While many automakers have abandoned the family sedan segment, Kia isn’t one of them. That’s good for Kia, because, despite the K5’s age, its sales keep growing. The model had its best month ever in August, and the year’s sales are better than last year’s so far. One of the key factors in keeping K5 selling is almost certainly its compelling price, which beats its rivals from Honda and Toyota.
So, for 2027, Kia is keeping the price low, even if it isn’t changing much else, while it prepares an even more competitive successor for the near future.
2027 Kia K5 GT from the front three-quarter angleKia
The Price Goes Up, But Stays Below The Competition
The price changes for the 2027 Kia K5 are simple. Every trim has gone up by $200. That means the base LXS now has a starting MSRP of $27,690, which comes to $28,935 with the unchanged $1,245 destination charge. That’s $755 less than a base Honda Accord, and $1,960 less than a base Toyota Camry. Of course, the Camry is now only offered as a hybrid, which accounts for some of its price premium. You’ll find the base prices for all K5 trims in the list below.
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2027 Kia K5 MSRP
- LXS: $27,690
- GT-Line: 28,690
- GT: $33,790
One of the few changes to the K5 line this year is the removal of the EX trim. It was the most-expensive trim, and came with the most standard equipment, though it also came with the base naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine, rather than the GT’s turbocharged one. The EX wasn’t available with all-wheel drive, either, which the GT-Line offers for an extra $1,600. As such, we wouldn’t be surprised if not many buyers were choosing the EX.
2027 Kia K5 GT fromt he rear three-quarter angleKia
Other changes are quite small. The base 2.5-liter engine makes slightly less power and torque than the 191 horsepower and 182 pound-feet last year. The new numbers are 186 hp and 179 lb-ft of torque. The turbocharged GT still makes the same 290 hp and 311 lb-ft, making it and its cousin, the Hyundai Sonata N Line, the most powerful midsize sedans on the market. The final change is the addition of an option package to the GT-Line that adds a driver seat with position memory, power-folding mirrors, and ventilation for the front seats.
What’s The K5 Missing?
While Kia has ticked boxes for pricing, all-wheel drive, and power, it’s lacking one critical weapon in the midsize sedan war: a hybrid. The Camry has gone to hybrid power only, and the Honda Accord’s higher-output engine option is a hybrid, too. Kia doesn’t offer any sort of hybrid at the moment. It’s a bit strange considering the proliferation of hybrid powertrains in its SUVs.
Interior photo of the 2027 Kia K5 GT showing the dashboardKia
However, this will be changing in the near future, as Kia is preparing a more thoroughly refreshed K5, which we’ve spied with evidence of the high-voltage batteries necessary for a hybrid. Spy shots suggest that much of the structure will be unchanged, with focus put on fresh styling inside and out, plus the new powertrain. The specifications of that engine, though, are an open question. Considering that the updated K5 will not be a full redesign, we would expect it to appear for the 2028 model year.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Kia has a good thing going with the K5 right now, so there’s no reason for it to do anything drastic at the moment. Also, since Kia obviously has a hybrid coming just over the horizon, the company is clearly tackling the one weak point in the K5’s line. So, we suspect that Kia will continue to find more buyers for the sedan into the near future, especially with less competition than ever before.
As for whether you should buy now or wait for the refresh, we’d say don’t worry if you want the regular or turbo models, but try to wait a year if you have even a little interest in getting a hybrid of any sort.
