The Kia K5 is a midsize sedan sold in the US, Canada, South Korea and the Middle East. North American buyers knew the same nameplate as the Kia Optima until Kia renamed it worldwide for the redesigned 2021 model. The export name now matches the one it had already used in Korea and the Middle East. The current car received a facelift with a new grille and lighting signature for the 2024 model year; the 2026 model year carries it forward largely unchanged, with a red interior option and new 18-inch wheels on GT-Line.
LXS, GT-Line and EX trims share a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre inline-4 making 191 hp and 181 lb-ft (245 Nm) through an 8-speed automatic, front-wheel drive with all-wheel drive optional on GT-Line. The GT trim steps up to a turbocharged version of the same 2.5-litre four, producing 290 hp and 311 lb-ft (422 Nm) through an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic, front-wheel drive only, and reaches 0-100 km/h in about 6.2 seconds. US pricing starts at $27,490 for the LXS before destination, rising to $33,590 for the GT and $34,990 for the EX, the most expensive trim.
Kia builds US and Canadian-market K5s at its West Point, Georgia plant; the Korean-market car is built domestically. Kia does not sell the K5 in Europe: the smaller K4 covers the midsize-sedan segment there, and the larger K8 isn’t sold in Europe either.
