New Models
New Models

2021 Kia Rio price and specs: Fleet-focused SX joins range from $21,990 drive-away

Affordable city car gains mid-spec SX variant, adding leather trim, a sunroof and alloy wheels for fleet-focused buyers.


  • 2021 Kia Rio pricing and specification
  • City car range expanded with fleet-oriented SX variant
  • Leather seats, 17-inch wheels and sunroof headline additions
  • SX priced from $21,990 drive-away, above $20,490 drive-away base S model

The 2021 Kia Rio range has been expanded with a new mid-spec SX variant.

Aimed at fleet buyers but available for general buyers to purchase, the Rio SX packs many higher grade features into a more affordable package based on the entry-level S model, with SX pricing starting from $20,090 before on-road costs with a six-speed manual, or $22,390 before on-road costs with a six-speed automatic.

Kia is also offering a pair of drive-away offers, coming in at $21,990 drive-away with a manual, or a sharp $22,990 drive-away with an auto – $1500 more than the base S, but $500 less than the current mid-tier Sport grade.

No images of the Kia Rio SX are available. Above: Kia Rio Sport. Top of story: Kia Rio GT-Line.

Equipment additions over the entry-level S comprise 17-inch alloy wheels (replacing 15-inch steel wheels), 'premium' steering wheel and shifter, artificial leather seats (replacing cloth), privacy glass, a tilt/slide sunroof, cruise control, power-folding heated side mirrors with inbuilt indicators, and illuminated vanity mirrors.

Features carried over from the S include an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, automatic halogen headlights, six-way manually-adjustable driver's seat, keyless entry, manual air conditioning, and a tilt/telescopic adjustable steering column.

Active safety features including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, and driver attention monitoring remain exclusive to higher grades, Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are available in Europe, but not in Australia.

The rest of the Kia Rio range rolls on unchanged, comprising S, Sport and GT-Line grades. A full breakdown of each variant's pricing and standard equipment can be found at the bottom of this story.

Power in the S, SX and Sport comes from a 74kW/133Nm 1.4-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine, paired to a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed conventional automatic transmissions.

Above: Kia Rio GT-Line interior.

The sport-themed GT-Line upgrades to a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine, sending 74kW and 172Nm to the front wheels exclusively through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (DCT).

The 2021 Kia Rio range is on sale now.

2021 Kia Rio Australian pricing

  • Rio S manual – $19,090 before on-road costs/$20,490 drive-away
  • Rio S auto – $21,390 before on-road costs/$21,490 drive-away
  • Rio SX manual – $20,090 before on-road costs/$21,990 drive-away
  • Rio SX auto – $22,390 before on-road costs/$22,990 drive-away
  • Rio Sport manual – $20,590 before on-road costs/$22,490 drive-away
  • Rio Sport auto – $22,890 before on-road costs/$23,490 drive-away
  • Rio GT-Line auto – $24,990 before on-road costs/$25,990 drive-away

2021 Kia Rio S standard features include:

  • 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
  • Reversing camera
  • Rear parking sensors
  • 15-inch steel wheels
  • Automatic halogen headlights
  • Six-way manually-adjustable driver's seat
  • Cloth seats
  • Keyless entry
  • Manual air conditioning
  • Tilt/telescopic adjustable steering column
  • Six airbags

2021 Kia Rio SX adds (over S):

  • 17-inch alloy wheels
  • 'Premium' steering wheel and shifter
  • Artificial leather seats
  • Privacy glass
  • Tilt/slide sunroof
  • Cruise control
  • Power-folding heated side mirrors with indicators
  • Illuminated vanity mirrors

Above: European-market Kia Rio.

2021 Kia Rio Sport adds (over S):

  • 17-inch alloy wheels
  • 'Premium' steering wheel and shifter
  • Cruise control
  • Power-folding heated side mirrors with indicators
  • 4.2-inch driver's instrument display
  • Autonomous emergency braking
  • Lane-keep assist
  • Driver attention monitoring

2021 Kia Rio GT-Line adds (over Sport):

  • 1.0-litre turbo engine and seven-speed DCT
  • Unique 17-inch alloy wheels
  • Single-zone climate control with auto defogger
  • 'Premium' seat trim
  • GT-Line exterior styling, including unique bumpers, dual exhaust tips and black mirror caps
  • LED daytime-running lights and front fog lights
  • Auto stop/start
  • Solar windscreen and front door glass
  • Rear privacy glass
  • Rain-sensing wipers
  • Flat-bottomed sports steering wheel
  • Alloy pedals
  • Illuminated vanity mirrors
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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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