Compare the2026 Volkswagen JettaVS 2025 Kia K4

The Jetta has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The K4 doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Jetta’s 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. The K4 doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Jetta has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the K4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Jetta has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Only the K4 LXS/EX/GT-Line offers Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

The Jetta has standard Car-Net, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The K4 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Jetta and the K4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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 and rearview cameras.

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 Volkswagen Jetta is safer than the Kia K4:

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

The Jetta’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the K4’s (7/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Jetta for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the K4.

The Jetta’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (158 vs. 147) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 132) than the K4’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Jetta is faster than the Kia K4 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Jetta gets better mileage than the K4:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Jetta higher (7 out of 10) than the Kia K4 (6). This means the Jetta produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the K4 every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Jetta’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the K4:

The Jetta stops shorter than the K4:

The Jetta has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The K4’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Jetta SEL handles at .86 G’s, while the K4 GT-Line pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Jetta SEL executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the K4 GT-Line (27.4 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The design of the Volkswagen Jetta amounts to more than styling. The Jetta has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .26 Cd. That is lower than the K4 (.27 to .29) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Jetta get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Jetta uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The K4 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Jetta’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The K4’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Jetta’s front and rear power windows all 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 K4’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the K4 EX/GT-Line’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Jetta’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The K4’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Both the Jetta and the K4 offer available heated front seats. The Jetta SEL also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the K4.

The Jetta has a 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. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the K4 EX/GT-Line.

The Volkswagen Jetta outsold the Kia K4 by almost three to one during 2024.