Top Safety Pick +Top Safety Pick criteria

2018 Kia Forte

small car / 4-door sedan

Award applies only to vehicles with optional front crash prevention and specific headlights; applies only to sedans

2018 Kia Forte 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Small overlap front: driver-side
Small overlap front: passenger-side
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Crash avoidance & mitigation

Headlights (varies by trim/option)
Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle
Optional system
Superior

Seat belts & child restraints

LATCH ease of use

Other available safety features

  • Optional blind spot detection
  • Optional lane departure warning
  • Optional lane departure prevention

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Small overlap front: driver-side

Rating applies to 2017-18 models built after March 2017

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Forte LX 4-door

The Kia Forte was redesigned for the 2014 model year. Beginning with the 2015 models, Kia increased the strength of the occupant compartment structure to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes.

Beginning with 2017 models, the front-end and door frame structure was further reinforced and the side curtain airbags were lengthened, and in cars built after March 2017, both the seat belt pretensioner and frontal and side curtain airbag deployment timing were reprogrammed to further improve occupant protection. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the driver-side small overlap frontal crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the door frame, steering wheel, and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained very well.

The frontal and side curtain airbags worked well together to keep the head from coming close to any stiff structure or outside objects that could cause injury.

The driver's space was maintained well, and risk of injuries to the dummy's legs and feet was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEN1714
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 6
Footrest (cm) 7
Left toepan (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 3
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 2
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column 0
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 2
Upper dash (cm) 4
Lower instrument panel (cm) 4

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEN1714
Head
HIC-15 119
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 17
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 21
Femur (kN)
Left 0.3
Right 0.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 1
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.54
Right 0.60
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 2.0
Right 0.8
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 105
Right 51

About the small overlap front test

Small overlap front: passenger-side

Rating applies to 2017-18 models built after March 2017

Tested vehicle: 2017 Kia Forte LX 4-door

The Kia Forte was redesigned for the 2014 model year. Beginning with the 2015 models, Kia increased the strength of the occupant compartment structure to improve occupant protection in small overlap frontal crashes.

Beginning with 2017 models, the side curtain airbags were lengthened, and in cars built after March 2017, the structure was further modified to improve occupant protection. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)

Passenger-side small overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but slid off toward the right side. The side curtain airbag deployed and has sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed.
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side

Test ID VTP1706
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm) 20
Footrest (cm) 13
Right toepan (cm) 6
Center toepan (cm) 3
Rocker panel lateral average (cm) 4
Upper occupant compartment
Center dash (cm) 6
Upper hinge pillar max (cm) 9
Upper dash (cm) 11
Right lower dash (cm) 16

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTP1706
Head
HIC-15 205
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.3
Extension bending moment (Nm) 10
Maximum Nij 0.23
Chest maximum compression (mm) 23
Femur (kN)
Left 0.3
Right 2.1
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 10
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.49
Right 0.62
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 3.1
Right 2.1
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 62
Right 52

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTP1706
Head
HIC-15 145
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.9
Extension bending moment (Nm) 20
Maximum Nij 0.19
Chest maximum compression (mm) 31
Femur (kN)
Left 0.1
Right 0.2
Knee displacement (mm)
Left 0
Right 0
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left 0
Right 0
Maximum tibia index
Left 0.28
Right 0.24
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left 0.2
Right 1.3
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 41
Right 43

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2014-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Kia Forte EX 4-door

The Kia Forte was redesigned for the 2014 model year. Moderate overlap frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF1305
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 4
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 6
Right (cm) 3
Brake pedal (cm) 4
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 0
Right (cm) 0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -4
Rearward (cm) -4
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 0

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF1305
Head
HIC-15 298
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 2.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 11
Maximum Nij 0.40
Chest maximum compression (mm) 28
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 0.0
Femur force - right (kN) 0.8
Knee displacement - left (mm) 2
Knee displacement - right (mm) 1
Maximum tibia index - left 0.32
Maximum tibia index - right 0.33
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 2.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 59
Right 81

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2015-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2015 Kia Forte LX 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Kia Forte was redesigned for the 2014 model year. Beginning with 2015 models, the seat-mounted side torso airbags and front door trim were modified to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. Side ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai/Kia.

Because the side structure and the rear occupant compartment of the car were not changed, the injury ratings for the passenger and the structure rating are based on tests of both the 2014 and 2015 models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTS1232 VTS1410
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -17.0 -17.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTS1410
Head HIC-15 376
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 38
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 39
Average deflection (mm) 35
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.82
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.84
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 2.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.7
Combined force (kN) 3.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.0
L-M moment (Nm) 41
A-P moment (Nm) 214

Passenger injury measures

Test ID VTS1232 VTS1410
Head HIC-15 279 307
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.2 0.2
Compression (kN) 0.4 1.0
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 33 43
Lateral force (kN) 1.6 1.5
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 34 38
Average deflection (mm) 27 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.51 2.88
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.47 0.46
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.2 0.3
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.4 0.6
Combined force (kN) 1.4 0.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.4 1.3
L-M moment (Nm) 79 26
A-P moment (Nm) -219 -206

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2014-18 models

Tested vehicle: 2014 Kia Forte LX 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight2,812 lbs
Peak force14,015 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio4.98

About the roof strength test

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seat

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seat
Geometry
Backset (mm) 18
Distance below top of head (mm) -16
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 11.0
Head contact time (ms) 62
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 3
Max neck tension (N) 443

About the head restraint & seat test
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.

Headlights

Ratings are given for 2 different headlight variations available on this vehicle.

Trim level(s)

  • EX trim equipped with Premium Plus package
Low-beam headlight typeHID projector
High-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?Yes
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was good on both right curves and fair on both left curves.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was fair in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • EX trim equipped with Premium Plus package
Low-beam headlight type HID projector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? Yes
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2017-18 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 100.5 m None
Straightaway left edge 67.2 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 65.7 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 59.3 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 61.3 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 53.3 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 178.3 m
Straightaway left edge 128.3 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 73.1 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 68.8 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 64.9 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 58.1 m

Trim level(s)

  • LX trim
  • S trim
  • EX trim
Low-beam headlight typeHalogen projector
High-beam headlight typeHalogen reflector
Curve-adaptive?No
High-beam assist?No
Overall rating
Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination:
car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler car-simpler 0 ft 100 ft 200 ft 300 ft 400 ft 500 ft 600 ft Low beams Optimal low-beam illumination High beams Optimal high-beam illumination

Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was inadequate on both sides of the road. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

The low beams never exceeded glare limits.

High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was inadequate in all 4 tests.

Technical measurements for this test
Trim level(s)
  • LX trim
  • S trim
  • EX trim
Low-beam headlight type Halogen projector
High-beam headlight type Halogen reflector
Curve-adaptive? No
High-beam assist? No
Overall rating
Applies to 2017-18 models
LOW BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)		 Amount glare
exceeded threshold
Straightaway right edge 66.5 m None
Straightaway left edge 29.1 m None
250m radius right curve, right edge 40.3 m None
250m radius left curve, left edge 31.4 m None
150m radius right curve, right edge 35.3 m None
150m radius left curve, left edge 30.3 m None
HIGH BEAMS Average minimum useful
illumination distance (5 lux)
Straightaway right edge 159.7 m
Straightaway left edge 135.7 m
250m radius right curve, right edge 57.4 m
250m radius left curve, left edge 56.1 m
150m radius right curve, right edge 46.5 m
150m radius left curve, left edge 44.1 m

About the headlight evaluation

Front crash prevention: vehicle-to-vehicle

System details

  • Optional Autonomous Emergency Braking

Package name

  • Optional Tech Package or Premium Package

Overall evaluation

Applies to 2017-18 models

Superior
Superior
with optional equipment
  • This system meets the requirements for forward collision warning.
  • In the 12 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.
  • In the 25 mph test, this vehicle avoided a collision.

About the original front crash prevention test

Child seat anchors

Rating applies to 2015-18 models

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimLX
Seat type cloth

This vehicle has 2 rear seating positions with complete child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware.

It has 1 additional seating position with a tether anchor only.

Overall evaluation
Vehicle trimLX
Seat type cloth
1 2 3
GGood
AAcceptable
MMarginal
PPoor
Seating positions that rely on borrowed lower anchors or have only a tether anchor available are not rated.
thether anchor symbol
Tether anchor
lower anchor symbol
Lower anchors
shared lower achors symbol
Lower anchor(s) can be borrowed from adjacent positions(s)
No hardware available

Details by seating position

1
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
2
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
none available
3
Tether anchor
easy-to-find location
no other hardware could be confused for anchor
Lower anchors
too deep in seat
not too much force needed to attach
easy to maneuver around anchors
Technical measurements for this test

Seat position 21

3

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 0-2
Force (lbs) 23
Clearance angle (degrees) 71
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 29
Clearance angle (degrees) 74
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 22

2

Lower anchor A
No lower latch for this seat position
Lower anchor B
No lower latch for this seat position
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

Seat position 23

1

Lower anchor A
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 26
Clearance angle (degrees) 71
Lower anchor B
Open access rated No
Depth (cm) 2-4
Force (lbs) 28
Clearance angle (degrees) 69
Tether anchor
Location Rear deck
Confusing hardware present No
Has contrasting label
within 3 inches of tether anchor		 No
Tether anchors can be accessed
while seatback is properly positioned
for use of LATCH		 Not measured

About the child seat anchor evaluation