Used 2018 Kia Forte Consumer Reviews
Used Forte for sale
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2018 Forte, so we've included reviews for other years of the Forte since its last redesign.
My second Forte
Forte Pro, 11/15/2016
updated 12/14/2020
2017 Kia Forte LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
139 of 139 people found this review helpful
Bought a 2010 Forte LX (5 speeds manual) back in 2010. 160K miles later, I had to trade it in for a 2017 Forte LX (manual 6 speeds). What an improvement ! First of all, not one problem, itch or snooze on my previous Kia. Never opened the hood. All oil changes done by professionals. I already had great mpg, but this new one ? Even better. Manual says 32 city/39 Highway. I get 41 city/45 Highway. Of course, my commute (120 miles per day - 20% city and 80% Thruway) is pretty much on flat road (no hills) and the temperatures are constantly over 40 degrees. Good dry conditions. Speed of 70-75 mph when Tach read 2,750 rpm. This car purrs and swallows the miles one by one. Comfort is what you can expect from a "small" car. Everything being new, you need some time to get used to it, or for the car to get used to you. Now, odd enough, no spare tire nor donut in the back trunk. Just some kind of fix-your-flat-yourself-kit with a plug-in pump (and patch?), enough for 50 miles to get to a station (?).The dash boards illuminates nicely and I still have not figured out why the outside temperature reading starts flashing when it get under 40 degrees F (or everytime it drops under 30, 20 etc...). Acceleration is nice, although there seem to be a soft spot when starting in 1st gear which obliges you to push and reach 4,000 rpm or shift into second very quickly. The sound is definitely not premium. Automatic windows is a nice upgrade from my previous Kia and the electronic lock/unlock is also a nice addition. I hope to have it last a long time. From previous experience, it will. Update after owning this Forte for 7 Months: Winter is over. No special tires, just the ones this car came with and no problem on the snow (and God knows that Rochester, NY, can have plenty of it). No sliding. Really happy about the mileage per gallon. Constantly hitting the 47.5 mpg, although this little car doesn't seem to like the rain (or the cold). At 2,500 rpm, on highway, you should easily get 50 mpg without pushing your gears too much (of course, no extra weight/passengers/luggage). Still a "dead spot" when starting in 1st gear and I suspect a "bad" electronic distribution, but not enough to put that car through computer testings. So far so good. Reliable it is. A year has passed. Mileage per gallon is still the same 47-48 miles per gallon, although I suspect that this will change with the cold weather coming. Still, no problem and hood is staying closed (besides oil changes done by pros). Still very happy with the purchase. Update - Dec 1st, 2018 Still very good car. Roughly 52K on it. No more long and evening long commutes (120 miles total). Found employment much closer to home (3 miles). Of course it changes my gas consumption. It dropped from 47 miles/gal to 32/34 mpg. Still one full tank will last a month. It is a very economical car. No problems with brakes. Put the car at the Dealership for its 50K miles inspections and even after a couple hoses were changed (they looked like they could have lasted longer), and this car's engine looked like a diamond. Again, if you're looking for no frills - no super gadgets, economical, safe... This is the car to own. Update June 2019. Forte still running strong. I will not change my ratings from last update. I still didn't open the hood. This is the car to own (great price, not expensive to maintain). December 2019 I want to write a negative update so bad, just to balance my enthusiastic mood of the past, but I can't. Still working and I still have to open the hood. No "engine light" at all. (Maybe that bulb is burnt). I am so please that I actually bought a KIA Sportage 2018 for my wife. December 2020. Same as before, although mileage consumption has changed, but that will happen when driving in the city. Brakes, exhaust, sensors have not been touched. No repairs, no breakdowwns. Wife's Kia is still going strong. See you in 6 months ?
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Much research--paid off
Frank E., 06/27/2018
updated 09/04/2019
2018 Kia Forte LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
95 of 98 people found this review helpful
Heavily researched this car, esp. relying on CR tests. They rated this car tops in the compact class (overall score) tied with the Toyota Corolla. However, the Forte road score was higher. ( My own figures put this car out in front too, in this compact class.) Also, we test drove a Corolla for a week in 2014 and it drove like a bus in comparison. So, CR was right: car is a gem. Over 40 mpg pump to pump in all types of driving including plenty of hills (we live in the Adirondack Park of NY State.) Highlights are: great ride for comfort and lack of road noise. (Switching out the OEM tires for Continental True Contacts may have helped.) Also, we stuck with the original wheel size, i.e. 195/65R15, for which there are many advantages such as: less costly tire replacements, better ride (more rubber between rim and road,) better in snow and better mpg's with narrower tires, lighter and stronger than bigger rims, etc. etc. This car drives like a dream. Can't think of much to complain about. I'm 6'2" but plenty of headroom in front even with seat in highest position. Could actually go an inch higher, but driver's comfort and view out is first rate. Bought this 2018 in end of April of that year, and only have c. 5000 on it as of June 2019. and so far could not be happier. Good choice. All that research paid off! We liked the folks at the dealer too (Della Kia in Plattsburgh, NY). Car is very nice looking (deep, rich, garnet red) and the price very right--recommend it indeed. 8/30/19 update: Nothing new to add except that comments made in the original review still hold. This is a wonderful car for us. Too bad they changed it in 2019 as the comfort/ride/noise and overall score by CR is lower. But have not driven the new 2019 model so perhaps it is OK--worth checking out. I get 41 PLUS mpg in the summer and the new model is supposed to be better marginally if it's that important to you. (MPG's are very important to me, but I'll take 41 plus any day.) By the way, as I think the case with many cars, the dashboard mpg's are somewhat lower than the actual pump to pump measurement and it is the latter figure that I use to calculate the mpg's so it is very accurate. Kia seems to make very good cars now--at least to CR brand comparisons. I am very happy with this car!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
2018 Kia Forte for sale near you
3 of 52 listings
- S SedanMSRP: $16,998In-stock online
- LX SedanMSRP: $15,990In-stock online
- LX SedanMSRP: $10,555In-stock online
See all 52 listings
Nice car to own and ride
Morteza, 03/05/2017
2017 Kia Forte LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6A)
65 of 67 people found this review helpful
I leased 2017 KIA forte LX for only 79$ per month for 3 yrs. I am very happy about the car. Fuel economy is great, interior is good and when it comes to exterior it does not look like a cheap car at all. Brake system exceeded my expectation. However,My comment on performance is different. Acceleration for this 2.0 L engine is weak. When it comes to merging into traffic make sure you have enough room with incoming cars because you are not able to speed up quickly! But overal it is such a good car to ride and worths every penny you spent.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Value
Problems
Steve, 09/05/2018
2017 Kia Forte LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
24 of 24 people found this review helpful
I have a 2017 Kia forte. I have read about transmission problem and missing problems. I had these problems as well. My car has 78000 miles on it. I am a lift driver that is the reason I have so many miles on it. Anyways I don't know if this will help anyone. But I took it to the dealer and was told I needed a three point fuel claening. Had that done witch I am Shure I needed anyways. I changed the spark plugs witch looked real bad. Still trans and shaking continue. Kia kept checking into it. They told me it was the upper right hand motor mount. I still didn't think this would solve the problem. Went and picked up a motor mount and had it put in as a result it solved all the shaking and the transmission is fine. The car is running as the day in took it off the lot. Very happy. Thanks to Jack at Lincolnwood Kia. Hope this review is helpful to someone 😁
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Comfort
My new car. . . .a KIA Forte
Jean Golden, 08/12/2018
2018 Kia Forte LX 4dr Sedan (2.0L 4cyl 6M)
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
I was looking for a car that was a bit smaller than the one I had been driving for 10 years (a Toyota Camry). I also wanted a back-up camera and a few other new features. I have only had the car for about 1 month, but so far I am more than happy with it. It has exceeded my expectations.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value