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
MORE: Rio news and reviews
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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