Similar at first, but distinct up close
There’s no denying that the Honda Civic has always been a great deal, ever since it came out in 1973. For its size, it had a generous amount of space, was comfortable enough for long drives, was remarkably efficient (just in time for the energy crisis of the time), and sold at a more-than-fair price. Even today, the Civic upholds those values. The Kia K4, on the other hand, is a new sedan for Kia. It’s meant to replace the Forte, which, like the Civic, was a great value for the size, features, passenger comfort, and style.
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Both sedans are available at great prices. The LX, the Civic’s base model, starts at $24,595 and goes up to $26,595 for the Sport. The Civic can now come in a hybrid that ranges from $29,295 to $32,295, but we’re not diving too deeply into the hybrids since the K4 doesn’t have a hybrid option. The Kia K4 offers five trims instead of four, starting at $21,990 for the LX and going up to $28,090 for the GT-Line Turbo. I reviewed the naturally-aspirated GT-Line, which is a step below the GT-Line Turbo, and costs about $25,190. After comparing the GT-Line to the Civic Sport, here’s why I’d recommend the K4 to a first-time buyer or as a first car.
The interior technology and design are better in the Kia
As you’ve deduced by now, from the base model to the top of the line, the K4 costs less than the Honda. The GT-Line is $1,405 less than the Civic Sport, but you wouldn’t guess it, because the GT-Line has white leather seats, a 12.3-inch touch screen attached to a 4.3-inch digital gauge cluster, heated and ventilated seats, and a digital key. In the Honda, you get a seven-inch screen (or an optional nine-inch screen), optional heated seats, no ventilated seats, and no digital keys. As far as leather goes, the only time you’ll see leather in a Civic is if you buy the Touring Hybrid. Otherwise, you’re stuck with cloth seats and leather accents.
The interior of the Kia was a lot more open, and I enjoyed the white accented leather seats, steering wheel, and accent pieces on the door and center console against the predominantly black interior. In the Honda, it was black-on-black, with minimal white and grey accenting on the bottom of the seats. It’s clean and very modernized, but it’s boring compared to the interior of the Kia. The Kia can also be built with a black-on-black scheme, red and black ($900 with a sunroof package), or white and black (also $900 with a sunroof package). Honda’s interior is only black.
Both come with wireless Android Auto and Apple Car Play, but you don’t get a premium sound system–even as an option. In the GT-Line, I very much enjoyed the optional eight-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system, which had plenty of bass and could be adjusted to my liking. This bit is nerdy, but the Kia K4 also comes with customizable ambient lighting, while the Honda doesn’t. It isn’t that big of a deal breaker for me, but I felt the ambient lighting helped it feel much more expensive than it was, and helped amplify a mood (and avoid turning on interior lighting during a road trip).
The exterior styling is more appealing
Kia’s design team has been on a roll lately, producing designs that help their SUVs, sedans, and EVs look a lot more expensive than they are, even on the inside. The Honda Civic’s looks have definitely changed and improved over time, and it looks much classier than previous generations. If anything, the gentle curves and the angular headlights make it look posh and relaxed. The Kia K4, on the other hand, looks fun, vibrant, and sassy, with fun lines, wide hips, and a fastback-inspired rear end. It looks like it has way more than 147 horsepower (only three less than the Honda), especially with the headlight styling. Kia’s wheel choice for the K4 GT-Line only amplified the sporty look and again, helped make it look more like a $36,000 car.
The exterior colors are more fun, too. The Honda can come in black, a dark gray metallic, bright red, light silver, a navy blue, white, and metallic gunmetal-ish silver. The K4 GT-Line I drove was in Kia’s Morning Haze color, which I adored with the white and black interior. It can also be draped in the same colors as the Honda, but the red was more of a candy apple red, and their metallic silver was deeper, helping reinforce the sporty look Kia was going for. With the black and silver wheels, Morning Haze looked the best. In my opinion, these colors and styling help make it attractive to first-time buyers, or those looking to upgrade from their grandma’s older Toyota Camry they inherited before going away for college.
If we’re counting safety features as interior technology, the Kia has more
Interestingly, in 2026, the Honda Civic doesn’t have a 360-degree camera to assist with parking, unlike the Kia. The Honda only has a single-angle camera in the rear to help with backing up. Speaking of backing up, the Honda will alert you to a possible collision when reversing, but it won’t brake for you–the K4 will. Same with blind spot collision avoidance assist with steering intervention. If the Kia senses you’re about to crash into a car in your blind spot, it will actively steer you back into your lane, while the Honda will only alert you of a car in your blind spot. Additionally, if the Kia’s safety suite detects a frontal collision, it can help you steer out of the way if braking isn’t enough. The Honda doesn’t even have that.
The Kia also has intersection collision avoidance assist, which can detect oncoming cross-traffic when turning left at an intersection and automatically apply the brakes. The Honda, again, doesn’t have that feature. This is a little nitpicky, but the Honda doesn’t have rear seat alerts, either. That’s not to say the Honda isn’t a safe car, as both are listed on the IIHS’s website as top safety picks, earning similar crash ratings across the board.
Final thoughts
Both are excellent cars for how much they cost–but the fact that the Kia K4 GT-Line has more safety features, more interior features with an optional premium sound system, a bigger screen, and more interior color options makes it statistically a better deal. If we factor in Kia’s industry-leading warranty, it makes the car the perfect choice for a young driver (just review the safety features again) or a first-time car buyer who wants something fun, tech-forward, roomy, comfortable, and reasonably efficient without breaking the bank.
This story was originally reported by Autoblog on Aug 28, 2025, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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