Where each one leads
Ford Fusion
- Against cars of the same age, the Ford Fusion comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 3% more often than average) than the Kia Rio (passes 3% less often than average).
- NHTSA rates the 2020 Ford Fusion at 5 of 5 stars, the 2017 Kia Rio at 4.
Kia Rio
- Fewer Kia Rio cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.2% against 2.8%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2023 Kia Rio uses 6.7 l/100 km, the 2020 Ford Fusion 8.7.
- New Kia Rio cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 124 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 146 for the Ford Fusion in 2022.
Too close to call: new York safety inspections failed, against cars of the same year.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Fusion | Kia Rio | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2006–2020 | 2000–2023 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 60,282 (2010–2022) | 603,337 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 42,566 | 98,736 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 14,938 | 38,609 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,842 | 20,122 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Fusion | Kia Rio | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 60% | 70% |
| … against cars of the same age | +3% | −3% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.9% | 2.8% |
| … against cars of the same year | +41% | +45% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.8% | 2.2% |
| US owner complaints | 22,436 | 1,294 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2010 (5,130) | 2001 (223) |
| US recall campaigns | 46 | 11 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,554 | 1,070 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 50 | 18 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford Fusion | Kia Rio | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2020) | 4★ (2017) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Fusion | Kia Rio | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.7 l/100 km (2020) | 6.7 l/100 km (2023) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 6.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 6.3 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 146 g/km | 124 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 124 kW (167 hp) | 68 kW (91 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,541 kg | 1,154 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €18,450 | €16,195 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 189,000 km | 104,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).