Compare the2023 Kia ForteVS 2022 Toyota Corolla

Both the Forte and the Corolla have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Forte is safer than the Toyota Corolla:

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

The Forte comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Corolla’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Forte has a standard 640-amp battery. The Corolla’s standard 295-amp battery and largest (SE/XSE) 360 amp battery aren’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forte first among compact cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Corolla was rated second.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fifth.

The Forte’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 8 more horsepower (147 vs. 139) and 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (132 vs. 126) than the Corolla’s standard 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Forte GT’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 32 more horsepower (201 vs. 169) and 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 151) than the Corolla SE/XSE’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Kia Forte 4 cyl. is faster than the Toyota Corolla 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Forte gets better mileage than the Corolla:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Forte uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Corolla SE/XSE requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Forte offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is more internally efficient than a CVT but just as easy to drive. The Corolla doesn’t offer an SMG.

For better stopping power the Forte’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Corolla:

The Forte stops much shorter than the Corolla:

The Forte has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Corolla doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Forte’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (59.1% to 40.9%) than the Corolla’s (60.9% to 39.1%). This gives the Forte more stable handling and braking.

The Forte GT handles at .93 G’s, while the Corolla XSE pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forte executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Corolla XSE (27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forte’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Corolla’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.6 feet).

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Forte GT is quieter than the Corolla Apex:

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Forte a Mid-size car, while the Corolla is rated a Compact.

The Forte has 7.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla (96 vs. 88.6).

The Forte has .5 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom and 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla.

The Forte has a much larger trunk than the Corolla (15.3 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

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

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

The Forte’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Corolla L’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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

The Forte’s optional rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Corolla doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Forte GT Line/GT Auto keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Corolla doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Forte GT Line/GT’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Corolla doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Forte and the Corolla offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Forte offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Corolla doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forte is less expensive to operate than the Corolla because typical repairs cost much less on the Forte than the Corolla, including $95 less for a muffler, $224 less for a starter, $127 less for fuel injection, $153 less for a fuel pump, $14 less for front struts, $625 less for a timing belt/chain and $64 less for a power steering pump.