Compare the2022 Kia K5VS 2021 Lexus ES Series

Both the K5 and ES Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The K5 EX Premium/GT-1 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The ES Series’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the K5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ES Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the K5 and the ES Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia K5 is safer than the Lexus ES Series:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Kia K5 is safer than the Lexus ES Series:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The K5 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The ES Series’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the ES Series. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the ES Series ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the K5’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the K5 has a standard 760-amp battery. The ES Series’ 603-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in initial quality, above the industry average. With 23 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

The K5 has more powerful engines than the ES Series:

As tested in Motor Trend the K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the K5 FWD gets better fuel mileage than the ES Series FWD:

The K5 LX’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (14.8 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The K5 offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The ES Series doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

For better stopping power the K5 GT’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ES Series:

The K5 stops much shorter than the ES Series:

For better traction, the K5 GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ES Series (245/40R19 vs. 235/45R18).

The K5 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The ES Series’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the K5 is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the ES Series.

The K5 GT-Line AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The K5 GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the K5’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the ES Series’ (36 feet vs. 38 feet). The K5’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the ES Series w/18-19” wheels’ (36 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 600 pounds less than the Lexus ES Series.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the K5 a Large car, while the ES Series is rated a Mid-size.

The K5 has 5.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ES Series (105.3 vs. 99.9).

The K5 has 2.7 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES Series.

The K5 has a much larger trunk than the ES Series (16 vs. 13.9 cubic feet).

The K5’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES Series doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

Consumer Reports rated the K5’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the ES Series’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia K5 and the Lexus ES Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.