Compare the2024 Kia ForteVS 2024 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 Forte 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 Forte and Corolla Hybrid offer rear cross-traffic warning, but the Forte (except Manual) has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Corolla Hybrid’s Rear Cross-Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Forte 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

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 Forte is safer than the Toyota Corolla Hybrid:

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

The Forte 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 Forte 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 rated the Forte first among compact cars in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Corolla Hybrid isn’t in the top three.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 24 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated below 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 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.

The Forte’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (147 vs. 138) and 27 lbs.-ft. more torque (132 vs. 105) than the Corolla Hybrid’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Forte GT’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder produces 63 more horsepower (201 vs. 138) and 90 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 105) than the Corolla Hybrid’s 1.8 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

The Forte has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corolla Hybrid (14 vs. 11.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Forte stops much shorter than the Corolla Hybrid:

The Forte GT has a standard space-saver spare (not available on LX/LXS/GT Line) 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.

The Forte 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 Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Forte GT handles at .93 G’s, while the Corolla Hybrid SE eAWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Forte executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Corolla Hybrid LE (27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 29.1 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Forte’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Corolla Hybrid’s (34.8 feet vs. 35.6 feet).

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Forte a Mid-size car, while the Corolla Hybrid is rated a Compact.

The Forte has 7.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corolla Hybrid (96 vs. 88.6).

The Forte has .5 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom and 3.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corolla Hybrid.

The Forte has a much larger trunk than the Corolla Hybrid (15.3 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Forte GT Line/GT’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Forte’s power window, power lock and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Corolla Hybrid’s power window (except driver window) and power lock switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Forte’s variable intermittent wipers have an adjustable delay to allow the driver to choose a setting that best clears the windshield during light rain or mist. The Corolla Hybrid LE’s standard fixed intermittent wipers only have one fixed delay setting, so the driver will have to manually switch them between slow and intermittent.

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

The Forte’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.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Forte GT Line/GT Auto keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Forte GT Line/GT’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 Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Forte and the Corolla Hybrid offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Forte offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Corolla Hybrid doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Forte first among compact 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.