The new 2026 Kia K4 hatchback is (surprise, surprise) one of the more affordable options in its class.
If you’re shopping for a new car right now, the words “small” and “hatchback” don’t yield too many results these days. That said, Japanese brands including Toyota, Honda and Mazda do still offer some options. So too does Kia, now that the 2026 K4 Hatchback is just around the corner to serve as a spiritual successor to the old Forte5. And in conventional Kia fashion, it’s priced pretty competitively against the competition.
In fact, the base 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback EX starts at $26,085 including the $1,195 destination fee. That sort of MSRP makes it a bit more expensive than the Toyota Corolla Hatchback, but less than the Mazda 3 and Subaru Impreza…and way less than the Honda Civic. If anything, Kia’s recent pricing announcement for the K4 reminds you just how pricey the Civic Hatchback is these days, as even the base Sport (the only non-hybrid model) comes in at a heave-inducing $28,990.
There are a few things to take into account if you’re looking at the K4 hatch.
Being the newest example among its rivals, the 2026 Kia K4 hatchback takes on the freshest styling, largely mirroring the K4 sedan except past the B-pillar where you obviously get the hatchback look and practicality. Unlike the Mazda 3 or Subaru Impreza, though, you don’t get all-wheel drive anywhere in the trim walk.
Above the base EX, the GT-Line comes in $1,000 more expensive, to start at $27,085. Both the lower-end trims pack a 2.0-liter engine making 147 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque, mated to Kia’s “Intelligent Variable Transmission” (a CVT, in common parlance). The dual 12.3-inch touchscreens with a 5-inch display between them for your climate controls come standard across the range, as does wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The GT-Line, for its part, brings in some sportier styling.
At the top end, the $29,985 GT-Line Turbo swaps the naturally aspirated powerplant for a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-pot instead. That ups the output to 190 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque, and you get an 8-speed automatic transmission in place of the CVT. With either powertrain, though, power makes its way exclusively to the front wheels.
Official EPA fuel economy figures aren’t available for the K4 Hatchback just yet. However, I wouldn’t expect the numbers to stray too far from the sedan, so you should expect somewhere around 32-34 Combined mpg for the base engine, and 27-29 Combined mpg if you opt for the GT-Line Turbo.
The 2026 Kia K4 Hatchback will be in dealerships early next year. Kia’s announcement has an asterisk that quantities will be “limited” at first, so it may be a little bit later on into the spring before they are widely available.
