Compare the2023 Kia RioVS 2023 Toyota Corolla Hybrid

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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Rio 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, 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 available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rio the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 185 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corolla Hybrid was last qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

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 Hybrid’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 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’ 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.

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

The Rio stops much shorter than the Corolla Hybrid:

The Rio has a standard space-saver spare tire 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.

For better maneuverability, the Rio’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Corolla Hybrid’s (33.5 feet vs. 35.6 feet).

The Rio Sedan is 9.9 inches shorter than the Corolla Hybrid, making the Rio easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Rio Sedan a Compact car, while the Corolla Hybrid is rated a Subcompact.

The Rio Sedan has .6 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear hip room and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Hybrid.

The Rio Sedan has a much larger trunk than the Corolla Hybrid (13.7 vs. 11.3 cubic feet).

The Rio has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the Corolla Hybrid (17.4 vs. 11.3 cubic feet).

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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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

The Rio’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Toyota charges extra for heated mirrors on the Corolla Hybrid.

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

The Kia Rio comes in sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Toyota Corolla Hybrid isn’t available as a station wagon.

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 Hybrid isn’t in the top three in its category.