Kia Rio hatchback (2011-2017) | owner reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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For what I paid for my almost new inside and out Kia Rio I can't grumble. I've got 4 years remaining warranty and only 30k miles on the clock. It runs smoothly and is exceptionally cheap to run in every way. I do however agree with the expert reviews that the steering is a tad vague but for what most people will be purchasing this car for that shouldn't be an issue. Don't expect performance out of it either it is very much geared up for sensible, reserved driving and by doing that aforementioned thing your MPG return is fantastic. This car does exactly what I want it to do and has excellent brakes and plenty of space for 5 adults something you don't always get on a supermini. I looked at Fiestas, Civics and Hyundais and the Rio ticked all the boxes for me and my family – my other shortlisted choices didn't. Kia also do a used car service plan which lets you spread the cost of your next 3 services monthly which helps with the exceptionally low running costs further. One bad point is the Audio seems to lose radio signal and change to another channel which is slightly annoying but possibly nothing to do with the car.

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I bought the Rio Brand New. The car had a dent from new on the rear tailgate and a scratch. I could see a rushed compound job in the car too. The never seemed new, as it had 17miles from when I collected from the dealer. It's was a PCP car. The passenger side wing mirror sometimes won't work. It's electric folding... When turning left the car squeaks and pops on the suspension. I'm unsure why. The 17" alloys look great new but scratch easily. The continental tyres fade after 6,000 miles at the front. Unsure why, maybe the potholes and humps wore them down too soon. Also, the continental tyres are a harsh ride. Now switched to Kumho Le Ecsta and it feels more comfortable, better grip and much better economy. The sixth gear seems to do little in the way of improvement for economy at 70mph. Aesthetically pleasing this car is in the graphite. I would recommend not buying one of these brand new maybe 3 years old with some mileage instead. Depreciation is very hard on these cars. The cigarette chargers never seem to give off a good amp to charge your ohone. Ok for plugging in a TomTom. The brake pads are done by 12,000 on the front and rears are almost through by 20,000. Good thing about this car was the service package 3 for 299. Rear wiper blade was split first year. Kia want a lot of money for a blade. Bosch ones was 1/3 of the price. Cornering bulbs blew after 6 months. The start stop sometimes does not start your engine properly and you have to switch off and start the engine again. Handling is not very sharp. However, the car seems to enjoy cruise control runs on the motorway. This car is a bit of a low rider. It catches all the road humps even under 15mph. I doubt I would buy this car again because, if I had a issue with it, a warranty repair at my two local dealers have a 6 week wait. However, I don't think this car will break down at the side of the road and not get you home. It's engine is reliable but not powerful. Even when turbo engages.

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Great car! Reliable, fast, spacious and very goodlooking!

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I use my car for business - I have covered 18k without any mechanical problems whatsoever. The car is super cheap to run and it appears that the deprecation is not too bad either, 60 mpg driven at normal traffic speeds of mixed driving though the car says it's doing 67mpg, the computer tells porkies. Cheap plastic interior that scratches very easily, the car is slow and no good for confident overtaking, you just have to accept it's a down side of exceptionally cheap motoring, however the car is a nice comfy place to be. Safe - comfy - cheap. 7/10 car

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This car was purchased brand new in March 2014. At May 2016 it only has 4,000 miles on the clock and it lost power whilst driving. Obviously a part failure but the result was a burnt out clutch which Kia's warranty does not cover. Even so, with such low mileage the initial part failure/break should not have occurred and therefore it would appear the quality is substandard. 7 Year warranty is worthless.

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I bought a 1.4 CRDI Rio 3 in 2013 as my first car (wanted something reliable with decent room as I was going to be commuting A LOT). I've come to the end of my 3 year PCP now and I'm just about to hit 48,000 miles on it...haven't broken down once in this car. No problems at all with it. The handling isn't the best (under-steer) admittedly if you like to drive faster than normal on country roads etc and have some fun in it...but it's not exactly terrible. In all honesty, I've had a lot of fun in this car and it has been reliable as hell. The only issue I've had, was the heated seats didn't work for a while (but that was after a passenger accidentally left a front window open and it rained). That's it. It's not flashy, but not exactly an eye-sore. The eco-dynamic feedback also has an unmentioned function...when you hit 20mph in 2nd gear, the emissions feedback kicks in and you get a genuine 'boost' in acceleration...I've beaten a fair few idiots in their little corsas etc off the line purely down to this and the look on their faces was hilarious. Ride is actually nice imo, not too hard, handles speedbumps well and you do get noise on those crappy light coloured tarmac surfaces on some areas of the M5 & M4...but otherwise it's quiet as a mouse. If you want a good reliable safe car that you can still have some fun in....get this car. Only thing I would say is that when I bought this, there were next to no Rio's on the road...then months later there were tonnes! Kia obviously had a massive push to get their cars out there. I'm trading in for a new Rio now and three different dealers are being just as stubborn with me compared to the first time I bought (and that as with my mum & dad there for crying out loud!). Audi now seem to be having that push. Not a reason to not buy a Kia, but worth knowing I feel if you're going in to buy one.

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Whilst this is a good car, Kia's much vaunted seven-year warranty leaves a lot to be desired. After 11,400 miles the clutch started slipping within a day had to call RAC to get to dealership. Guess what wear and tear £600 bill. Dealership were great but Kia customer service left a lot to be desired. Of course once it's stripped down all evidence is lost and cost of independent check out weighs cost of repair

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First KIA I have owned. Very impressed, excellent MPG, standard equipment very high, folding mirrors, cornering lights, cruise control, climate control, electric sunroof, auto lights and wipers, reversing sensors, alarm, stop/start ignition, Bluetooth phone and ISG. Quietest diesel engine I have ever had, smooth ride, and easy to drive/park. Large roomy cabin.

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Only getting 43 mpg it's been to the dealer twice but cannot give me a answer. It drives ok tyres are noisy though can any one help? I got 42 out my 2lt Golf

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Had my Rio for 2 years been excellent both in terms of economy and a little pace. Comfortable and great on the motorway. If anything needs slightly more powerful engine but having owned a Fiesta and a Clio in the past I'm won over with the car.

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18 months and 36000 miles into ownership - I must admit to being apprehensive about this little car when we first bought it but it's been excellent. No reliability issues, it's very well built (every bit as well engineered as our VW Golf) and the economy is staggering.... We return well over 70mpg. To the nay-sayers "Learn to drive a diesel properly...change up at below 2000rpm, don't drive aggressively and stick to the speed limits" - a simple recipe.

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Only had it 3 months - no problems so far

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Not had long enough to tell ( 2 weeks )

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A sharp looking car, with an excellent level of equipment. Media player/Bluetooth are brilliant and very easy to operate. Very comfortable seats, which counteracts the fairly stiff ride. Plenty of room for 4 people; maybe a bit of a squeeze with 5, but not tried this. Excellent motorway cruiser. Sits at 70mph at barely 2k revs and is very refined at this speed. Engine noise is also minimal at this speed. Engine could do with slightly more power, but this isn't a burden if you drive the car intelligently as all torque is produced at the lower rev range. Engine could be a bit quieter at slower speeds/pulling away from a standstill. However when the engine is compared to some leading manufacturers, the engine refinement isn't far off. This certainly shouldn't put buyers off, when you consider the value for money this car provides.

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The clutch went on my Kia Rio after 12,000 miles. Kia said this was down to my driving — even though I have driven for thirty-eight years without any problems they insist it's wear and tear so not covered by the 7-year warranty. I got in touch with Paul Phillpott the CEO of Kia with no joy. I am appalled at Kia's attitude and would not buy another Kia car

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I have had my two-year-old Kia Rio since August 2014 and have only driven 2,000 miles. It has done a total of 9,000 so I was somewhat surprised to have to call the AA out last month when my clutch went a mile from home. Total cost £574, plus taxis as no Kia garage could offer a courtesy car for the week. Very disappointing reply to my complaints letter to Head Office. Basically they blamed me for burning out the clutch. I have never burnt out a clutch in my life. I am passing on the damaged clutch to my local garage rather than a Kia garage to get his opinion. There was a written report too of a burnt out sensor.

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Only 1 month old , so too early to comment

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Very reliable.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I love my Rio. It’s good to drive and feels secure on the road. I have been impressed with Kia who changed all four alloy wheels under warranty when I discovered corrosion on them. The 1.4 won’t set the world alight but it’s more than capable. Reversing isn’t easy due to large side rare pillars and small window. There are quite a few interior plastic rattles, though. However I like the amount of equipment you get on the 3 model. Heated seats, all round electric windows, cruise control, phone connectivity....list goes on and on. Seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of room for a six footer like me. Cheap motoring.

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The clutch has worn out after 24 months use and 17,863 miles. KIA said it's just the driving style that's caused it, but the same driver's previous 3 cars were new and never required a new clutch despite them all clocking up over 60,000 miles. As it's a consumable, it's not covered by warranty. Appalled with KIA's attitude and even more with the quality of their product. Never buy another.

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no problems since new very reliable so far

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Good economical, stylish car. But interior misses too much quality, it is full of hard touch plastics. It doesn't accelerate quickly unless you let the engine to accelerate by it is own, or you have to put it into shifting gear, where you could thrush the engine to the its life... It is a specious car, good standard options, and I reckon it is considered good as a first car.

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No issues as yet

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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KIA and main dealer garage said the clutch was burnt out because of our driving! Wife and I have driven for over 50 yrs, and both have Advanced Driving Certificates. Kia Customer Services, nor the garage have replied to our questions in complaint letters. We can see on these car sites the same clutch complaints by experienced drivers with no satisfaction and told it is always their driving! How come none of these customers have had this problem with other new cars they've had. The KIA Warranty is not worth the paper it's written on.

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Perfect blend of dynamics and economy! No problems whatsoever!

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After two years with my Rio I can genuinely say what a surprising, joyful and solidly reliable car this is. There have been zero issues since I bought it and it has been a great car for all purposes; it handles the open road just as well as the city, there's plenty of space even when packed full of people and luggage and the fuel-consumption is commendable. If there is anything to complain about I could mention that sometimes it feels underpowered when fully loaded, but really that's just my inner-petrolhead lusting over power. It overtakes well enough, the ride is smooth and the gear changes are solid and confidence-inducing. I love my little Kia, it certainly has proven that it has 'the power to surprise'.

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Word of warning - never order a new car just after launch, so far had new clutch master cylinder, steering rack, dashboard removed and re-fitted due to rattles, steering still not right as noisy when parking and interior light only works when manually switched on ( not when opening door). Good points; 73.5 mpg, stereo, iPhone connectivity, 6speed gearbox, equipment for price, standard safety kit, hill start, stop/start & dealer service, service package. Bad points; awful ride quality, issues mentioned above, road noise, cheap plastic on doors, lack of options available (can't spec cruise control or heated mirrors) only 4 colours available, no spare wheel or jack, mud flaps too small so pointless. Wouldn't buy another but only £3600 after 3 years with 4 years warranty left so will change when warranty finished.

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No Red thumbs down