Compare the2024 Honda CivicVS 2023 Kia Rio

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Kia Rio doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda Civic has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Rio doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Rio’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Civic Touring/Sport Touring CVT has a standard Low Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Rio doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Civic’s standard 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. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Rio and is only available on Rio S.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s blind spot warning system uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. The Rio doesn’t offer a system to reveal objects in the driver’s blind spots.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’s standard Cross Traffic Monitor uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Rio doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Civic and the Rio have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available rear parking sensors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Civic the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 54 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Rio last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2018.

Warranty

The Civic’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Rio runs out after 100,000 miles.

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Civic for 2 years or 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Rio.

There are over 37 percent more Honda dealers than there are Kia dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Civic’s reliability 18 points higher than the Rio.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 4 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Civic LX/Sport’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 38 more horsepower (158 vs. 120) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (138 vs. 112) than the Rio’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 more horsepower (180 vs. 120) and 65 lbs.-ft. more torque (177 vs. 112) than the Rio’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Civic EX 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder Auto gets better fuel mileage than the Rio (33 city/42 hwy vs. 32 city/41 hwy).

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Rio doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Rio doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Civic higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Kia Rio (3). This means the Civic produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Rio every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Honda Civic has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Rio. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Civic stops shorter than the Rio:

	Civic	Rio
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	140 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Rio (215/50R17 vs. 185/65R15). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Rio (235/40R18 vs. 185/65R15).

The Civic LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Rio’s standard 65 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Rio’s 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Civic LX has standard 16-inch wheels. Only 15-inch wheels are available on the Rio. The Civic Sport/Touring has standard 18-inch wheels.

The Honda Civic’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Kia Rio only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Kia Rio has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Civic flat and controlled during cornering. The Rio’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Civic 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 Rio doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Civic’s wheelbase is 6.1 inches longer than on the Rio (107.7 inches vs. 101.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Civic is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Rio.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Civic a Mid-size car, while the Rio Sedan is rated a Compact.

The Civic has 9.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Rio Sedan (99 vs. 89.9).

The Civic Sedan has .4 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 2.9 inches more front shoulder room, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Rio Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

The Civic Sedan has a much larger trunk than the Rio Sedan (14.8 vs. 13.7 cubic feet).

The Civic’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Rio LX doesn’t offer folding rear seats.

Ergonomics

To help each driver find a more comfortable driving position, the Civic has a telescoping steering wheel. Much better than just a tilt steering wheel or adjustable seat, this allows a short driver to sit further from the steering wheel while maintaining contact with the pedals. The Rio doesn’t offer a telescoping steering wheel.

The Civic’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Rio has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Civic’s front power windows open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Rio’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the Civic’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Rio can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Civic EX/EX-L’s standard wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers and the Civic Touring/Sport Touring’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Rio’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Civic’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Rio’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring has standard heated front seats, which keep the driver and front passenger extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated seats aren’t available in the Rio.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Rio doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Civic EX/EX-L/Touring/Sport Touring’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 Rio doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Civic has a standard Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Rio doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Civic Touring/Sport Touring’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 Rio’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

With standard voice command, the Civic Touring offers the driver hands free control of the radio and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Rio doesn’t offer a voice control system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Civic Touring/Sport Touring has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Rio doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Civic, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Kia Rio isn't recommended.

The Civic was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2023 and 8 more times in the last 39 years. The Rio has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

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