Compare the2023 Kia ForteVS 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid

Both the Forte and the Corolla Hybrid 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 Hybrid:

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 Hybrid’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 Hybrid. 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 Hybrid ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forte first among compact cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Corolla Hybrid 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 26 more horsepower (147 vs. 121) and 27 lbs.-ft. more torque (132 vs. 105) than the Corolla Hybrid’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Forte GT’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 80 more horsepower (201 vs. 121) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 105) than the Corolla Hybrid’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

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

The Forte has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Hybrid (14 vs. 11.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Forte stops much shorter than the Corolla Hybrid:

For better traction, the Forte GT Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corolla Hybrid (225/45R17 vs. 195/65R15).

The Forte GT’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Corolla Hybrid’s 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Forte GT has standard 18-inch wheels. The Corolla Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 15-inches.

The Forte GT has a standard space-saver spare (not available on LX/LXS/GT Line) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Corolla Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

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 Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Forte handles at .86 G’s, while the Corolla Hybrid LE pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Forte executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Corolla Hybrid LE (27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

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

The Kia Forte may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 300 pounds less than the Toyota Corolla Hybrid.

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

The Forte has 7.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Hybrid (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 Hybrid.

The Forte has a much larger trunk than the Corolla Hybrid (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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Forte GT Line/GT has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Consumer Reports rated the Forte’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Hybrid’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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Forte and the Corolla Hybrid 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Forte GT Line/GT’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Corolla Hybrid’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Forte (except LX/LXS) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.