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The Car Guide › Manufacturers › Kia › Optima › 2018

Kia Optima

Year

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The Car Guide rating 4.0/5 81% Detailed ratings

Price $23,995 – $45,495 Payments

Fuel consumption 5.1 – 10.9 L/100km

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Kia isn’t pulling any punches with its Optima midsize sedan and is offering several different drivetrains. Besides two gas engines—one naturally aspirated, the other a turbo—the Optima offers a hybrid version (2.0L four cylinder and electric motor totalling 192 horsepower) and a plug-in hybrid (same gas engine and a more-powerful electric motor for a total of 202 horsepower) with an EV range of approximately 47 kilometres.

Tests and Features

All Kia Optima reviews

The Top Midsize Sedans Of 2018

Pre-owned vehicles

Pour ceux et celles qui ne veulent pas d’un VUS pour transporter leur famille, une berline intermédiaire est l’une des meilleures alternatives. Généralement plus agréable à conduire, elle a aussi l’avantage de consommer un peu moins d’essence, ce qui peut faire une grosse différence avec la nouvelle flambée des prix …March 15, 2022

More Airbag Problems Arise at Kia

Pre-owned vehicles

No one wants to have to use an airbag, but everyone wants to be able to rely on in in the event of an impact. Unfortunately, airbags are not always ready to function safely. In 2019, an investigation told us that an airbag control module produced by U.S.-based ZF-TRW, which …February 7, 2022

2018 Kia Optima: Beauty and Brains

Times are tough for midsize sedans, as they used to be bread-and-butter vehicles for every mainstream manufacturer doing business in North America. With the current shift to SUVs, passenger cars are losing ground, and yet, they’ve never been so good. A midsize sedan offers space, comfort, refinement and fuel economy, …November 21, 2018

2016 Kia Optima Hybrid And Optima PHEV: Big Leap Forward

Kia is feeling the pressure from ever-mounting fuel efficiency regulations as much as any other automaker, and like many of its peers it has decided that the path to appeasing those wielding the measuring stick at the EPA is to produce hybrid versions of its popular models. The 2016 Kia …November 16, 2015

2016 Kia Optima Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid: We're Driving Them This Week

This week, The Car Guide is heading to Seoul, Korea, to drive the all-new 2016 Kia Optima Hybrid and Kia Optima Plug-In Hybrid. These two models have been completely redesigned for the current model year, and aim to combine Kia's track record of eye-catching style with improved fuel efficiency compared …November 9, 2015

Android Auto: The Worst In-Car Interface I've Ever Used

Android Auto is an unmitigated disaster. There, I've said it. After experiencing the new interface for linking your smartphone to your vehicle's infotainment system (which is increasingly available across the industry) in the 2016 Kia Optima, I can honestly state that it's not something I'd ever want to use, and …October 21, 2015

2016 Kia Optima: Staying The Course

In the thin air of Aspen, Colorado's peaks, which range in height from two and a half to a full four kilometres above sea level, I discovered that it can be advantageous to bring along your own oxygen. Even the slightest physical exertion during my time there driving the all-new …October 19, 2015

2016 Kia Optima: We're Driving It This Week

This week The Car Guide is travelling to Aspen, Colorado to drive the all-new 2016 Kia Optima. The Optima is the brand's mid-size family sedan, and it's been given a refresh that creates a sleeker, more fastback-like look for the current model year. The Optima's chassis has been stiffened, the …October 12, 2015

2011 Kia Optima: She’s all that

When test driving a vehicle, there are certain weeks when we can’t help but get noticed by neighbours and passers-by. It often happens when we’re driving a sports car or a luxury car, so no one would have predicted that a car bearing the Kia emblem would one day make …October 7, 2011

2012 Kia Optima: The Magentis’ replacement at a glance

The all-new Kia Optima is replacing the relatively unknown Magentis. The soporific lines have been brushed aside with a better design. This is just as true on the inside the car, as the interior earns as many gold stars as the exterior. What’s more, the very modern design doesn’t compromise …April 14, 2011

2011 Kia Optima: Automaker’s amnesia!

It seems that Korean automaker Kia has a case of amnesia. Company directors have forgotten that for years they specialized in medium-quality cars at best. Many of you will remember that the brand made its debut in Canada a little over 10 years ago and, at the time, its vehicles …January 6, 2011

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News

All Kia Optima news

Not Again: Over 600,000 Hyundai, Kia Vehicles in Canada Could Catch Fire

Hyundai and Kia are once again under fire (pun intended, of course) due to a safety problem that may result in vehicles catching fire. A bit more than 600,000 units in Canada now have to be recalled. This includes 326,942 Hyundai vehicles, to be exact. Affected models are the 2012-2015 …September 27, 2023

Hyundai Now Has a Fix for Easy-to-Steal Cars

Hyundai has come up with a plan to protect its most theft-prone vehicles after several videos were posted on social media in recent months showing how easy it is to hotwire the engine and drive away. We’re talking about certain 2016-2021 Accent, Elantra, Elantra GT, Sonata, Veloster, Venue, Kona, Tucson, …October 3, 2022

Top Makes and Models in 2021 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study

February 25, 2021

Even More Kia, Hyundai Vehicles Recalled Because They Could Catch Fire

Kia has just announced a recall on 39,658 vehicles in Canada to address a problem that is not insignificant: a fire could break out in the engine compartment while driving. The company says it’s conducting this recall as a preventative measure to prevent fire risk due to potential fuel leaks, …December 14, 2020

Nearly 650,000 Hyundai and Kia Vehicles Recalled Due to Fire Hazard

Two of the most popular Korean vehicles in North America now find themselves part of a massive recall due to a fire hazard. Some 203,000 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport SUVs from 2013-2015 are affected in Canada and the U.S. The platform-sharing Kia Sorento from 2014-2015 is in the same situation …September 8, 2020

All-new 2021 Kia K5 Takes Torch From Optima

A few weeks after its debut in South Korea, the all-new 2021 Kia K5 had its North American premiere today during a virtual media event. It’s the next generation of the Optima midsize sedan and the name change reflects the automaker’s international nomenclature. The K5 will be available in LX, …June 30, 2020

Upcoming 2021 Kia Optima to Use a Different Name

Previewed by a series of sketches last fall, the next-generation Kia Optima made its debut earlier this year in South Korea, where it goes by the name of K5. The North American version should be revealed soon and will go on sale by the end of 2020. All signs point …May 20, 2020

A First Look at the 2021 Kia Optima

A new generation of the Kia Optima is on the way for 2021 and it will share its architecture with the freshly redesigned 2020 Hyundai Sonata . What will it look like? Well, Kia has released a teaser for the K5, which is how the midsize sedan is called in …October 30, 2019

Kia Recalls the Optima

If you own a 2016 Kia Optima equipped with the 2.4-litre engine, you might want to check out the manufacturer's latest recall: 575 units of the Korean sedan will have to go back to the dealer for some rather important repairs. On those cars, the passenger side axle shaft could …October 27, 2016

Four More Vehicles Get IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award

Every year, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awards the safest vehicles on the market. After sending them through a harrowing battery of tests including simulated collisions and an exhaustive overview of all their safety features, the IIHS gives the Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ titles to the …April 7, 2016

Kia Optima Sportswagon unveiled at Geneva motor show

Here at Motoring TV, we generally reserve our wagon envy for rides like the Audi RS 6 and the new S4 —high-horsepower sleds that, sadly, will never make it to this side of the Atlantic. Occasionally, though, our feelings of resentment toward what's available in Europe extend to wagons that …March 5, 2016

Here is the Kia Optima Wagon

Among all car body types in North America, the station wagon is among the least-loved. Even today, these roomy and comfortable vehicles are still the victims of stereotypes. They offer a perfect mix of driving pleasure and interior room, but people are still choosing crossovers instead. This is why Kia …March 1, 2016

Videos

All Kia Optima videos

MOTORING TV: Luxury Car of the Year for 2017

Motoring TV recently held it's 1 hour Car of the Year Special on the TSN network where we picked the best in class for 2017. Here are the nominees and winner in the Luxury Car category. (This segment originally appeared on Motoring TV 2017 episode #6) …

Motoring TV: Green Car of the Year for 2017

Motoring TV recently held it's 1 hour Car of the Year Special on the TSN network where we picked the best in class for 2017. Here are the nominees and winner for Green Car of the Year. (This segment originally appeared on Motoring TV episode #6) …

Kenzie's Korner: Jim's favourite car from the L.A. auto show

If you've ever been to an auto show, you'll know that there's a lot of different vehicles on display. From current and future production cars to concept vehicles that likely will never see the light of production, it's often tough to pick just one favourite from the show floor. Jim …

Motoring TV 2016 Family Car of the Year

The family sedan may be diminishing when it comes to sales, according to Brad Diamond, but it's not diminishing in importance. The proof of that is in the sheer number of new or redesigned entries for the 2016 model year, making choosing a winner all the more difficult. Making the …

Kia Optima Sportswagon

Kia Optima Sportwagon at the Geneva Motor Show.

Test Drive: 2016 Kia Optima

"Since landing in Canada," Graeme Fletcher says, "there have been no fewer than three generations of the Kia Optima." Meet the fourth. While the design of the 2016 Kia Optima is a smooth transition from the last version, the overhaul is more than just skin-deep. The sedan's body is now …

Review: 2016 Kia Optima

When Hyundai launched the redesigned 2015 Sonata , Motoring TV host Brad Diamond wasn't sold on it. So what did Kia do with that car's platform mate, the Optima, when it was time for a refresh? The Motoring TV team was in Aspen, Colo., to find out, as well as …

2014 Kia Optima Overview

Get an overview of the 2014 Kia Optima sedan.

The Car Guide rating 81%

Pros

Great design
Exemplary ergonomics
Good choice of engines
Performance of the turbo
Benevolent warranty

Cons

Limited rear outward visibility
Noisy ride
Tiny trunk (Hybrid and PHEV)
Rear bench does not fold down (Hybrid and PHEV)

Fuel economy	6/10
Reliability	10/10
Safety	9/10
Infotainment	8/10
Driving	7/10
Overall	8/10

What's new in 2018

N/A

Competitors

Recalls

Structure
August 28, 2023
Engine
November 1, 2021
Engine
March 18, 2019
Fuel Supply
February 27, 2019
Powertrain
March 15, 2018

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