2012 Kia Rio

minicar / 4-door sedan

Crashworthiness

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

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 2012-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2013 Kia Rio LX 4-door

The Kia Rio 4-door sedan and hatchback were redesigned for the 2012 model year. The small overlap frontal ratings apply to both the sedan and hatchback versions of the car.

Evaluation criteria	Rating

Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Hip/thigh
Lower leg/foot
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics The dummy’s head barely contacted the frontal airbag before sliding off the left side as the steering column moved 13 cm to the right, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. Additionally, the seat belt allowed excessive forward excursion of the dummy’s head and torso. The side curtain airbag deployed and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with forward side structure and outside objects. The side torso airbag also deployed.

Action shot taken during the 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 not maintained well.

During the crash, the dummy's head and torso barely contacted the airbag before sliding off to the left as the steering column moved to the right. The seat belt allowed the dummy to move too far forward, but the side curtain airbag extended far enough forward toward the A-pillar to protect the head from contact with forward side structure.

Door hinge pillar and instrument panel intrusion contributed to a high risk of injury to the left lower leg.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1330
Lower occupant compartment
Lower hinge pillar max (cm)	29
Footrest (cm)	15
Left toepan (cm)	7
Brake pedal (cm)	4
Parking brake (cm)
Rocker panel lateral average (cm)	11
Upper occupant compartment
Steering column	6
Upper hinge pillar max (cm)	15
Upper dash (cm)	17
Lower instrument panel (cm)	17

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEN1330
Head
HIC-15	180
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.5
Extension bending moment (Nm)	12
Maximum Nij	0.31
Chest maximum compression (mm)	24
Femur (kN)
Left	3.6
Right	1.6
Knee displacement (mm)
Left	11
Right	2
Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%)
Left	1
Right	0
Maximum tibia index
Left	1.41
Right	0.54
Tibia axial force (kN)
Left	2.2
Right	2.0
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	90
Right	42

About the small overlap front test

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2012-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2012 Kia Rio SX 4-door

The Kia Rio 4-door hatchback and sedan were redesigned for the 2012 model year. The moderate overlap frontal ratings apply to both the hatchback and sedan versions of the car.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

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

Smeared greasepaint indicates where the dummy's head contacted the side curtain airbag during rebound.

Intrusion into the driver's space was minimal, and all leg and foot injury measures were low.

Technical measurements for this test

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEF1201
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm)	7
Left (cm)	11
Center (cm)	8
Right (cm)	4
Brake pedal (cm)	5
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm)	1
Right (cm)	0
Steering column movement
Upward (cm)	-3
Rearward (cm)	-3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm)	1

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CEF1201
Head
HIC-15	256
Peak gs at hard contact	no contact
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.7
Extension bending moment (Nm)	24
Maximum Nij	0.42
Chest maximum compression (mm)	34
Legs
Femur force - left (kN)	0.3
Femur force - right (kN)	0.6
Knee displacement - left (mm)	0
Knee displacement - right (mm)	0
Maximum tibia index - left	0.63
Maximum tibia index - right	0.46
Tibia axial force - left (kN)	1.6
Tibia axial force - right (kN)	2.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left	68
Right	47

About the original moderate overlap front test

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2012-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2013 Kia Rio LX 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Kia Rio 4-door sedan and hatchback and were redesigned for the 2012 model year. The side ratings apply to both the sedan and hatchback versions of the car.

Evaluation criteria	Rating
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

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Test ID	CES1306
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm)	-7.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1306
Head HIC-15	320
Neck
Tension (kN)	1.3
Compression (kN)	0.5
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	46
Lateral force (kN)	1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	52
Average deflection (mm)	47
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	4.11
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.99
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	2.0
Acetabulum force (kN)	1.6
Combined force (kN)	3.6
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	0.5
L-M moment (Nm)	81
A-P moment (Nm)	38

Evaluation criteria	Measurement
Test ID	CES1306
Head HIC-15	135
Neck
Tension (kN)	0.2
Compression (kN)	0.2
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm)	39
Lateral force (kN)	1.4
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm)	29
Average deflection (mm)	26
Maximum deflection rate (m/s)	2.48
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s)	0.25
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN)	0.3
Acetabulum force (kN)	0.7
Combined force (kN)	0.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN)	1.8
L-M moment (Nm)	182
A-P moment (Nm)	63

About the original side crash test

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2012-17 models

Tested vehicle: 2013 Kia Rio LX 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight	2,542 lbs
Peak force	16,013 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio	6.30

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)	10
Distance below top of head (mm)	8
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail	Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g)	13.1
Head contact time (ms)	52
Force rating	1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N)	0
Max neck tension (N)	280

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