Kia Rio

Kia Rio is the sort of compact car people chose when they wanted straightforward transport with a normal hatchback or sedan shape and no fuss about it. By our assessment, its appeal has always been plain practicality: it is easy to place in traffic, simple to live with, and aimed at everyday use rather than cleverness. The limit is the familiar one for this class — cabin room, refinement, and long-distance comfort are not where it tries to win. In practice, it feels like a basic commuter car, which is either exactly the point or a reason to look higher up the range. Against small rivals, it sits in the sensible middle rather than the exciting end of the market.