Compare the2023 Kia RioVS 2022 Hyundai Accent

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 Rio S with its optional rear seat reminder are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Accent doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Rio S’ optional lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Accent doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Rio S’ optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Accent doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Rio and the Accent 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras and available crash mitigating brakes.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Acceptable” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rio its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2018, a rating granted to only 129 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Accent is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2018.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Rio has a standard 130-amp alternator. The Accent’s 100-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 29 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 17th, 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 Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked third.

The Rio has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Accent’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Rio Sedan has 1.2 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.6 inches more rear hip room than the Accent.

The Rio has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Accent (17.4 vs. 13.7 cubic feet).

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Rio’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Accent’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Rio has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Accent has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SEL/Limited.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the Rio S detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Accent doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

The Rio’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Accent SEL/Limited.

The Rio’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 Accent doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Kia Rio comes in sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Hyundai Accent isn’t available as a station wagon.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rio is less expensive to operate than the Accent because it costs $91 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Rio than the Accent, including $120 less for fuel injection and $90 less for a fuel pump.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Rio second among small cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Accent isn’t in the top three.

The Kia Rio outsold the Hyundai Accent by 61% during the 2021 model year.