Compare the2023 Kia K5VS 2022 Honda Accord

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the K5 and Accord have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The K5 EX/GT offers optional 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 Accord’s 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.

The K5 1.6T offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Accord doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The K5 EX/GT offers an optional Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Accord only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The K5 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Accord Sport 2.0T/EX/EX-L/Touring offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the K5 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Accord Sport 2.0T/EX-L/Touring has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the K5 and the Accord have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and driver alert monitors.

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 Honda Accord:

	K5	Accord
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	23%
Neck Stress	180 lbs.	184 lbs.
Neck Compression	21 lbs.	74 lbs.

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 Honda Accord:

	K5	Accord
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	110	140
Hip Force	264 lbs.	431 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	202	386
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	34 G’s
Hip Force	589 lbs.	756 lbs.

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

Warranty

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 Accord’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Honda covers the Accord. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Accord ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the K5 second among midsize cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Accord isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 16th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 85 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 24th.

Engine

The K5 GT 2.5T’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 38 more horsepower (290 vs. 252) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 273) than the Accord’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda Accord 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	K5	Accord
Zero to 60 MPH	7 sec	7.3 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	18.8 sec	19.1 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.4 sec	8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92 MPH	91 MPH
Top Speed	128 MPH	121 MPH

As tested in Motor Trend the K5 GT 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Honda Accord 2.0:

	K5	Accord
Zero to 60 MPH	5.4 sec	5.8 sec
Quarter Mile	14 sec	14.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	101.8 MPH	97.9 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the K5 gets better mileage than the Accord:

			MPG
K5
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
Accord
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/32 hwy

The K5 has a gallon more fuel capacity than the Accord (15.8 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

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 Accord doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	K5	K5 GT	Accord	Accord Sport/Touring
Front Rotors	12 inches	13.6 inches	11.5 inches	12.3 inches
Rear Rotors	11.2 inches	12.8 inches	11.1 inches	11.1 inches

The K5 stops much shorter than the Accord:

	K5	Accord
70 to 0 MPH	172 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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

Suspension and Handling

The K5 GT-Line AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Accord pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The K5 GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Accord (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the K5’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Accord LX/EX-L’s (36 feet vs. 38.2 feet). The K5’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the Accord 2.0T’s (36 feet vs. 39.6 feet).

Chassis

The K5 is 3 inches shorter than the Accord, making the K5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the K5 EX is quieter than the Accord Sport (67 vs. 70 dB).

Passenger Space

The K5 has .7 inches more front headroom, 3.8 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 1.6 inches more rear hip room than the Accord.

The front step up height for the K5 is 2.3 inches lower than the Accord (14.2” vs. 16.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The K5’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Accord LX’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the K5’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Accord doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The K5 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Accord uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the K5 and the Accord have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the K5 is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Accord prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The K5 EX/GT’s optional front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Accord’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The K5’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Accord’s power window (except driver window), power lock and power mirror switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The K5’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Honda only offers heated mirrors on the Accord Sport 2.0T/Sport SE/EX-L/Touring.

On extremely cold winter days, the K5’s optional (except LXS) heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the car heater warms up. The Accord doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia K5 and the Honda Accord, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the K5 first among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Accord isn’t in the top three.

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