Kia Rio JB (2005-2011)

I'd buy another, without hesitation – The year 2008, my 1981, Getaway Honda needed some work. Brakes, Aircon, Suspension, Seats, Body rust, Paint, Suspension, minor stuff really. Why is it called a getaway Honda? I hear you ask. Well, the motor was well north of 300,000 km and I think the valves or seals needed some tlc. After driving away from idling the poor old thing would blow… Read more

this massive cloud of white smoke. I called it my getaway smoke. Nobody could see where I'd gone. James Bond 007 would be so proud.

Anyway back to the Kia. $13,300 for the base model with premium paint (only white was not premium). For a base model you still got, electric front windows, air, and power steering, 12 months rego, a five year warranty and no dealer delivery, yeh, just drive it away with no more to pay. The good people at Ipswich Kia even called me 4 and a bit years later to see if I still had the car and to make sure that I checked it in before the warranty expired. How's that for service? As it was there was a tiny issue with the interior light surround and the sunvisors which they sorted out with out any fuss while I waited.

I've done around 150,000 km. It's economical, roomy for the driver and passenger, not so for the kids now they are bigger. It's never let me down, other that a battery failing but that's not the car. It's only drawback would be power, but you can't have economy and the sort of power I hunger for.

I take my hat off to Kia. You've done a fine job and also to Ipswich Kia.

Would I buy another Kia vehicle? No! – I purchased the vehicle new on 02/02/08. Under warranty the rubber exterior window seals, on both rear doors have been replaced. The rubber was cracking. The rear hatch door, along the left hand side and right hand side, along the edges of the glass there is a rubber seal which runs vertically along the length of the glass. The rubber seals… Read more

had rubbed the top coat paint through to the primer, along the full length of the right hand side, on the left hand side of the vehicle the paint was rubbed through along a length of approximately two centimetres. These areas were repainted, not under warranty but as an act of goodwill by Kia, as in their opinion the paint must have been "thin" from factory.

Suspected rust forming under the paint, on the right hand side “dog-leg” body section, in front of the rear wheel. I am extremely dissatisfied and disappointed with Kia Motors Australia's response to this issue and they have had considerable time to resolve this issue. I am now going public. Please visit the following link to read my story.

[link removed] Inexpensive The number of faults.

Excellent – Overall the car is a great little thing and i recomend it to anyone looking for a little car. As for the peterol consumtion it just depends on how much ethanol is in the fuel you buy. if your servo adds ethanol then there is more in it and it runs down faster. that would be the only reason it runs out fast. My 2007 kia is brillant. i've had it… Read more

5months and it runs beautiful. not a problem with it. It has about 2000km on it now and i think ive only filled it up 6 or so times, and having an empty tank i can never get more than $40 in it. which is great because im only 17 and still in school. this car is great for all ages, providing they know how to drive. If you like small cars the Kia Rio is the one to go for. This is my first car and when i was thinking of buying a car this was one of my choices when i first washed it i noticed that on the roof, passenger side there was paint chipping away. it shouldnt have been there because it was only a day old. when i went in for the 1000km free service they said it was bird poo. It could have been from when we had it because i was covered at all times. so im not sure how long it was there for before it caused the paint to bubble.I had it 3 days and my mother crashed it (it was an accident)but it still runs well. the only thing that i found when that happend is the frame which holds the engine and stuff in shape was make of plastic and snaped easy.

Just Perfect – Great and economic car. It served me when i was single and after having family. Never stopped just run smooth. Even its ideal for long trips never let u down. Its a daily car that u can trust driving it. I do a regular service and never had any problems that cost u alot of money. Just regular service  Show details

Great little car – Very happy with the car. We bought this as a first car for our daughter, read a few reviews about it and went ahead and bought it second hand with 145000 kms on it. Very smooth to drive, but was a little noisey. We discovered the seals around the rear windows was perished, we replaced them which made a huge difference. Nice and smooth in the gear box, fuel economy is great.  Show details

Good value – Overall Good performance. Good value for money with a low maintenance cost. Reliable car, I never had an issue with it (done 160,000 so far) , just doing the regular maintenance as per log book. Fuel efficient and economic. Good interior design, but it has a lot of cheap plastic in the dash board.  Show details

Good first car – I bought a second hand Kia Rio JB Sedan from a private seller when I was a university student and kept it for about 4 years, mainly for commuting to and from work. It is a good car to buy if it's your first car as it's economical to run and has enough space for adults at the back and a large enough boot. The downsides of this particular car… Read more

was that the paint started to wear out even though it was garaged every night and the seats are not that comfortable for long drives. Eventually, I upgraded to a bigger, better car.

Average little car – Compact car suited to maximum of two adults only, good on fuel not bad to drive, throw away car in terms of major maintance due to the work involved removing gearbox's etc. No fill holes or level holes on manual transmissions , gearbox snouts wear easily, front wheel bearings don't last terribly long, insufficient lubrication on drive line parts… Read more

from the factory so they seize or wear prematurely,

OK car if you keep them only along as the factory warranty lasts.

Reliable. Uses more petrol than it should – Purchased a clean example. Did what it was purchased to do. Everything works well. The factory speakers sound so much better with an upgraded stereo system. Easy to drive and maneuvre. Unfortunately it uses ore petrol than it should. I was getting ~10L/100km for a 1.6L hatchback. On researching the issue, this seems to be the norm.  Show details

great – i've been driving my 2005 jb for quite a while now it's giving me no problems, the time that I have had it not even a single oil leak 290000 kms it's still hasn't let me down I think it's fair to say that it stood the test of time. Show details

Very good car – I am driving my kia 2009 from last 2 n half years as a Uber 6 days a week 12 hours a day with no problem at all just oil change break pads and tyres. Good on fuel. One tank gives me 500 kms. For engine using penrite 5w 40 . And that’s it  Show details

Second hand Rio – we name our car as Cherry from the color. This does not have the enough storage space but it is much for two people the normal daily time. It is the automatic car and the power of the car is limited. The car has been served once from we bought it. Others are looks good.  Show details

Passenger airbag faulty/speedometer stopped working – This is an average small car for driving/comfort etc. However at about 100,000 km's the airbag warning light came on and would not turn off. Took it to Kia dealership, they said the passenger airbag was faulty, my problem-not theirs. Cost to me to repair $1200. Be very wary of lack of dealer assistance after warranty expires. In addition at… Read more

120,000 km's the speedometer stopped working. This is still a work in progress with the auto electrician. A search of the internet shows these are a common problem with the JB Kia Rio's. Kia would have been well aware of these problems but their silence is revealing. Remember, cheap comes with problems.

2006 kia rio hatch 1.6 ltr – I bought the kia in 2006 so am the only owner of the car, ive done 300,000 k's and not an issue, runs as good now as when it was new, still the same battery, brakes and clutch, brakes are at 50 percent still, I have had to bar on it since new and cart 10 ton of wood each year with it, and other odd jobs, Cant fault it way better than my ford or holden with similar k's, don't under estimate these little cars they keep going and going.  Show details

2006 KIA RIO Sedan Manual with 1.6L Motor – I bought this car in January 2006 and it has done over 155,000kms.It has been absolutely faultless ,no rattles,I get regularly serviced,economical. I did put on 185/15 tyres when the factory tyres were worn and I can't tell you what a difference to the ride and road handling. The CD player has finally gone so I'll be putting a new one in.The car… Read more

is in great condition and I'll be keeping for a long time. Perfect car for requirements! Definitely put wider 185/15 tyres!

Good – I wanted a good cheap car,I got a value for money car that does what I want it to do. I think overall I got what I paid for. Has everything I need to go travelling,have travelled 25,600 klms.in 12 months Cheap value for money.Kia are supportive. When it rains or when I wash the Kia Rio the black plastic strips around the car fade to a grey,should… Read more

be black,I have to repolish with Back to Black,but does not last. Knock in rear, the bush had to be replaced.

Bad – I wouldn't buy a Kia again. I was impressed at the start but not happy with the after service. Very disapointing. This car is well priced. Lots of cars in stock so easy to get hold off. The after service was poor. I had an issue with the clutch which was clearly a warranty issue which two mechanics had confirmed. Kia refused to repair it under warranty. Their customer care centre was disgraceful and the person i spoke to was very rude. Show details

Great car for the price – Had it 18 months and driven 25oookm. Compared to Swift at $7000 dearer its fantastic. Miss cruise control and centre console. Seats are really comfortable - put a nice set of black alloys on it even though they came with silver alloys (BTW its orange) Very noisy but about the same as the swift and alto. It uses more fuel than I expected with… Read more ·  1

about 12km per litre on E10 around town but about 16km per litre on a long run using 98octane.

Purchased it ($13990 OTR)using a credit card .99% interest for 3 months and then transferred to a zero int for 9 months and continually transfer to a new zero offer on expiry. So to date I have paid NO interest - left my money in a net account earning about $1500 in 18 months. (earnt me 40000 points as well - $200 if I cashed them in) Incredible space especially in the boot area. Good seat configuration Give me a few more bells and whistles eg cruize and consoles. Very noisy

KIA Rio Sport - annoying traits – I bought the Kia Rio Sport about a year ago. I've had no problems with it mechanically however it has a couple of annoying traits. The keyless entry is a large single button. Press to unlock, press to lock. Problem is sometimes when you walk away you wonder if it's locked but to check means going back and trying a door. If the button gets knocked… Read more

in your pocket by shopping then you have to go check.

The other thing is that i bought a manual so i could clutch start if necessary. Problem is that to start it the clutch needs to be in. So if you do a clutch start and try and turn the engine over then it fails to turn over.

It's not really meant for the freeway and revs are about 3500rpm at 110km/h.

The car is fuel efficient, sporty enough to run around town but drinks big on the freeway i've found. Fuel efficient Keyless entry and clutch in to start

OK – Well I have had this car for about 18months now, and in my last review I said about how good it was so I thought I would do an update. This car uses alot of fuel. I mean alot, it uses close to 7L per 100km on fuel. I get 500km on a tank which is not alot. There are other cars out there with the same size engine that uses less fuel then this… Read more

dose.

The aircon, dont bother trying to use it. Takes ages to cool the car down and never gets to the temp u want it. Better off having the windows down.

Car hates to be run when its cold, also crunches in second and sometimes in third when its cold. Dose loose power at times. If Ur at a roundabout and need to move fast, when u put ur foot down it tends to lag, making u wonder if u will get through quick enough. Also lags between 3000-4000rpm when putting ur foot down. After 4000rpm U should not have a problem. Is very light on stearing but has major understear

This is a good run around city car, its comfey and not to bad on long drives. Dose lack power and u will need to put u foot down to keep up with everyone else. Would not recommend this to anyone that wants to save on fuel, there are better cars out there then this.

If U do go looking at this car then take a look at the 1.6L instead of the 1.4L Small, Nice style. Everything u need in a car. Well almost everything For a 1.4L it dose use a bit of fuel.

Excellent – We had to get a second car and we had to get something decent since we have a kid on the way. I didn't want something ten years old so I had a look at the Rio at $13490 drive away. It's good value and decent on fuel as well. It doesn't drive like an Audi or BMW, but it's decent for the price! I'm more than pleased with it and will definitely… Read more

recommend this for any affordable budget car! I wanted a cheap car with 5 doors, decent on fuel, good warranty and not made in china. That's why I got it. It drives well, sounds good and for the money I can't complain. Nothing so far.

Wouldnt buy one again – Bought our 2009 Kia Rio LX and within the first week it wouldnt start. No reason given. NRMA became a quick friend. Within a year, the indicators just stopped working for no reason. Once again, NRMA to the rescue. Brakes have been machined twice and still squeal like hell but they said they are fine. 1 year old and crappy brakes? Within a year and… Read more

a half, both the shocks and the fuel pump gave out. Thankfully covered under warranty but come on...its less thank 2 years old and we arent driving it to death! Now just over 2 years old and the gear box light died. More money out the window. They still cant explain why our car squeaks the way it does...Their answer "We dont hear anything". Would but a second-hand car in a minute so we arent locked into a warranty again by Kia. The services are insanely expensive. Small. Roomy Mystery Issues. Bad Service. Expensive Parts.

Excellent – We purchased the Ex model with mags and rear spolier - it was ex demo with 50km on the clock so we got it for the normal drive away price of the Ex. We wanted to down grade our second car as petrol was getting too expensive for a car that took someone to and from work and a bit of local driving, and we could not be happier. Roomy enough to get 4… Read more

adults comfortably, and 5 people with 3 children in the back. We feel for the type of car that it is we could not have got better with any other make. We are so impressed we are thinking of a larger Kia when it is time to replace the family car. Nippy, 5 doors, price, appearance Bit tinny

Good – I would definitely recommend a Kia Rio to anyone after a small car. Perfect for city driving. I probably wouldn't recommend it to someone with a baby though. Cheap - I paid $17,990 driveaway for an auto 1.6L hatchback in 2006. Looks stylish despite how cheap it is. Very comfortable - it felt like my car from day one. Small and easy to park. Only… Read more

ever had 1 small problem with boot clip rattling which Kia service centre fixed. The stigma attached to owning a Kia! The engine can be noisy. More recent small cars have better ANCAP safety ratings. The child/baby seat anchor points are not poitioned well and I have had to use an extension shackle with both baby capsule and convertible car seat. Boot also too small for my baby's pram unless I take the bassinet bit off and remove wheels.

OK – With its low price and its 5 years warranty its a good deal. However this car is just a box on wheels. Noisy weak engine, uncofortable and dull seats, very sudden braking, dull and unresponsive handling (list goes on and on...). Nothing compared to the comfort and responsiveness of an aussie car, or better yet a European car. However as I said, an… Read more

aussie or european car cost twice as much, and they only come with 3 years warranty, which might be a sign of unreliablity to come... Cheap, reliable and fuel efficient Good car for a granny or for a mum to take the kids to school Just an everyday car, and nothing more

Good – I love this car. It could be that its my first newer car ever but Im still very happy with it 6 months on. I bought it second hand - only 2 years old and 3 years warranty remaining. This gave me peace of mind. Straight away I felt very comfortable driving the car - since I am fairly short it didnt feel like I was lost in the drivers seat. The… Read more

other positive is my family who are all quite tall can fit comfortably. It would have been nice to have a slightly larger boot. Stylish, very easy to drive, good price tag, still alot of power with air conditioning on, great colours! Sometimes a bit noisy, very touchy brake, unusual automatic locking - firstly, if a passenger unlocks their door, the central locking unlocks every door. Secondly, if you use the auto unlocking keypad, if you open and close the passenger door, it locks everything again (not sure if this is every car, or just mine!)

Good – its just a great car, real zippy and clean response... i read this page before i decided, i really did my homework on little cars and this is still the best option as far as i have seen anyway... i love this little car! theres hardly any blind spots, it really suits the way i drive,I've done over 2000 k's and even with petrol prices sky high i can… Read more

still fill the tank within my budget... it was a great price and just handles well... great car! i haven't been able to find any faults yet... maybe only the quality tyre they come with, but hey, easy to change that...

Good – Almost as good as my old Mazda 323. Have done 100k and just replaced timing belt as recomended, expect to keep it another 4 years. I do run Nulon in the motor and gearbox of my cars, as I feel it helps. Cheap, reliable, economical, heaps of features, good local agent. Does the job required. Slightly noiser motor than I expected. Show details

Good – I would still rate this car high overall, it was great value for the money I paid for it and I love everything else about it. It's easy and fun to drive, it's very peppy and responsive and I love the overall feel and look of the car. Perhaps I just need to be more patient and wait for it to get more km's on it before I go off about the fuel… Read more

efficiency because that's really my only complaint so far. Love how this car handles and how easy it is to see from pretty much all angles of the vehicle. I'm really not sure what's going on with the fuel efficiency of this car, I've put almost 1000 km's on it now and the most I've got out of the tank is about 350 km's I bought this car to save on gas, but it seems to be as fuel efficient as my old '91 Mazda 323. Hopefully it will get better over time.

Excellent – We did not know much about KIA when we first looked at this car. My wife and I liked the look of the Rio, but what really made us keen was the low price tag. It was a great investment. We have had this car for 3 years and not a single fault. We have needed to replace no parts. It runs smoothly and starts every time. There is plenty of boot space… Read more

and the seats can fold forward. We just love it and will be going for KIA vehicles in the future. Reliable, plenty of room for a medium sized car Dirt stands out on the black paint.

Excellent – i purchased the rio new in july 2007 and have roughley done about 3000km i am a woman driver and i love this little car it is great value for money,seems ok on fuel great to drive and park looks cute and has a great little stereo, wouldnt hesitate to recommend it. I like the fact that it is small and compact,after driving a large car the rio seems… Read more

much easier to park.Inside there is plenty of room even for a family of four. There isnt much i dont like about the rio, the only thing i might mention it is a little noisy on take off but apart from that its a great car for the money

Excellent – I love my Rio and will be keeping this for a long time. I would definitely buy another one. My Dad also bought a Rio and says it's the most comfortable car he has driven. Just perfect. I love it!I have had my Rio for 2 years this month and although I have only don't 14,000K's as yet I've had no problems with it. It's the most comfortable car to drive and the first can that I have own with Air con. Nice cold Air. Nothing bad. Show details

Good – Good, reliable, cheap, no thrills car if you just want something to drive around thats affordable cheap to run, Has had a face lift from the 09 model so looks ok, 5 year unlimited km warranty makes it good for the first time buyer or student wanting a long term reliable car. 2010 rio sedan, good overall cheap and reliable car,get's over 500kms per… Read more

tank witch i thought is good for a small car along with the built in bluetooth. the new headrests in the 2010 rio's are abit uncomfortable if you are an average hight person as they stick out about 65mm over the seat making it hard to sit back if you are a taller person,

Good – We bought this as a run about town (our other car is a Carnival). It is economical, cheap for tyres & services. We have the 1.6L model, no issues with power. We would definitely stick with Kia. Good price, nippy around town, looks nice. has a rattle in the dashboard we can't locate. Tight fit to put 3 teenagers in the back. Show details