Kia Rio UB (2011-2016)

I purchased this vehicle from the Dealership and all Servicing was done at the dealership from 2013 to 2021. This is important because about 2021 I noticed that the Paintwork on the Rear Right passenger Door was beginning to peel. So I approached the Dealership who blamed 1) The heat 2) Servicing done by others 3) My fault. Until I wrote a blog… Read more

and they took notice. Only to say that they would repaint only the door if I took down the blog. They made me promise that should the paint work deteriorate any where else on the car they would not fix it.

Guess what in 2025, The paint work on the bonnet is dropping off in large patches. The Paint work on the windshield trim running blotches all the way from top to bottom. The other doors also showing patches. Essentially the Metallic Blue paint on the body work with thin 10years is looking like a patient with Vitiligo.

I feel when I saw the car at the dealer ship in 2013 and requested that instead of the white Kia RIO Hatch, could I have the Blue. They must have taken it into the back & repainted the white & sold it to me or repainted Metallic Blue onto a vehicle with already defective paintwork.

So a 10 year old Car that has barely reached 100,000km , parked mainly at home in the driveway is losing its paintwork & the Dealership won't take any responsibility - who else is going too?

A Car , 10 years old ONLY, is losing its original paintwork. My 30year old Red Daihatsu Charade maintained its colour till I gave it away. And Yet a 10 Year Old Kia Rio in metallic blue cannot!!!!! Perhaps there should be a disclaimer to say that after 10 years Kia Rio cars cannot guarantee their original paintwork. Or should the Disclaimer read " All Kia Rio's purchased from that Dealership cannot be guaranteed"

Great little car – I have a 2013. Kia Rio, SI manual 1.6 This is my third one. I have owned first generation second and now third My car is not perfect though downside, I think the car should have at least a 50L not a 43 fuel tank. It's a little bit thirsty in summer with the air conditioner on sound system is not the best, so upgraded I use the vehicle for… Read more

day-to-day driving every now and again. I go on road trips and it's pretty good things I've had to get fixed. I had to replace the clock spring and the front door locks failed due to wear and tear and I have to fix the rear door locks shortly as well. Other than that, it's a pretty good car

Becoming annoying – Purchased my top of the range Rio SLi secondhand in January 2019. Dealer agreed to replace the tyres as they were badly scalloped and noisy. Thought it was strange that a car with only 17,000kms would need new tyres. 7000kms later my tyres are starting to get noisy again. Took it to my local tyre centre and was told my rear tyres are scolloping.… Read more

He advised me to take it back Kia and get the rear end checked for any issues.

Also have an ongoing issue with a rattle in the front passenger door which has already been looked at twice with no problem found.

My tailgate doesn’t latch properly unless you slam it. This has also been looked at with no fault found. Fuel consumption is not the best either. Uses almost the same amount of fuel as my wife’s V6 Aurion!

Considering selling it but the resale value is terrible. No wonder the previous owner sold it after 1 year of ownership.

Good points : looks good in metallic black, comfortable leather seats, climate control air and auto wipers.

A fantastic car at a great price - no hesitation to recommend – This car is awesome. The motor is getting stronger and stronger.With its free revving engine and slick 6 speed manual gearbox it is a joy to drive around the city and on a trip. Overtaking is a breeze in 3rd or 4th put your foot down and this thing goes. I've owned Holdens, Toyotas, Peugeot, VW and all gave more trouble and less joy than this… Read more

roomy small car. I've done 85k. No reliability issues and apart from the very noisy fast wearing OEM Kumho Solus KH17 tyres the car has been the best ownership experience I've had. I am quite tall and there is a large blind spot behind the A pillar.

March 2020 Update.

Recently my air con dropped functioning. The car was outside the original 5 year warranty so it was convenient to get a mobile Air Con guy out who informed me the compressor was faulty and needed replacement. Faced with an $1100 bill I thought I'd relay my disappointment to Zupps Kia at Mount Gravatt. I spoke with Paul ,their Kia service scheduler. Paul agreed that an air con compressor should last more than 5 years 8 months/104000kms. It was due for a service anyway at which Zupps could confirm the problem or otherwise. Turned out the compressor was faulty however Paul offered to put a request to Kia to have it repaired as a warranty claim.

KIA AGREED !!!! This is something remarkable.

My warranty experience with Holden was woeful,. Same with Subaru for clutch shudder. Same with Honda with cooling fan failure. Peugeot was ok. My brother's experience with VW was appalling.

I have nothing but praise and respect for the level of product support given by KIA. It was an inexpensive car when new yet KIA has been exemplary in replacing the Air Con free of charge. Kudos to Paul at Zupps Mount Gravatt who relayed my case to KIA. He was confident at the outset that KIA would back it's product and he was proven correct. All in all KIA has proven beyond doubt that the warranty it offers is real.

Best little car – Amazing little car. The good: 1.6 has a bit of power 6 speed manual is very smooth looks are subjective, but nice lots of room inside and in the boot handling for what it is is very good very cheap to run good brakes* The bad: the 17" tires (factory size) are quiite expensive $400 each (i put wider RE003's which were half the price) … Read more

pinging with 91, but is normal on new cars

rear brakes were gone at 60,000...asked service center, they said they were fine when they serviced it, got it home, pulled the wheels off, and no pads. they replaced the rotors and paid the labour, all i paid for was the pads.

hesitation between quick gear changes (due to drive by wire)

Newer models YB only have the gutless 1.4 and the old 4 speed auto. the UB has the more powerful and economic 1.6, and a great 6 speed auto. i went for the 1.6 with a 6 speed manual

i've given this thing a hard time, thrashed it, driven it hard, thrown it into corners... it is a great car for what it is.

i woudln't buy a new one though, due to the old kappa 1.4 instead of the gamma 1.6 motor unfortunatly.

Great! – Great on fuel, lots of space when back seat is folded down. Fits even a dishwasher in it. I have the full option model, leather seats, push button start etc. Show details

Love it! – My Kia Rio is a great little car that is light on fuel and drives very smoothly. It has been used every single day for the past 5 years and is still going well. The battery that that the car came with lasted for years and only had to be replaced recently. I did have a couple issues with the car as the air con and electronics I.e. the buttons did… Read more

not work. This took 3 years to sort out. The mechanic that we had to go through to retain our warranty was horrific and Kia was very unhelpful to resolve the situation. Numerous mechanic visits and fights to avoid being charged for the same problems that my new car came with, my car is finally working as it should. I will definitely purchase a Kia again however Kia needs to work on their customer service skills and ensure their mechanics are actually doing what needs to be done.

Don't buy a Kia bad paint work everything just falling apart – Paint work is shocking also parts on my car are falling off called Kia they didn't care at all they where rude Show details

Worst Car ever! – in 4 years and just 35000km was replaced steering rack, steering Coolum, steering motor, steering wheel, battery, suspension for the trunk, dash board was loose 3 times, ODO replaced. Just to note I bought the SI so a very expensive version. Please do not Buy Kia! Show details

Good little car minor problems but good – I bought this to save some money on petrol... think it was about 17k we had it almost 4 years and it was always serviced on time alway cleaned and polished... it was kept absolutely mint.... decided to sell it and get a bigger car (not Kia) one yard didn’t even want it as a trade on a 40k car... so while they are a good little car there is NO resale value for them, same year Corolla holds it value far better...  Show details

Would be nice if it didn't conk out from time to time – I like the Rio, it is light on fuel, drives smoothly etc. The only problem with mine is that sometimes stop dead, engine conks out and refuses to restart for 10 or more minutes. It would be OK if it was a simple as taking it to the mechanic and getting them to read the engine diagnostics, but no, no engine light, no diagnostics. So it's just a… Read more

matter of replace this, replace that. Is it the fuel pump, is it the immobiliser, is it the crank shaft sensor? Who knows, but spend lots of money getting the mechanic to change each and everything it might be.

So yeah, good car, but not happy with the lack of diagnostics for what is clearly a significant issue.

Great little Car – The Kia Rio is a great little car! I use my to drive to and from work and run errands around town, it’s such a smooth drive and really enjoyable to drive. I use my car every day and only have to fill my tank fortnightly! If you’re looking for a cheap car to fill this is the car for you. Only needs servicing every 10,000ks and never have I experienced any issues  Show details

Just Amazing Little Car – I have owned this car since new April 2012 1.4l with now 110000Km ODO 6 speed manual and still in perfect showroom conditions Serviced as per manual every 15000km by my own mechanic ( never been to my local KIA dealer) Never had any issues, fuel consumption is still unbelievable , still drives and feels like a new car, no rattles or strange… Read more

noises yet

The ONLY 2 cons for me

1) I shouldn't gone for the 1.6 litre motor for the extra horse power with car loaded with the 4 of us and the AC on need to squeeze it to the metal and even then I am impressed what it can still achieve

2) the sound system is RUBBISH

Apart this I would buy another with no doubt in my mind

RIO SLS Cute and grows on you – Bought this on impulse after my 6 yo Peugeot got too sick. Best decision. I have only done 60,000 k and it still has original brakes, discs and tyres. Only hiccup was using cheap fuel caused the engine light to come on and car started to run rough, but ran a few tanks of BP premium and it did fix it before I could get it to the dealer for… Read more

service. I just stick to 95 now. Great little car and fun to drive. Stop start in the city sees av 12 l / 100 k but outer urban or country gets 6 to 7 l / 100k. As a small cheap car it was / is good value. Shame the new one isn’t available with the same options. Eg 1.6 engine, 6 speed auto, p/leather seats, auto wipers etc etc. I would have to upgrade to a Cerato if I bought now to get something with the same equipment levels etc.

Awesome little beast – Bought this as a first car for my wife to learn to drive. Went for a 2015 auto 5 door so there will be room for the kids and all their gear. First thing I will change is to upgrade the speakers and add an amplifier to the sound system. Otherwise, it is a punchy little car... however I think cruise control should be a standard feature on all automatics now  Show details

A great little beast – I thought such a small car will not get me around comfortably, but I was surprised that when you are in it, it is a beautiful and spacious little car. I carry 4 large people and myself and go up the coogee to Bondi hill with no issues. Given the cheap price also, I am happy  Show details

reliable kia – I have owned two kia rios. They are the same running gear as the Hyundai i20. Hyundai is Kia's parent company. The Kia is very reliable and has never let me down. Just keep the servicing up to maintain the 7 year warranty with free roadside assist. I would not hesitate to buy another Kia.  Show details

Love my little Kia Rio – After 11 years I finally got to buy a new car. Kia Rio came highly recommended by friend and it didn’t disappoint. The design is focused on making driving easy, the USB outlet is located at the front where I can easily reach it. The drive and handling is good and quiet. The only thing I don’t like is the fuel economy.  Show details

My little Broom Broom – This car has done me so well, for so long. I purchased my car in 2012 and it is over 6 years old now and serving me well. My car is black, the only thing I would have done differently, is get it in a different colour. Black is harder to maintain the cleanliness.  Show details

The best small car around – While my heart said Ford Focus, my head said Kia Rio, and my head won - thank goodness! With an unbeatable 7 year transferable warranty, this car has the body of a small car, but an engine of one much larger. It has power, great ride stability and is extreme economical to run. It's spacious and easily seats 4 to 5 people, with a roomy boot as well. So glad I chose this for my new small car, I love it.  Show details

Great car! – Great size car, plentiful boot room. Amble room for usbs to connect phones, gps' and other necessary items. The only thing that is a small issue is when you have a car seat fitted you can't remove the boot liner to either access the spare tyre or clean the liner. The car also has ISO-fix (easier way to fit car seats if they are isofix capable). $40 fills the fuel tank!  Show details

LOVE MY LITTLE RIO – I have had mine for just about 2 years and never had a fault with it!!! I love the look of it and it has so much room, i have had the car full of all my friends and they were all still comfortable. Its got a decent kick to it considering its such a small car, and its so cheap to fill up about $40 a week!! The whole car just feels great to drive, is so comfortable and also comes with all the tech gadgets a new car needs  Show details

Getting expensive to maintain – I bought mine new in 2012 and have been generally happy with it. However at the four year mark and only 26,000km the front discs and pads were shot and needed replacing. Rear pads were also shot. Not happy but the dealer did offer a free service next time which they honoured. It's in for service today and the front tyres are in need of replacement… Read more

at 32,000km. The car is used 99% of the time going to the shops etc and the average speed around here is 50 or 60 so very little high speed driving. The tyres are not Kias'fault but the rubbish brake material is. Disappointing in what has been a great little car in other respects.

Outstanding Buy – This is a great car. I travel to Melbourne once a month to see my elderly Mother from Adelaide, a eight hour trip and this small car eats up the miles easily with plenty of comfort. I used to drive a Commodore there and when I traded down to my city smaller vehicle thought how will I manage the above but with the hatch laying down flat and loaded… Read more

up I have been remarkably surprised at economy, comfort and ease at which this car has performed. And magnificent around the city.

My third new Kia Rio in a row – Kia just keep on getting better and better. Earlier this year, I bought my third-in-a-row brand new Rio and now, several months on, I'm still as happy as ever. I choose this brand and model because it means I can afford brand new without having to secure finance. I had my first one for 8 years and it never skipped a beat, my second for 5 years and… Read more

sold it when it just came out of warranty, and now, the new one has 7 years warranty! That tells me Kia has every confidence in the quality they manufacture and in my experience, it has proven to be true.

I do think the 2017 has less boot space than the 2012 but as a single person, that's neither here nor there for me. And yes, it's still a bit 'gutless' on pick-up and driving up steep hills but again, not a deal-breaker for me as I mainly just zip around town. The payoff for me are the elements that are better-than-expected for the price range. I was hoping my new car would have more advanced connectivity and it does! Android Auto is excellent and now I'm spoiled and couldn't be without it. Also, the interior comfort is better and I enjoy that even in my bottom-of-the-range model, I can have a big LED screen, parking sensors and reverse camera as standard!

Reliability has never been an issue for me. The running costs are what I call 'stupid-low' but then I don't drive a whole lot. My 2012 had 37,000K on it after 5 years.

I did prefer the previous exterior shape and styling but I'm not such a car-head that I need this to be amazing. I go for fuel economy, features and comfort and it checks all the boxes for those.

Great second car – We brought this car because we needed an economical run about. It has proved to be exactly that never had a problem with it. Performance is great, handles well, far better than expected. When you are inside there is plenty of legroom & Boot space. I would have to say I would have no problems buying another one.  Show details

love it – The 2017 kia rio is great. Love the reverse camera apple car play. 7 year warranty is the best. This is my 4th kia and won't be the last. The car is very economical. Serving is affordable. Drives well although obviously not super powerful. Drives much better than the hyundai accent I have for work  Show details

Bought this second hand – I bought this car second hand from a dealer after my last car died. Officially converting to kia's! This car rides so smoothly and it's comfortable. It's practical and the boot is massive and the seats are quite large. There's enough leg room and all the electronics work well. This car was well taken care of when I bought it so it's nice to take care of it now  Show details

KIA Rio - problems from manufacturing – There’s been less than a month since we got our KIA Rio and we’ve taken it to Southland Kia for service 3 times now. Two days after we got our car there was a strange noise when we were pressing the gas pedal. The first time we took it to Kia Southland, a technician got in the car with me and drove it for a while to try to identify the… Read more

noise. He told me that was a normal noise, there wasn’t a problem and that it would probably be a small rock in the tyre. He suggested we drive the car a little while because the car was new and it will eventually adjust by itself and the noise will go away.

After 2 days, we decided to make an appointment because the noise was becoming louder and we were sure that wasn’t normal.

We took the car for a service and the result was that the bonnet release handle was loose and vibrating. That was the noise we were hearing. They ordered the replacement part, applied foam tape to alleviate the noise and told us to bring the car again. The foam tape didn’t work and the noise was still present.

Last Wednesday we took the car again so they could replace the faulty part. After we got into the car, we drove for around 2 hours and there wasn’t any noise. However, on Thursday morning, the noise came back again along with a strange noise when we brake.

We are very disappointed.

Kia should improve its quality assurance process.

How come a new car, only 1 month old is presenting manufacturing problems?

my motoring partner – for the money I paid I couldn't be more satisfied with my kia rio economical to run with low fuel mileage and I know that I have a unique 7 year warrenty to fall back on should I need it a quite moter with all the power I need and a very stylish interior, it is amazing how much room it has for a small car the boot is ample and I like the fact that it came with a full sized spare tyre  Show details

bad brakes no warranty – Kia rio brakes grinding from day 1 need to replace rotors within one year dealer ignores the problem pretending its normal want me to pay 1500 dollars to repair saying thats normal at 20000 km lol I wonder if kia representative AFL mathew pavlich drives his kia with factory fault rotors that are grinding I would hope not / a bit of respect for… Read more

the regular people would be appreciated for after all we paid for our cars in good faith DONT BUY A KIA you could regret it

Ordinary car – Well we have finally sold our Rio, after 2 services from Dandenong Kia/Nissan, which ended up costing us money after each service, at 45,000 kms we got the service done, also needed brakes all round, so expensive, $1200, after we got the car home I took it to Bob Jane to have new tyres fitted, the wheels were rattle gunned on so tight that one of… Read more

the wheels cracked, one had to be cut off the car, one had the wheel stud destroyed, $1000 dollars later, new wheels and tyres, next service I showed the report to Dandenong Kia, they said no way it could happen, I told him have a look at the date, one day after the service, they said sorry but took no responsibility for anything, 60,000 kms service, they did not change the oil filter, just filled an extra 3.5 litres into the engine, 7 litres in the sump, it was pouring rain, had the wipers changed, $66, they fell apart 400 meters from the service department, got soaked fixing in the middle of Dandenong, the car once again would not start, this after $600 service, had to drain oil and replace with a new filter, took out the spark plugs and changed them, took apart the throttle body and cleaned and found it was sticking, once all this done, bingo the car started each time, poor service, the first service was fantastic, after that down hill, emailed them and told them we just bought a $50,000 car, it could have been from them, but alas, no way, they were great in giving you a loan car, but everything costs 4 to 5 times more than anywhere else, asked for a gear box service, $386 just for the oil, no filter or labour, come on, won't ever buy or recommend Kia ever again, just talked a friend out of buying the new 2017 Kia Rio, he bought a Renault Clio, 4.5 litres per 100 kms, our Rio was 6.9 to 7.9 per 100 kms, very uneconomical, a bit better now since I fixed everything myself, also paid them $89 for synthetic oil, don't believe they put it in as the car ran like crap, then I changed it for a better oil and it was great, well thats my last report on Kia, glad that we got a new car.

Solid, Relieable, Quiet – Compared to all other cars in its class, it is way outsanding. Everything works the way it should, and everything is in the right place. Built quality is perfect, and running costs way beyond understanding (pretty good!). The most amazing thing of this car is the quietness. When you stop at the red lights you and your passengers wonder if… Read more

there is really a petrol engine in the car.

The 1.4 doesn't sound impressive, but it is very willing. The power is well distributed across the range, and it works so well from the lowers to the highest revs all the time. It is not punchy, but when in need you can just cut a few gears down, and press on. It delivers.

Brakes were better than I ever expected. Fuel consumption ridiculously good. Legroom plentiful. Everything seem to be in the right place in the cabin. The car looks pretty good as well.

Highly recommended.

The only thing I didn't quite like is that on the 3 door model, rear visibility is quite a challenge.