Vehicle report

2021 Kia Forte

Fair price, market signal, reviews, and common issues — all in one place. Tuned to ZIP 43215 (from your location).

Fair price range

$14,200

$12,350 — $16,000

low confidence

Est. out-the-door

$15,880

$13,895 — $17,810

in Ohio (7.25% tax + fees)

What's shaping this price

  • Age (5 yrs)−$14,044

    13%/yr for midsize

  • Mileage (40,000)+$223

    20,000 under expected

Local market signal · 432xx

Avg days on market

43

from 12 comparable listings

30-day price trend

↓ 4.1%

cooling

Prices for this trim in 432xx are trending down — a buyer's edge right now.

Price over its life

2021 → 2026
$17.8k$21.4k$24.9k$28.5k$14.2k202120222023202420252026

Anchored on today's Marketcheck typical price, traced back through segment depreciation to estimate what it cost new.

Next 5 years (forecast)

2026 → 2031
$8.1k$10.1k$12.2k$14.2k$6k202620272028202920302031

Projected from today's typical price using the segment's annual depreciation rate, with a small penalty for accumulated mileage. Rough forecast — actual resale value swings with the used-car market.

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Affordability72-month loan · Ohio · 1,000 mi/mo

Potential monthly cost of ownership

Loan + insurance + gas — the three big monthly line items.

Estimated monthly total

Loan + insurance + gas

$454/mo

  • Auto loan

    72 months · 10% down · 7.5% APR (national avg)

    $221/mo

  • Insurance

    Full coverage · Ohio average for midsize cars

    $90/mo

  • Gas

    30 mpg combined · $4.30/gal · 1,000 mi/mo

    $143/mo

Estimated payments — actual rates depend on credit, coverage, and driving.

Long-term ownership costsDepreciation + maintenance over 5 years, assuming 12,000 mi/yr

$11,622over 5 yrs

~$2,324/yr

  • Depreciation

    $7,122

    Segment: midsize

  • Maintenance

    $4,500

    segment ballpark

Depreciation projected from segment averages against today’s typical price; maintenance is an AAA-derived segment ballpark. Loan, insurance, and gas are covered in the Affordability section above.

Safety ratingsOfficial NHTSA crash-test scores + owner complaint volume20 NHTSA complaints
  • Overall

    ★★★★★

    4.0 of 5

  • Frontal crash

    ★★★★★

    4.0 of 5

  • Side crash

    ★★★★★

    5.0 of 5

  • Rollover

    ★★★★★

    4.0 of 5

Averaged across 1 tested body/cab configuration (NHTSA scores by variant).

Safety recallsOfficial NHTSA campaigns for this year / make / model2 total
  • AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

    Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    21V164000 · Nov 3, 2021

  • STEERING:COLUMN

    Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rio and Forte vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.

    22V304000 · May 5, 2022

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  • Reviewer summary — what pro reviewers and real owners agree — and disagree — on
  • Common issues to watch for — model-specific problems, ranked by severity, with sources
  • What real buyers paid — actual out-the-door prices extracted from Reddit threads

Ownership economics

Real market data

  • 5-year total cost of ownership — depreciation + fuel + insurance + maintenance, itemized
  • EPA fuel economy — real MPG + annual fuel cost for this trim
  • Safety ratings + recalls — official NHTSA scores and every open campaign

Curated sources

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  • Top 5 video reviews — ranked YouTube reviews for this exact year and trim
  • Top 5 owner threads — real ownership discussions from auto subreddits

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