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2023 Kia Rio

Gas Compact car

20232022202120202019201820172016
Specs & fuel economyRecallsComplaintsCrash ratings
A
Safety Signal
100 / 100
ASafety Signal · 100 / 100
0Recalls · NHTSA campaigns
12Complaints · owner reports
—Crash rating · NHTSA overall
36 mpgFuel economy · best combined

The 2023 Kia Rio is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact car. The most efficient version, the Rio, is EPA-rated at 36 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 12 complaints, most often about unknown or other.

Specs & fuel economy (EPA)

ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
RioGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl324136$1,750

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.

Out of factory warranty soon?

The 2023 Kia Rio is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (0)

No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2023 Kia Rio. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.

Owner complaints

12 complaints filed

0 involved a crash, 0 a fire, 0 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.

Filed by year — 2023: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 3

Most-cited components

  • Unknown Or Other — 5
  • Steering — 3
  • Engine — 3
  • Electrical System — 2
  • Power Train — 2
“Paint peeling. Took a month to have the dealer /warranty repair the roof in July 2025. Then in Sept 2025 have 2 more areas doing the same thing. Reached back out to dealer end of Sept then mid Oct following up find out service person is gone, start over with new service person, follow up early Nov, again mid Nov and fi…”Nov 13, 2025 · Unknown Or Other · NHTSA owner report
“I’ve been hearing this rattle noise mostly when I crank the vehicle. I took it to go get checked out and they heard it when I first brought it in for them to check. But when they got it to the back for mechanic to listen for it, of course it didn’t do it. They kept my car a whole day to try n find the issue/hear th…”Aug 10, 2025 · Engine · NHTSA owner report
“The vehicle has difficulty following a center line, higher than normal steering wheel input is required. Feels like the vehicle is being driven in strong crosswinds at any speed above 55 MPH. The vehicle is very, very difficult to keep centered when crosswinds are present. The steering wheel input feels sticky and not …”Apr 4, 2025 · Steering · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Other Rio model years

A

2022 Rio

1 recalls · 11 complaints

B

2021 Rio

2 recalls · 15 complaints

A

2020 Rio

1 recalls · 27 complaints

A

2019 Rio

1 recalls · 21 complaints

A

2018 Rio

1 recalls · 28 complaints

C

2017 Rio

2 recalls · 31 complaints

C

2016 Rio

2 recalls · 77 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 45652). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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