2025 Kia K5 Pricing And What You Get With Each Trim

Summary

• Kia’s K5 offers a sporty, fun, and competitively priced mid-size sedan option against big challengers in the segment.
• The 2025 model year update includes big changes to the interior and exterior styling, with various trims available at different price points.
• The GT model stands out as the sportiest version, offering a turbocharged engine and luxury features at a reasonable price point.

While more and more people are ditching sedans and hatchbacks in favor of SUVs, there are still plenty of exciting entry-level sedans that offer a ton of space and come at an affordable price. What is even better is that there are still sporty versions of these affordable sedans that get the blood pumping.

Kia has been killing it in the market lately with its Telluride SUV and its Carnival minivan, but if you’re not in the market for so much space, then the K5 will be a compelling option for you. It’s positioned against some impressive rivals, which means Kia has had to kit it out with a ton of features that make it great value for money.

With a big styling update just being revealed at the Chicago Auto Show, alongside the reveal of the K4, the K5 is set to hit the shelves for the 2025 model year, Kia is stepping things up a notch. We inspect all the changes coming to the Kia K5 and find out how much it’s going to cost you for each trim and just what your money is going to get you.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Kia websites and other authoritative sources, including Car and Driver and CarBuzz.

The K5 Is A Sporty Mid-Size Family Sedan That Undercuts A Lot Of Competition

The K5 has been around for a while and has gained quite a following. With it getting a massive update for the 2025 model year, Kia looks to shake things up. What hasn’t changed, though, is that the K5 is a competitively priced mid-size sedan that goes up against some big challengers.

2025 K5 Trims

(Source: Kia)

The Kia K5 is a sedan that is tons of fun and looks much better than its price tag might suggest. Just in the way that Kia has undercut a lot of its competition in the SUV market, offering better specs and features for less money, the K5 does the same in the mid-size family sedan segment. It may be a little more expensive than last year, as reported by CarBuzz, but it definitely makes up for it with updates.

Kia has refreshed the K5 for the 2025 model year. Changes to the exterior include new headlights and taillights, among some other minor aspects. On the inside, the changes are much more drastic. Kia’s family sedan’s interior now matches its exterior by looking much more attractive than its price implies.

Mid-Size Competition

The K5 has a couple of main competitors in the segment. While it seems like mid-size sedans are becoming less and less popular, with more people opting for small SUVs instead, there is definitely still a market. Most of the best competitors also come from the east.

Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai all offer similar value propositions in this segment with the Accord, Camry, and the Sonata, respectively. While there are definitely pros and cons to each choice, the K5 is cheaper than all of those competitors and doesn’t compromise on quality or performance to get there.

A New Engine And A Styling Update Grace All 2025 Kia K5 Sedans

The iteration of the Kia K5 coming to the States for the 2025 model has already been tried and tested in Korea. It was unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, and we were met with some surprises. Key among these is the fact that Kia has decided to swap out the powertrain of the non-GT versions.

Performance

(Source: Kia and Car and Driver)

For the 2025 model year, the base Kia K5 ditches its 1.6-liter engine in favor of a 2.5-liter inline-four. This pumps out a few more horses than the outgoing engine and gives the sedan a little more oomph at highway speeds. It’s yet to be tested for zero to 60 times.

The GT model, on the other hand, retains the powertrain it always had. This turbocharged 2.5-liter produces a ton of power for a car at this price point and makes this daily driver a formidable foe. You also get access to a ton of performance gear excluded from the other models. It sits among an exclusive group of sleeper cars that look average but deliver in power.

A New Look

Attractive materials are littered throughout the cabin, be it wood trim on the dash and the doors or the soft and comfortable seat upholstery. The K5 is also filled with features that make it an incredibly attractive value proposition, such as ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, and a wireless charging pad.

The exterior of the K5 has also been updated slightly and things have gotten more aggressive across the board. The headlights and taillights follow the car’s lines better and give it a much more ferocious look. It looks much more modern and much sportier despite its humble base models.

Whether You Go For The Standard LXS Or The Premium EX You Get A Ton Of Features

The newest K5 was previewed alongside the new K4, with a completely refreshed interior. There are four different K5 trims to choose from and each has its own appeal. If you’re not looking for the sportier GT-Line or GT, then your options are narrowed down to the entry-level LXS and the most expensive, most premium trim, the EX.

2025 K5 LXS

In terms of powertrains and transmissions, there is no difference between the LXS and the EX. Both are identical, pairing the 2.5-liter inline-four with an 8-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. A drive mode selection is also standard on both models.

The LXS comes with 16-inch alloy wheels as standard. It also has LED headlights and LED daytime running lights. The K5 LXS features a mostly plastic interior, but there are some leather trims. The infotainment screen is a 12.3-inch display that shares a bezel with the gauge cluster.

2025 K5 EX

The EX is the most premium version of the K5 that you can get, sitting at the top of the pricing list. This means that it trades those 16-inch alloy wheels for 18-inch versions which are gloss black. Acoustic front windows are also standard, as are power folding side mirrors. The panoramic sunroof is also standard on this model.

On the inside, plastic is traded for leather and wood. Seats are covered in a leatherette and the front seats are 8-way power adjustable which are also heated and ventilated. The steering wheel and shifter are also leather-wrapped. The gauge cluster also becomes a 12.3-inch digital display on this model. A 12-speaker Bose audio system is also standard.

The GT-Line And GT Add Sporty Elements That Make This An Exciting Daily Driver

If you’re looking for the sportier models of the K5, something that will turn your family sedan into something a little more exciting, then the GT-Line and the GT are your choices. While they may not feature all the opulence of the EX, they make up for it by being more raucous.

2025 K5 GT-Line

The GT-Line is your entry into the sportiness of Kia’s K5. You still only have the choice of the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter, but you do get the choice of going with all-wheel drive. You also get high-performance damper shock absorbers. The 18-inch wheels from the LXS are standard on this model, like the acoustic glass. You also get a sportier look on your K5 with a sports front and rear bumper.

The panoramic sunroof is an option on the GT-Line and can be added for an additional cost. You don’t get the wood or the level of luxury that the LXS offers, but you get leatherette seats that sport a GT-Line logo and some leatherette wrapping on other parts of the cabin. The gauge cluster features a small 4.2-inch display instead of the fully digital one and the 12-speaker audio system is optional.

2025 K5 GT

The GT is the sportiest version of the K5 and is for those who need a practical daily driver that can double as something sporty. It is the only model to feature the powerful turbocharged inline-four as well as a unique wet dual-clutch eight-speed transmission with paddle shifters. Wheels are gloss black and 19 inches, and you get access to unique suspension tuning.

Unique sports bumpers for the front and back give the GT an unmistakable look, as do the exclusive green brake calipers and a quad-tip dual exhaust. The GT gets some of the luxury of the EX, like the panoramic sunroof and the leatherette heated seats. The digital display cluster is optional, as is the 12-speaker sound system.