Australia’s crash testing authority ANCAP has handed down safety ratings for the new Kia K4 sedan, with most variants securing the maximum five stars – but the entry-level S variant without the optional Safety Pack achieving only four stars.

The decision follows Kia’s approach with the outgoing Cerato, where safety equipment varied between trim levels, prompting buyers to weigh up safety specifications as well as price.

According to ANCAP, the K4 Sport, Sport+, GT-Line and S fitted with the Safety Pack all achieved five-star ratings thanks to a comprehensive list of active safety technologies and strong results across physical crash protection tests. The K4 also performed well in terms of “aggressivity,” scoring low in the risk it poses to occupants of other vehicles during a crash.

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However, the base K4 S without the Safety Pack lacks key safety hardware, and the omission results in reduced crash avoidance capability. Specifically, its autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system is unable to detect or respond to intersection “T-bone” scenarios, while its emergency lane-keep assist (ELK) does not identify adjacent vehicles or motorcycles.

These shortfalls reduced the Safety Assist score for the base model by 13 per cent, while protection for vulnerable road users was also marked down. As a result, the base variant received a four-star rating.

ANCAP Chief Executive Carla Hoorweg said while the top results were encouraging, consumers needed to pay close attention to specifications.

“The five-star rating achieved by the majority of K4 variants is encouraging news for private and fleet customers,” she said. “However, it is important to note that the base grade without the Safety Pack does not provide the same level of safety. In 2025, safety should not be treated as a ‘pay-for’ option.”

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Hoorweg urged buyers to check the ANCAP score for the specific model and variant they are considering. “Our message for Kia is to provide the same standard level of safety across the range. Consumers should not have to pay extra or compromise when buying to a budget.”

The Kia K4 is now on sale across Australia.