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.

It’s important to note that while the base LXS trim and GT-Line didn’t increase in price by much for the new model year, the EX trim jumped $5,000 between model years. That said, the two entry-level configurations offer a lot for the money and remain solid value picks. The good news is that the GT variant skipped the massive price hop like the two lower trims, so buyers won’t be surprised by most K5s.

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.