The Kia Rio uses the CVT transmission (continuously variable transmission). This is not very good news for somebody who loves this car and still needs longevity and reliability. The CVT units are known to be quite problematic and they are not going to live as long as other units in your vehicle.
What type of CVT will you find in the Kia Rio?
In the best years, the company sold about 50,000 cars yearly in the USA (later dropped to about 20-30 thousand). But it was at the beginning of the 2000s. The Rio was one of the most reliable cars at that time with a very practical engine and a really durable transmission.
But time has gone and things have changed in how Kia wants to get clients. They started making more modern and technological cars, they included a lot of new features and made the design of the new vehicles really beautiful.
But when it comes to quality and durability, the new Rio is worse than the older generations. First of all, when we are talking about the transmission.
And here is why:
- the basic and the only available engine in the new Rio is the simple 1.6-liter 4-cylinder engine with only 120 horsepower in it;
- also, this engine comes with the only option of the transmission and this is the CVT;
- the CVT basically doesn’t have any gears inside so it doesn’t shift from one gear to another;
- the technology of the CVT is based on two conical elements and the chain or belt that connects them;
- so, the torque is adjusted according to the speed, acceleration, road conditions, and your driving style;
- this is the transmission that was engineered by Hyundai company for its small cars with Kappa engines and Kia uses this transmission, too;
- the transmission is also sometimes called IVT which stands for “intelligent variable transmission”.
But if we just look at the engineering of this transmission, we will understand that this is just a simple CVT without much intelligence or additional features that would make it better or more attractive than the CVTs in other companies.
This transmission has been here for a while, so we can understand how many miles it can go and what problems it can throw. And this is why we are talking about this transmission with some irony. I hope you will understand why.
The technologies used in this CVT are very similar to the technologies used in Nissan CVT produced by Jatco and marketed under the code name JF015E. You will be surprised to know that this CVT model is thought to be one of the worst in the world due to its very poor durability.
How many miles will this transmission in your Kia Rio last?
Here comes the worst news in this article. This is probably one of the shortest-lasting transmissions that you can get in Kia cars at all. According to specialists, this transmission can last about 130,000 miles. But in real life, these transmissions last even less than that, showing an average lifespan of about 100,000 miles.
This means that your engine and the car body will still have a lot of life in them while your transmission will be basically dead and will need very expensive repairs or even replacement.
We still know some Kia Rio owners who managed to get their CVT transmission to 160,000 miles with just several cheap repairs or with one major repair. But this is rather an exception because, in most cases, your CVT will be just dead up to 120,000 miles.
The warranty for the new Kia Rio was 5 years or 60,000 miles, so it’s very unlikely that your CVT will be replaced under warranty. The major problems will come after the warranty period is over and you will have to pay for all repairs or replacements from your own pocket.
What can you do to prolong the life of the CVT transmission in your Kia Rio?
I believe that Kia gives quite optimistic intervals for transmission maintenance in your Rio. For example, they say that you need to change the oil in your transmission about every 50,000 miles. In my view, this is much longer than your CVT needs.
Also, the transmission filter replacement is said to be done every 100,000 miles. Basically, at this mileage, your transmission may be already dead and it doesn’t make sense to replace the expensive filter.
Here is what you can do to prolong the life of your CVT in the Kia Rio or at least try to prolong it:
- Schedule the oil change in your transmission at least every 30,000 miles. This will help you ensure that the transmission fluid is always clean and fresh enough to let the CVT work properly.
- Schedule the transmission filter change at least every 60,000 miles or every second time when you have the transmission fluid changed. This is another way to make sure that the fluid is in optimal condition.
- Avoid driving your Kia Rio aggressively. CVT is not made for aggressive driving. It may easily overheat and the chain may stretch which will lead to other fatal problems with the unit.
- Avoid driving the vehicle at a constant high speed on highways. Change your speed every 10 to 15 minutes so that the chain is not in the same position for a long time.
- Avoid towing trailers with your Kia Rio. Don’t tow anything with this car including other cars or any trailers because the CVT is just not created for towing – it will overheat and eventually die much faster.
- If your vehicle is broken, just call a proper tow truck but never allow anyone to tow your Rio using a tow rope. These will certainly damage the transmission and shorten its days on this planet.
So, the Rio actually has a very traditional CVT that needs proper attention from you. It hates overheating and it doesn’t like towing anything, it is not engineered to be driven at a constant speed.
If you know this and use the tips given above, you really have a big chance of taking your CVT to more than 160000 miles. But never hope that this transmission will go any further than that.
Is the Kia Rio worth its money?
The small and affordable sedan car from Kia is not bad at all if you are buying it new and paying less than $20,000. There aren’t many other models of sedan cars that you can buy for this money.
Also, this model is equipped with a very durable and quite economical engine. This will give you 32 MPG in the city and up to 41 MPG on highways. Thanks to the efficient CVT, this pretty old-fashioned engine still delivers pretty good gas mileage.
But when it comes to durability, there is a big question of whether the Rio is actually worth its money. While all other components are quite durable and practical, the CVT can fail pretty early.
Another problem is that most vehicles in this class come with CVTs. Just look at Nissan Versa, Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Sentra, and Hyundai Accent (which comes with just the same CVT as the Kia Rio). They all come with a CVT and all of these transmissions are not durable or reliable.
So, if you ask now if the Rio is worth its money, I will not be able to answer directly because it differs from one person to another according to their expectations.
What’s the repair cost when it comes to CVT failure?
Unfortunately, repairing your CVT is not always possible. In most cases, you will be searching for a replacement transmission if your original tranny is broken. One more bad news is that the new CVT will cost you more than $4-5K and the used transmission from eBay is not likely to last very long. So, I just can’t give you any advice on what you should do in this situation.
I would probably try to repair the transmission and drive my Rio for another year or two before I sell it.