Kia packs a passel of high-tech and convenience features into the K4 compact sedan, prices it around $30,000 –– and the result is a 2025 Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX award.
Our judges agree the look, functionality and creature comforts of the K4’s interior match or exceed those of cars costing much more.
Our GT-Line test vehicle has a classic black and white color mix, but with a heavier emphasis on white than we typically see in interiors with the shade combination.
Another stylish, atypical twist that our Wards 10 Best judges note is the use of glossy gray, not black trim, in the cabin. It’s also much more forgiving in hiding dust than its cousin, piano black. (View slideshow: 2025 Wards 10 Best Interiors & UX Winner: Kia K4)
A bold and colorful animation at startup and shutdown reinforces the Kia brand.
Speaking of colorful, there’s an ambient lighting system with dozens of shades, both muted and bright, to pick from – quite advanced for a mass-market-brand compact car.
We appreciate the futuristic look of the twin 12.3-in. (31-cm) digital displays behind a single piece of glass sitting high on the instrument panel. Despite all that real estate, there’s no need for the driver to take eyes off the road. A separate 5-in. (13-cm) display tracks climate functions, with some HVAC commands controlled by hard buttons. True to Kia form, the K4 has a good amount of physical switchgear, helping improve driver safety given its tactile nature vs. touchscreen controls.
Despite its compact-car segmentation, our judges find there’s generous headroom and legroom front and rear. For 2025, the K4 has been lengthened and widened – giving the sedan what Kia calls the largest footprint in the compact segment. The K4 scores high on comfort thanks to front-seat padded armrests, a padded center console and seat heating and cooling controls.
As far as creature comforts go, the K4’s cupholders are some of the largest in the competition, huge and adjustable too, with a half-round divider able to be tucked away, creating a large open center console bin complementing the large center box below the armrest.
On the technology front, there’s easy access to navigation and search commands, all of it highly intuitive and cleanly laid out. The front and second rows have two USB ports apiece and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across all five trim levels of the K4.
The Google-powered “Hey Kia” voice assistant is a fountain of information and can be activated from anywhere within the cabin. This AI-supported feature allows us to set the cabin temperature precisely.
A Harman Kardon audio system – putting out sound comparable to that of a luxury model, plus a sunroof and quality SynTex faux leather – round out the contents of the top-of-the-line $31,000 GT-Line Turbo model tested by Wards judges.
Standard ADAS features include stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, auto hold and surround-view and blindspot-view monitors.
With its interior aesthetic and scads of tech features, the K4 is a progressive update to the old Kia Forte.
As judge Gary Vasilash summarizes: “To say the interior of this compact car is best in class would be to underestimate it, because it is a class or two above what many vehicles have. Add $10,000 to the sticker and I’d say it is still one of the most impressive interiors out there, period.”
