No word yet on the pricing for the K4 wagon, though.

The K4 GT-Line Turbo upgrades the standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder to a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine that makes 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The base model’s naturally aspirated engine makes 147 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque. Those figures are identical to those of the outgoing Forte’s, which makes sense given it’s the same engine. The Forte GT, however, makes 201 hp from the same 1.6-liter turbo engine, which points to some tuning on the K4’s version of the mill.

We can only hope the power drop is for the sake of fuel efficiency. A bigger car that yields better gas mileage is always welcome. The K4’s size brings greater comfort and class-leading rear legroom, according to Kia, but it also gets a big upgrade to the interior versus the Forte, including multiple displays for a combined 30 inches of screen real estate.

The K4 is 185.4 inches long and 72.8 inches wide, making it the biggest in the compact segment. The K4 is Kia’s response to the Nissan Sentra, Toyota Corolla, and Honda Civic, which start at higher prices than the Kia—except for the Sentra, which is getting a little long in the tooth.

Kia is hoping that the K4 will appeal to folks over the stalwart Corolla and Civic with striking design and a stylish fastback profile, which are usually reserved for bigger and more expensive models. This seems to be the move across the board at the South Korean automaker, since the K4 also shares design with the smaller Kia K3, which is sold in Mexico where both it and the new K4 will be made.