Compare the2023 Kia RioVS 2023 Toyota Corolla Hatchback

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 Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Rio and the Corolla Hatchback 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems and driver alert monitors.

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 131 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corolla Hatchback is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2018.

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

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Rio 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Toyota covers the Corolla Hatchback. 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 Hatchback ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Rio’s reliability 16 points higher than the Corolla Hatchback.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Rio second among small cars in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Corolla Hatchback isn’t in the top three in its category.

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.

On the EPA test cycle the Rio gets better fuel mileage than the Corolla Hatchback XSE (32 city/41 hwy vs. 30 city/38 hwy).

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

For better maneuverability, the Rio’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the Corolla Hatchback’s (33.5 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

The Kia Rio may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 pounds less than the Toyota Corolla Hatchback.

The Rio Sedan has 5.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Hatchback (89.9 vs. 84.6).

The Rio Sedan has .5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 3.6 inches more rear legroom and 6.9 inches more rear hip room than the Corolla Hatchback.

The Rio S offers a 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 Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Consumer Reports rated the Rio’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Corolla Hatchback’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 Corolla Hatchback’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 Corolla Hatchback doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Insurance will cost less for the Rio owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Rio with a number “1” insurance rate while the Corolla Hatchback is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rio is less expensive to operate than the Corolla Hatchback because typical repairs cost less on the Rio than the Corolla Hatchback, including $113 less for a starter, $84 less for fuel injection, $98 less for a fuel pump, $136 less for front struts and $192 less for a timing belt/chain.

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 Corolla Hatchback isn’t in the top three.