Compare the2026 Mazda 3VS 2025 Kia K4

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2025Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. 6WLNV-H5N7I 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2025/10/11

The Mazda 3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The K4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The K4 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Mazda 3 offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The K4 doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Mazda 3’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The K4 doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Mazda 3 has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the K4’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Mazda 3 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the K4 LXS/EX/GT-Line offers Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning.

The Mazda 3 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The K4 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Mazda 3 and the K4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Kia K4:

	Mazda 3	K4
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	89	375
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	39 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	349
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	30%	30.2%
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	70 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Kia K4:

	Mazda 3	K4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	137	222
Chest Movement	.8 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	273 lbs.	361 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	209	320
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	66 G’s
Hip Force	416 lbs.	678 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	170	178
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	42 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mazda 3 Sedan is safer than the K4:

	Mazda 3	K4
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	122	253
Neck Tension	245 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	156	187
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	2.01 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	357 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.87 in	1.34 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	335 lbs.	669 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Mazda 3’s 5 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the K4 runs out after 100,000 miles.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Mazda 3’s reliability 25 points higher than the K4.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda third in reliability, above the industry average. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Kia is ranked 11th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 3 places higher in reliability than Kia.

Engine

The Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 39 more horsepower (186 vs. 147) and 54 lbs.-ft. more torque (186 vs. 132) than the K4’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Mazda 3’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 more horsepower (250 vs. 190) and 125 lbs.-ft. more torque (320 vs. 195) than the K4 GT-Line Turbo’s standard 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mazda 3 4 cyl. is faster than the Kia K4 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	3	K4
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	9.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.3 MPH	85.3 MPH

Transmission

The Mazda 3 offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The K4 doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Mazda 3 stops shorter than the K4:

	Mazda 3	K4
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Mazda 3 S Premium Hatchback handles at .88 G’s, while the K4 GT-Line pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Mazda 3 S Premium Hatchback executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the K4 GT-Line (26.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The Mazda 3 Sedan is 9.8 inches shorter than the K4, making the Mazda 3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

The Mazda 3’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The K4’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The K4 doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Ergonomics

The Mazda 3 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The K4 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Mazda 3’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The K4’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the K4 EX/GT-Line’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

The Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The K4’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Mazda 3’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the K4’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Mazda 3 Premium has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The K4 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Mazda 3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The K4 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Model Availability

The Mazda 3 comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Kia K4 isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

Recommendations

The Mazda 3 has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Mazda 3	K4
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	n/a

The Mazda 3 outsold the Kia K4 by 32% during 2024.

See Available Inventory