Compare the2024 Kia K5VS 2023 Lexus ES

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the K5 and ES have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The K5 EX/GT offers optional power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The ES’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 K5 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The ES doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the K5 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning with Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Rear Cross-Traffic Braking costs extra on the ES.

Both the K5 and the ES have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia K5 is safer than the Lexus ES:

	K5	ES
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	24%
Neck Stress	180 lbs.	239 lbs.
Neck Compression	21 lbs.	30 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	444/276 lbs.	524/628 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.8 inches
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	159 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	62 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	20/31 lbs.	473/518 lbs.

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

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 K5 is safer than the Lexus ES:

	K5	ES
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	202	300
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	297	326
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	36 G’s

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

Warranty

The K5 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The ES’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 4 years and 30,000 miles longer than Lexus covers the ES. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the ES ends after only 6 years or 70,000 miles.

There are over 3 times as many Kia dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the K5’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the K5 has a standard 760-amp battery. The ES’ 603-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is rated lower.

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 Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 14 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 6th.

Engine

The K5 has more powerful engines than the ES:

	Torque
K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder	195 lbs.-ft.
K5 GT 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder	311 lbs.-ft.
ES 250 AWD 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	184 lbs.-ft.
ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid
ES 350 3.5 DOHC V6	267 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the K5 1.6T 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the ES 300h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

	K5	ES
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	7.8 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the K5 gets better mileage than the ES:

			MPG
K5
	FWD	1.6 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
ES
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/32 hwy
		F Sport 3.5 DOHC V6	22 city/31 hwy

The K5 has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the ES Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (15.8 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The K5 offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The ES doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the K5 GT’s brake rotors are larger than those on the ES:

	K5 GT	ES
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.8 inches	11.1 inches

The K5 stops much shorter than the ES:

	K5	ES
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	140 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the K5 GT’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ES (245/40R19 vs. 235/45R18).

Suspension and Handling

The K5 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The ES’ suspension doesn’t offer rear gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the K5 is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the ES.

The K5 GT-Line AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the ES 300h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The K5 GT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the ES 300h (26.3 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the K5’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the ES’ (36 feet vs. 38 feet).

Chassis

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 550 pounds less than the Lexus ES.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the K5 a Large car, while the ES is rated a Mid-size.

The K5 has 5.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ES (105.3 vs. 99.9).

The K5 has 2.7 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the ES.

Cargo Capacity

The K5 has a much larger trunk than the ES (16 vs. 13.9 cubic feet).

The K5’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The ES doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the K5’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the ES’ headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Kia K5 and the Lexus ES, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the K5 first among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The ES isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Kia K5 outsold the Lexus ES by 59% during 2022.

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