The refreshed 2025 Kia K5 midsize sedan rolls into the new year with a fresh look, a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a starting price of $28,145, including a $1,155 destination fee, Kia announced Friday.

That’s a $1,630 price increase over the 2024 Kia K5, which used to be known as the Kia Optima sedan. That costs less than the 2024 Hyundai Sonata and it’s less than the $29,000 Honda Accord that was redesigned for 2023, but it’s not the value play it once was. The carryover 2024 Nissan Altima starts at $26,825, and the 2025 Subaru Legacy starts at $26,040 with standard all-wheel drive, making it the value buy of the segment.

The only 2025 Kia K5 with all-wheel drive is the GT-Line, which is $30,745. 

The LXS, GT-Line, and EX now have a 2.5-liter inline-4 that replaces the old 1.6-liter turbo-4. Output increases 11 hp to 191 hp and 181 lb-ft. It has an 8-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive standard. 

The interior sports more significant changes with the new large touchscreen that sidewinds into an available 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster. A narrow climate control screen sits below the touchscreen and has two climate dials as well as haptic touch controls for other features. 

Every model comes equipped with driver-assist tech such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, adaptive cruise control, and a driver-attention monitor. Along with the Hyundai Sonata, the K5’s biggest advantage over rivals is a 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty. 

The base XLS rides on 16-inch wheels and has cloth upholstery.

The GT-Line costs either $29,145 with FWD or $30,745 with AWD. Those are increases of $1,130 from last year. In addition to heated front seats, it has synthetic leather upholstery and acoustic glass on the front windshield. It rides on 18-inch alloy wheels. 

The EX gets the biggest price increase and the biggest boost in features, and tops the lineup now. At $35,645, it costs $5,230 more than the 2024 EX, and adds cooled front seats and a sunroof, a 10-way power driver seat, a heated steering wheel, power folding mirrors, and a Bose 12-speaker sound system that was optional last year. 

The GT carries over its 2.5-liter turbo-4 that makes 290 hp and 311 lb-ft of torque. It has an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission sending power to the front wheels only. It costs less than the EX at $34,245.  

The 2025 Kia K5 arrives at dealers this spring.