2021 Kia Cerato price and specs

Australia’s third best-selling small car, the Kia Cerato, has seen a slight price increase for 2021.

Prices are up $200 across the board. Kia attributes the price increases to general exchange rate pressures.

UPDATE, 25/01/21 – Kia Australia has confirmed ventilated seats have been removed from the GT.

Like the 2021 Kia Sportage, there are no corresponding additions to the Cerato’s equipment list.

The company offers every trim level as either a sedan or a hatchback and doesn’t charge a premium for either body style. The range is priced from $21,690 before on-road costs for the S manual to $33,690 before on-roads for the GT.

The Kia Cerato has overtaken the Mazda 3 in the sales race and sits behind only the Toyota Corolla and Hyundai i30 in the small car segment.

It was last redesigned in 2018, although facelifted examples have been spied overseas indicating an update is coming soon.

Pricing

2021 Kia Cerato S manual: $21,690 ($22,490 drive-away)
2021 Kia Cerato S manual with Safety Pack: $22,690 ($23,990 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato Sport manual: $23,690 ($24,490 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato S auto: $24,490 ($24,490 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato Sport manual with Safety Pack: $24,690 ($25,990 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato S auto with Safety Pack: $25,490 ($25,990 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato Sport auto: $26,490 ($26,490 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato Sport auto with Safety Pack: $27,490 ($27,990 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato Sport Plus auto: $29,540 ($30,190 d/a)
2021 Kia Cerato GT auto: $33,690 ($34,990 d/a)

All prices exclude on-road costs, unless otherwise specified.

Engines

The 2021 Kia Cerato range comes with a choice of two engines.

Most models use a naturally-aspirated 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 112kW of power and 192Nm of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Sport Plus models are only available with the automatic.

The range-topping GT replaces the 2.0-litre with a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder producing 150kW of power and 265Nm of torque, mated exclusively to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Fuel Economy

The 2021 Kia Cerato consumes 7.4L/100km on the ADR combined city and highway cycle when equipped with either the six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.

Though it’s more powerful than the others, the GT uses less fuel with a combined 6.8L/100km.

All Cerato models run on 91RON regular unleaded fuel and have a 50L fuel tank.

Dimensions

The 2021 Kia Cerato sedan measures 4640mm long, 1440mm tall and 1800mm wide, while the hatchback is 4510mm long, 1445mm tall and 1800mm wide. GT models are 5mm lower.

Total luggage space is 502L for the sedan and 428L for the hatchback. Underneath the boot floor is a space-saver spare.

Servicing and Warranty

All 2021 Kia Cerato models require servicing every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first, except for the Cerato GT which requires servicing every 12 months or 10,000km.

Kia offers seven years of capped-price servicing. The GT has an average service cost of $470, while all other Ceratos have an average cost of $419.

The Cerato is covered by Kia’s seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

Safety

When the Kia Cerato was tested by ANCAP in 2019, it received a split rating.

Kia Cerato S and Sport models without the Safety Pack received a rating of four stars, while all other Cerato models received a rating of five stars from ANCAP.

All models received an adult occupant protection score of 90 per cent, child occupant protection score of 83 per cent, vulnerable road user protection score of 55 per cent and a safety assist score of 71 per cent.

All 2021 Kia Cerato models come standard with the following safety equipment:

Front, front side, and curtain airbags
Lane-keeping assist
Autonomous emergency braking with forward-collision warning.

When equipped with the Safety Pack, or in Sport Plus and GT trim, the list of safety equipment is expanded to include:

Autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection
Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert

Standard Equipment

The base Cerato S comes with the following standard features:

8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
DAB digital radio
Reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors
Six-speaker sound system
16-inch steel wheels
Tyre-pressure monitoring
Automatic headlights
Remote central locking
Air conditioning
Power windows
Cruise control

The Cerato Sport adds:

Satellite navigation
Premium steering wheel and shift knob
17-inch alloy wheels
Power windows with auto up/down for driver’s window
Illuminated vanity mirrors

Both the Cerato S and Cerato Sport are available with the Safety Pack, which adds:

Adaptive cruise control (automatic models only)
Autonomous emergency braking and forward-collision warning with pedestrian and cyclist avoidance
Blind-spot monitoring
Rear cross-traffic alert
Power-folding exterior mirrors

When the S is equipped with the Safety Pack, it also adds the Sport’s premium steering wheel and shifter.

The Sport Plus adds the features of the Safety Pack plus: