2024 Kia Cerato review: Full range detailed

The fourth-generation Kia Cerato is five years into its lifecycle, but a 2021 update injected some freshness into the range.

Its 2021 mid-life facelift was just that, with little occurring beneath the skin in a range that is much the same as before, with no changes to the model line-up or engines, apart from deleting the six-speed manual gearbox.

That's not bad, considering the Cerato hatch and sedan already had stylish cabins, great infotainment and pleasing driving dynamics, especially in the punchy 1.6-litre turbo-petrol GT range-topper.

Kia's if-it-ain't-broke approach has allowed it to keep Cerato prices down while packing in more features, helping the brand's small car become one of its biggest sellers in Australia.

The Cerato will be replaced by the all-new K4 hatch and sedan in Australia in 2025.

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JUMP AHEAD

• Kia Cerato pricing
• What body styles are available for the Kia Cerato?
• What features are standard in every Kia Cerato?
• What key features do I get if I spend more?
• How safe is the Kia Cerato?
• How comfortable and practical is the Kia Cerato?
• I like driving, will I enjoy the Kia Cerato?
• Which Cerato engine uses the least fuel?
• What is the Cerato's towing capacity?
• How long is the warranty, and what are the Kia Cerato's servicing costs?
• Which version of the Kia Cerato does Wheels recommend?
• What are the Kia Cerato's main rivals?

Kia Cerato pricing

Each Cerato spec level comes with a choice of hatchback and sedan with no difference in pricing.

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What body styles are available for the Kia Cerato?

The Kia Cerato is available as a five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, neither of which incurs a price premium. Both are front-wheel drive. The Cerato is classed as a small car, lower priced.

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What features are standard in every Kia Cerato?

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What key features do I get if I spend more?

The entry-level Cerato S comes with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, cloth seat trim, manual air-conditioning and 16-inch wheels with steel rims and plastic covers, which is quite unusual nowadays.

It is also the only Cerato variant to come with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – this quirk where only the cheaper variants without in-built satellite navigation get the wireless smartphone mirroring is common across Kia and Hyundai models.

For an additional $1500, you can add the Safety Pack, which brings:

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Kia Cerato S

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Kia Cerato S

Spending more on the Cerato Sport brings...

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Kia Cerato Sport

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Kia Cerato Sport

For just over $2000, the Cerato Sport+ comes with the $1500 Safety Pack as standard plus a few desirable extras, including...

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The top-shelf Cerato GT brings a punchier turbocharged engine and a heap of extras at a low enough price premium to tempt Sport+ buyers to part with a bit more of their hard-earned, such as...

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Kia Cerato GT

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Kia Cerato GT

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How safe is the Kia Cerato?

When ANCAP tested the current-generation Kia Cerato back in 2019, it awarded it five stars and a 90 per cent adult occupant protection rating.

Standard safety features across the range include:

Cerato Sport+ and GT grades include the Safety Pack as standard, which is a $1500 option on the S and Sport and includes:

The six SRS airbags in the Cerato include front driver and passenger, driver and front passenger side, and front and rear curtains.

All versions have three child seat top tether anchorage points and two sets of ISOFIX attachments.

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How comfortable and practical is the Kia Cerato?

The Cerato interior design is clean and elegant, with crisp instruments and a large, premium-looking 10.25-inch central touchscreen in all but the entry-level S.

That said, it’s fairly drab and grey inside but for a few metallic highlights in the front and on the door handles, but the light-coloured headliner and generous glass areas mean plenty of light gets in.

Most of the materials feel pretty good, but the lower down in the cabin you go, the scratchier the plastics get.

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But it is ergonomically friendly, from the buttons and switches on the steering wheel to the main audio controls placed quite high on the dash.

Storage is good for a small car, with a centre console tub, pockets with bottle holders in all four doors and two cup holders each for the front and back seats.

The Sport+ and GT bring climate control and heated front seats, while the GT brings ventilated front seats and a wireless phone charger.

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Cerato Sport

In the GT are sports front seats with far deeper bolstering than other Cerato versions, meaning much better lateral support through corners and greater comfort and support overall.

Kia's locally-tuned suspension calibration ensures all Cerato versions have decent ride comfort, but the firmer-sprung GT can be a little taxing on long drives.

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Cerato GT

Rear space and comfort

The Cerato has a spacious back seat that accommodates two big – or three small – people comfortably. Headroom is adult-friendly, and there is decent legroom for a small car.

For times when only two passengers are in the back, there is a fold-out armrest with a pair of cup holders.

All Ceratos have dedicated air-conditioning vents for rear passengers but the Sport+ and GT are the only versions to have a storage pocket on the back of the front passenger seat.

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How much boot space does the Kia Cerato offer?

The Cerato hatch has one of the biggest boot spaces in its class, which expands from 428 litres below the cargo cover.

Sedans hold up to 502 litres but the hatch does offer more practicality with a high-opening tailgate and bigger aperture to get bigger loads in.

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Cerato hatchback

The hatch also has a storage box under the boot floor and a luggage net.

Both versions have 60:40 split-fold rear seats to flexibly increase capacity when carrying longer loads.

The hatch and sedan have a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor.

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Cerato sedan

I like driving, will I enjoy the Kia Cerato?

The Cerato S, Sport and Sport+ provide a solid driving experience with light but direct steering, and the ride feels stable and tied down in most regular driving conditions.

It grips fairly well, but its cornering performance is typical front-wheel-drive Korean – safe but unexciting.

The suspension, which has been specifically tuned to handle Australian roads, feels at home soaking up bumpy roads and handles corners with a satisfying sense of balance.

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On all Ceratos but the top-spec GT, the ageing 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine is a willing worker, even if it is not an inspiring element of the Cerato driving experience. It gets vocal when you ask for all of its performance and can feel short on power and torque up steep hills or with passengers aboard.

The six-speed automatic transmission is smooth and decisive; the six-speed manual that was dropped from the S and Sport in 2021 was a pleasant gearbox with a light shift action that made for quite an enjoyable drive and brought some credibility to the Sport badge.

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The Cerato GT’s more responsive powertrain, revised chassis tune and improved wheel and tyre package result in a big step forward in terms of driver enjoyment.

Its 150kW/250Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol four makes a world of difference to how the Cerato drives. It digs in early, feels eager and strong, and doesn’t sound strained at higher revs like the 2.0-litre.

Aided by the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, it responds better to accelerator inputs.

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Further driver satisfaction comes from the tauter chassis tune and improved wheel and tyre package featuring excellent 225/40Z R18 Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber, which results in an unashamedly firmer ride that pays off on open roads where you’ll appreciate the tighter body control.

However, this can come at the expense of ride comfort, particularly around town and on freeways with less-than-perfect surfaces, which can become annoying on longer journeys.

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Which Cerato engine uses the least fuel?

The 150kW/250Nm 1.6-litre turbocharged Cerato GT hatch and sedan have an official fuel economy rating of 6.8 litres/100km (city and country combined).

Wheels real-world testing has seen that figure rise to about 8.4 litres/100km.

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The 112kW/192Nm 2.0-litre petrol engine that powers the rest of the range was carried over from the previous model.

Because the current model is a little heavier, it consumes slightly more than before – 7.4 litres/100km (city and country combined).

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What is the Cerato's towing capacity?

Braked towing capacity for all hatch and sedan variants is rated at 1100kg and 610kg unbraked. Maximum tow ball load is 75kg.

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How long is the warranty, and what are the Kia Cerato's servicing costs?

Like all Kia products, the Cerato has a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and comes with 12 months of roadside assistance.

All Kia products are also eligible for seven years of capped-price servicing.

Service intervals for the 2.0-litre variants are 15,000km or 12 months, while the 1.6-litre turbo of the GT should see a service centre every 10,000km or 12 months.

Servicing isn't exactly cheap once you get past the first interval.

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Which version of the Kia Cerato does Wheels recommend?

The Cerato GT is the most impressive version, given its considerably superior performance and handling, a sizable list of standard equipment and more upmarket presentation courtesy of leather upholstery.

It's also well equipped, coming standard with adaptive cruise control, a more capable AEB system for better safety, dual-zone climate control and heated/ventilated front seats – features most buyers would like to have.

If you’re not too fussed about having the GT’s extra oomph or prefer a smoother ride, then you can opt for the Cerato Sport+, which brings most of the GT’s equipment levels and a few grand in change.

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What are the Kia Cerato's main rivals?

• Honda Civic
• Hyundai i30
• Mazda 3
• Peugeot 308
• Subaru Impreza
• Toyota Corolla
• Volkswagen Golf