KIA K5

Design & Quality

The K5’s interior is premium, with a lot of focus on the driver, and is also packed with high-quality materials, which makes the sedan like a segment above. The design of the dashboard is unique with soft-touch surfaces, wood trim, and rose gold accents. You’ll immediately notice the panoramic dual 12.3-inch display, which is the main highlight of the cabin, smartly integrated within the digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system. The cabin’s tight panel gaps and durable finishes point towards higher quality and durability, especially in the UAE’s harsh climate.

Front Seat

The driver’s seat features 10-way power adjustments with lumbar support (EX trim) for comfort during long commutes in UAE traffic. The heated and ventilated seats (EX trim) and leather upholstery make it quite cosy and comfortable, while the multi-function steering wheel with paddle shifters enhances driver engagement. The cushioning is well supported and helps reduce fatigue, making the K5 suitable for long drives.

Electronic Parking Brake

The K5 gets an electronic parking brake (EPB) with auto-hold is a good addition to the car by replacing the traditional handbrake, which frees up cabin space and improves overall convenience. It is integrated with hill-hold assist, and the EPB ensures smooth operation in stop-and-go traffic.

Rear Seat

The second-row bench seat has superior legroom and headroom for three adults, thanks to the K5’s 2,850 mm wheelbase. With dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents (EX trim), the passengers are well taken care of, in the UAE’s intense heat, and a rear armrest with cup holders enhances passenger convenience.

AC Vents

The dual-zone automatic climate control system is highly efficient and capable of handling the UAE’s extreme temperatures, with front and rear AC vents ensuring rapid cooling.

Storage Options

As most of the buyers of this car want a practical cabin, this is highly visible through the K5, where Kia has focused on practicality. For example, the deep centre console lets you store tablets or wallets, and similarly, door-mounted pockets allow 1-litre bottle holders in each door. A pocket behind the passenger seat and a concealed storage compartment under the cargo floor are great advantages. The larger cupholders updated for 2025 accommodate bigger bottles.

Armrest

The centre armrest (EX trim) is something that helps you with comfort and can also be used as a storage compartment for small items like chargers or a wallet. Its right placement allows great comfort, while a rear armrest with cup holders (EX trim) provides the passenger a lot of comfort during longer road trips.

Charging Options

The K5 cabin has multiple USB-C ports in both front and rear rows, a 12V socket, and a wireless charging pad (EX trim), which takes care of your connectivity of smartphones and other devices.

Boot Space

The K5 comes with a rather big boot space, which is about 510 litres of cargo space, higher than its nearest rivals in the segment. But if you want more cargo space occasionally, you can do that by folding the rear seats 60:40 to load that extra luggage. Also, you get the convenience of access to the boot, largely due to the low liftover height and wide trunk opening, which improves accessibility.

• Dual front, side, and curtain airbags

• ISOFIX anchors
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Brake Assist
• Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)
• Vehicle Stability Control System (VSC)
• Traction Control
• Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) with cyclist and junction turning detection
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)

• Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
• Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist (BCA)

• Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (RCCA)

• Safe Exit Assist (SEA)

• Driver Attention Warning (DAW)

• Rear parking sensors
• Front parking sensors
• 360-degree camera (EX trim)
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Child safety locks
• Engine immobilizer
• Anti-theft alarm
• Adaptive brake lights
• Seatbelt pretensioners (front)

The K5 comes with an attractive design with a low, wide stance and a coupe-like profile. It measures 4,905 mm in length, 1,860 mm in width, and 1,445 mm in height, with a 2,850 mm wheelbase and 153 mm ground clearance, and takes on all driving conditions in the UAE. The car’s aerodynamic shape helps in better mileage, while the bold styling makes it stand out in the midsize sedan segment, with its premium aesthetic and overall elegance.

Front

The K5’s front is dominated by Kia’s signature tiger-nose grille, with a honeycomb mesh and chrome accents that optimise airflow for engine cooling in the UAE’s extreme heat. The Star-map LED headlights with zig-zag Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) and LED fog lights are bright and also well-positioned to give the car’s front a unique appearance. The curved hood and bold bumper with air curtains give it a sporty and dynamic stance.

Side

The side profile is quite glossy, fastback-inspired design with a sloping roofline, and the sharp aerodynamics and great visual appeal. Chrome door handles and power-folding side mirrors with LED turn signals make the car premium.

Alloy Wheels

The K5 comes with standard 16-inch alloy wheels with 205/65R16 tires, and 17-inch alloy wheels on the higher variants fitted with 215/55R17 tires. The multi-spoke alloy designs are quite attractive with an excellent sporty look and also ensure greater traction on almost all road conditions. aesthetic while providing excellent traction for city commuting and highway cruising.

Rear

The rear design is sleek and modern, comes with a full-width LED light bar that improves visibility and gives a premium touch. The reflectors and a rear fog lamp ensure safety in adverse conditions, such as dusty or rainy weather.

Colors

The Kia K5 is available in nine colours, including Aurora Black, Clear White, Gravity Blue, Interstellar Grey, Runway Red, Silky Silver, Snow White Pearl, Steel Grey, and Yacht Blue.

City Performance

The K5 is quite a city sedan, take it to any city, be it Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and it will bring a smile to your face with its purely delightful driving experience. The engine is not just smooth but refined, and so you’re assured of great power and torque when navigating crowded streets or congested paths. The engine gets good support from the 8-speed automatic transmission, and the tight turning radius (5.4 meters) allows easy parking. With an approximate mileage of 8-13 km/L, depending on your driving style and road condition, overall, the K5 not only drives smoothly but also helps you keep running costs low.

Highway Performance

On UAE highways, the K5 can be as good as one might expect it to be, thanks to its overall built quality, dimensions and the efficient powertrain. Your driver largely stays stable with the engine doing a great job of providing enough power for smoother cruising and occasional overtaking.

Ride and Handling

As per our experience with the car, we believe the ride quality is perfectly tuned to city and highway use, with a MacPherson strut front suspension and multi-link rear suspension doing the job quite remarkably. You experience the good absorbing capacity of a bad road and a promising smooth ride, both in the city and on the highway

In terms of handling, the K5’s accurate steering and low centre of gravity make it nimble in city traffic, with controlled handling on curves. The front-wheel-drive layout and multi-link suspension are a good starting point for superior grip on paved roads. Another element is the responsive brakes, which are good for overall control of the car. Kia has designed the car quite brilliantly, and the sedan scores extremely well in both ride and handling across all kinds of driving conditions in the Emirates. 

• Dual 12.3-inch panoramic display with instrument cluster and touchscreen

• Star-map LED headlights with zig-zag DRLs

• Full-width LED tail light bar and LED fog lights

• Tiger-nose grille with honeycomb mesh

• Power-folding side mirrors with LED indicators
• 17-inch alloy wheels (16-inch on base trims)
• Leather upholstery with heated/ventilated seats (EX trim)

• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• 12-speaker Bose audio system (EX trim)

• Keyless entry with Digital Key 2.0
• Push-button start
• Electronic parking brake with auto-hold
• Wireless charging pad (EX trim)
• Electric sunroof
• Paddle shifters
• Hill-hold assist
• Adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go
• Rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera (EX trim)
• Kia Connect services (EX trim)
• Acoustic hood for noise reduction
• Chrome exhaust pipes

The K5 comes in three variants in the UAE.

Kia K5 LX – AED 102,900
. This is the base variant, powered by the same engine, and gets standard safety features. It also comes with LED headlights and keyless entry. If you want this sedan for its reliability, performance and appealing look, but don’t need all the features, then this is a great deal for you.

Kia K5 EX – AED 115,000
This is a mid-range variant, with that extra price, you get a premium appeal with leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, sunroof, and advanced driver aids. This variant is most suitable for families and professionals looking for higher comfort and safety without a big price jump.

Kia K5 SX – AED 120,000
Being the end variant, the SX gets all the features like ventilated/heated seats, premium audio, adaptive cruise, panoramic sunroof, and digital displays. Anyone willing to pay the higher price for a fully-loaded luxury sedan, this is ultimately the best pick.

Zighweels Recommends: We recommend the mid-range EX variants, which seem to be priced reasonably well, and come with almost all the key features that a typical individual or smaller family want from such a mid-size SUV. This variant has all the key elements and performance characteristics that make it suitable for a large section of the customers in the UAE market within this segment.

The Kia K5 is an impressive, bold, fastback-inspired premium sedan in the popular mid-size segment. There are several aspects of the car, including a stylish exterior, premium leather interiors, and dual 12.3-inch digital displays. A highly spacious cabin, smooth yet efficient powertrain, and high mileage make a practical and multi-purpose car which can be used for everyday commute or long family road trips. Priced quite reasonably, the K5 has some strong rivals, but it has what it takes to offer buyers real value with its durability and performance.

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