Where each one leads
Kia Rio
- Fewer Kia Rio cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.2% against 6.8%).
- NHTSA rates the 2017 Kia Rio at 4 of 5 stars, the 2011 Mazda Tribute at 3.
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2023 Kia Rio uses 6.7 l/100 km, the 2011 Mazda Tribute 9.5.
Mazda Tribute
- Against cars of the same year, the Mazda Tribute comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 19% more often than average) than the Kia Rio (fails 45% more often than average).
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
| Kia Rio | Mazda Tribute | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2000–2023 | 2000–2011 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 603,337 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 98,736 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 38,609 | 255 |
| In traffic in Finland | 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
| Kia Rio | Mazda Tribute | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 70% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | −3% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.8% | 2.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | +45% | +19% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.2% | 6.8% |
| US owner complaints | 1,294 | 2,102 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Vehicle speed control |
| Model year with most complaints | 2001 (223) | 2001 (563) |
| US recall campaigns | 11 | 20 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,070 | 1,352 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 18 | 29 |
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
| Kia Rio | Mazda Tribute | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2017) | 3★ (2011) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Kia Rio | Mazda Tribute | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 6.7 l/100 km (2023) | 9.5 l/100 km (2011) |
| 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 | 124 g/km | — |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 68 kW (91 hp) | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,154 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €16,195 | — |
| Average odometer in Finland | 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).

