Before you buy a used Kia Rio (II).
Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.
The essentials.
- 2 documented, sourced faults across its 2 engines.
- That is not much data: if no other faults show up here, it does not mean it has none.
- They all depend on the equipment or the production date: ask what this car has.
- 1 official recall on record: ask for the chassis number (VIN) and confirm it has been done.
- According to the data we have, the engine with the fewest documented faults is the 1.4 / 1.6 (Petrol).
Typical faults by engine
The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.
All versions
Sheets the catalogue links to all 2 of its engines.
- Internal brake-fluid leak in the ABS/ESC module of the Rio (2009–2011)Electrical and electronic systems
- Period mentioned
- 2009–2011
- Mileage mentioned
- The sheet does not mention a mileage.
Applies if: Only cars built from 28/10/2009 to 26/9/2011; confirm by VIN.
1.4 / 1.6
Petrol
We have no faults specific to this engine, only those common to every version.
1.5 CRDi
Diesel
- Period mentioned
- Approx. 2005 onwards
- Mileage mentioned
- What the sheet says: German guides rate these engines as robust if maintained: the faults are the typical wear of a modern diesel. Specific points: a stretched chain on some 1.7s (ix35), cracked heads cited by the TÜV on the i30 I, the 1.1 silencer (Rio III), diesel clutches at 60,000–100,000 km (Cee'd I) and a recall of the 1.7 CRDi vacuum pump (5/10/2010–30/4/2011).
Applies if: U-family CRDi diesel; the specific points were documented on other models with the same engine.
Which engine has the fewest documented faults?
| Engine | Documented faults | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 / 1.6PetrolFewest documented | 11 with conditions | 1 |
| 1.5 CRDiDiesel | 22 with conditions | 1 |
According to the data we have, the engine with the fewest documented faults is the 1.4 / 1.6 (Petrol).
By fuel type, the one with the fewest documented faults is: Petrol.
We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.
Official recalls: ask before you pay
A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.
- Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
- Ask an official Kia dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
- Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Kia brake recalls (2003–2024)Brakes
How to check it: Check by VIN whether any of the recalls is outstanding (at the dealer or on the DVSA website) and carry out the inspection or replacement it requires.
View full entryOn the test drive: what to look and listen for
Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.
0 of 2 checked
Electrical and electronic systems
Look out for: ABS and ESP warning lights on, a burning smell or heat near the engine fuse box.
Ask them to check: Check by VIN at a Kia dealer that the campaign was done; if the ABS/ESP lights come on, do not park the car indoors until it has been checked.
Injection / turbo
Look out for: At high mileage or with short trips: carbon in injectors and EGR, a clogged particulate filter, dual-mass flywheel and turbo; isolated cases of a stretched chain (1.7) and cracked heads (early 1.6); a clutch that wears early; on some cars, a cracked silencer (1.1) or the brake-servo vacuum pump (1.7 campaign).
Ask them to check: Drive long trips to regenerate the filter; listen to the chain when cold; test injectors and EGR; check the vacuum-pump campaign by VIN on the 1.7.
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.
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