The 2025 Kia K5 gets fresh looks, remains refreshingly affordable

The K5 was already one of Kia’s better-looking cars, offering a surprisingly solid driving experience for the price. It’s getting better for the 2025 model year with updated exterior styling and a significant interior overhaul, as well as a new naturally-aspirated engine to replace the previous 1.6-liter turbo. Kia recently announced pricing for the new car, but in a refreshing twist, it remains close to the affordable numbers we saw in 2024.

The base 2025 K5 LXS starts at $28,145 after the $1,155 destination charge. Stepping up to the GT-Line FWD pushes pricing to $29,145, and AWD adds $1,600 to that price. The EX is front-drive-only and starts at $35,645. The sporty K5 GT is slightly less to start, at $34,245. Sales begin in the second quarter of 2024.

Those surprisingly reasonable prices buy a long list of standard features, including a 12.3-inch touchscreen,  Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, six speakers, and more. Higher trims add navigation, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, LED interior lighting, and synthetic leather upholstery with sport seats in some variants. There’s also a full suite of standard advanced driver aids, including blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.

The new entry-level 2.5-liter four-cylinder makes 191 horsepower and 181.5 pound-feet of torque (yes, really), an improvement of 11 ponies over the 2024 model. Kia’s range-topping 2.5-liter engine comes in the GT trim, making 290 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque. Both engines pair with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Kia also recently introduced an all-new K4 sedan for 2025, replacing the Forte as its entry-level offering. It carries the same four-cylinder engine as the Forte, and the top GT-Line Turbo gets a 190-horsepower turbo-four. We don’t have pricing for the smaller model yet, but we know Kia plans to release a shockingly attractive hatchback version after the initial rollout.