2021 Kia Forte Review

Name: 2021 Kia Forte Review
Brand: Kia

Price Range: $9,850 - $21,998

+190

The 2021 Forte is a grown-up small sedan that's a fantastic value for the money, with above-average utility. Other highlights include a comfortable, quiet interior and an extensive list of available features. However, it lags well behind top competitors in driving dynamics, ride quality and rear legroom.

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Price & Payment

123 cars

$17,511 avg. price

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Appraise My 2021 Kia Forte

Kia Forte model years

Kia Forte for Sale

2021 Kia Forte Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

Minor equipment changes throughout lineup
Summer performance tires now standard on manual-equipped GT models
Part of the third Forte generation introduced for 2019

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Kia Forte FE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.01 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia

$119/mo

$157/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Excellent

#13 out of 46 among Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Kia Forte from 2008-2022.}

$394/yr

vs. $416/yr
for Average Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

0.96x/yr

vs. 1.01x/yr
for Average Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

10.3%

vs. 10.4%
for Average Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Kia Forte Reviews

Owner Reviews

4.4

38 reviews

5(68%)

4(19%)

3(3%)

2(5%)

1(5%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Incredible value ... I was so surprised

Brian, 01/05/2021

2021 Kia Forte GT 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 7AM)

After having my vehicle that I drive for work being totaled by some idiot I needed a vehicle. With the pretty hefty price increases of used vehicles I thought it might be better for something new. Did a lot of online searches looking for a solid vehicle. The GT with the Turbo 2 package just sounded like it could work. Test drove it and it was home with me in 3 hours. Technology for …

2021 GT Manual - Impressed

Memo G., 12/17/2020

2021 Kia Forte GT 4dr Sedan (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 6M)

First of all... #savethemanuals. Now that that’s out of the way, this car has been amazing! The manual GT version comes with standard summer tires which is an incredible value at about $21K USD. Kia really impressed me with the quality, technology and safety it offers. Some vehicles above the $30k mark don’t even come with some of the features the Forte GT offers. Not to mention the best …

Value value value

doug, 12/09/2020

2021 Kia Forte LXS 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT)

Impressive styling, roomy interior, incredible trunk space, and a nice large infotainment screen. Got a great low mileage lease price for my father to get around town in his retirement years. Lots of standard amenities for a car at this price point. First time my father had this type of backup camera and he loved it. He said the car had much more pep than he expected. In three years I …

Unbelievable value for the money

Steve, 05/30/2021

2021 Kia Forte LXS 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl CVT)

I have a 2021 lxs model. The mileage ranges from over 40 around town to well over 45 on the highway and that's over mountains of North Carolina. I'm extremely impressed with this car. It drives very well corners very well has very good pickup. The continuous variable transmission takes a little getting used to but it's more than adequate. And of course the warranty is unreal. Out the …

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2021 Forte Highlights

Trim:

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$17,890
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	31 MPG
Cost to Drive	$119/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	15.3 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	5 years / 60,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the Forte models:

Forward Collision Avoidance: Applies the brakes automatically to avoid a collision with an obstacle in front of the vehicle.
Blind-Spot Collision Warning: Alerts the driver to the presence of other vehicles in the car's blind spots.
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning: Monitors for moving traffic behind the vehicle when in reverse.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall4 / 5
Driver4 / 5
Passenger3 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover10.7%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Poor
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2021 Kia Forte Review

Price & Payment

2021 Kia Forte Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Kia Forte FE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.01 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Kia Forte Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Incredible value ... I was so surprised

2021 GT Manual - Impressed

Value value value

Unbelievable value for the money

2021 Forte Highlights

Safety

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2021 Kia Forte Review

Price & Payment

2021 Kia Forte Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2021 Kia Forte FE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.01 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Kia Forte Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Incredible value ... I was so surprised

2021 GT Manual - Impressed

Value value value

Unbelievable value for the money

2021 Forte Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2021 Kia Forte info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Kia

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2021 Kia Forte FE 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.01 per gallon for regular unleaded in Virginia.}