If you’re looking for a new Kia Optima in the US, you won’t find one. Kia replaced the Optima with the K5 for the 2021 model year. In Korea, the car has been called the K5 (기아 K5) since 2010.
The name now matches in both countries, but the cars under it don’t. This guide covers how the Optima and K5 names connect, then compares the 2027 K5 in Korea and the US: engines, size, official fuel economy and prices.
How we checked
Korean specs, fuel economy and prices come from Kia Korea’s K5 specification and price pages. US specs, fuel economy estimates and prices come from Kia America’s press site for the 2027 K5. The name history comes from Kia’s heritage archive, Kia America’s 2020 K5 launch release and Kia’s owner’s manual portal.
We didn’t use dealer sites, reviews or forums. Where a figure is our own conversion, we say so.
The short answer
- The name: Kia America launched the K5 in 2020 as the replacement for its outgoing Optima.
- Same generation code: Kia’s owner’s manual portal files the 2019 Korean K5 and the 2019 US Optima under the same code, JF.
- Engines in Korea: 1.6 turbo gas, 2.0 gas, 2.0 LPG and 2.0 hybrid.
- Engines in the US: 2.5 gas, or a 2.5 turbo in the GT. No hybrid or LPG version is listed.
- Body: both countries list the same length, width, height and wheelbase.
- Price in Korea: from ₩27,630,000 for the 2.0 gas. In the US, from $27,690 for the LXS, before destination.
From Optima to K5
Kia’s heritage archive lists the first K5 as a 2010 model, introduced as a new standard for midsize sedans. The archive goes on to a second and a third generation, all under the K5 name.
In the US, the generation before the current one was sold as the Optima. The owner’s manual portal backs this up: the 2019 K5 on the Korean portal and the 2019 Optima on the US portal are both filed under the code JF.
The switch came with the current generation. In June 2020, Kia America revealed the K5 as an all-new midsize sedan with “an equally bold name.” The release measures it against “Kia’s outgoing Optima”: 2 inches longer, 1 inch wider and 0.8 inches lower. On the US portal, the 2027 K5 is filed under DL3.
That 2020 release said the US K5 was assembled in West Point, Georgia. The Optima name hasn’t come back. When we checked Kia America’s press site, its model menu listed the K5 and no Optima.
The Kia Carnival went through the same kind of change, replacing the US Sedona. Our guide to the Carnival and the Sedona name covers that one.
Korea vs US: what’s under the hood
Engines are the big split. On the current spec sheets, the two lineups share none.
| Market | Engine | Output | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea | 1.6 turbo gas | 180 PS (178 hp), 27.0 kgf·m (195 lb-ft) | 8-speed automatic |
| Korea | 2.0 gas | 160 PS (158 hp), 20.0 kgf·m (145 lb-ft) | 6-speed automatic |
| Korea | 2.0 LPG | 146 PS (144 hp), 19.5 kgf·m (141 lb-ft) | 6-speed automatic |
| Korea | 2.0 hybrid | Engine 152 PS (150 hp), motor 38.6 kW | 6-speed automatic |
| US | 2.5 gas (LXS, GT-Line) | 186 hp, 178.6 lb-ft | 8-speed automatic |
| US | 2.5 turbo gas (GT) | 290 hp, 311 lb-ft | 8-speed wet dual-clutch |
Korean outputs are from Kia Korea’s spec page for The 2027 K5, which gives power in PS and torque in kgf·m. The hp and lb-ft figures in brackets are our conversions. US figures are from Kia America’s 2027 K5 specifications. For the hybrid, the Korean page gives engine and motor outputs separately and no combined figure, so we haven’t given one.
It wasn’t always this way. Kia America’s 2020 launch release offered a 1.6 turbo (180 hp) alongside the 2.5 turbo. It listed no hybrid then, and the 2027 US pages don’t either.
Drive differs too. In the US, the GT-Line is offered with all-wheel drive. Kia Korea’s K5 spec page lists no AWD version.
Same size in both countries
Under the different engines sits the same body. In Korea, the K5 is 4,905 mm long, 1,860 mm wide and 1,445 mm tall on a 2,850 mm wheelbase. Converted, that’s 193.1, 73.2, 56.9 and 112.2 inches, exactly the figures on Kia America’s 2027 spec sheet.
So a K5 parked in Seoul and one parked in Georgia take up the same space. What changes is the engine, the trims and the equipment.
The LPG K5
The 2.0 LPG runs on liquefied petroleum gas and has the lowest output of the four Korean versions. It’s also the only one whose fuel economy is measured per liter of LPG, so its figures don’t line up with the others.
LPG is sold at separate filling stations (충전소), not at every gas station. Our guide to gas stations in Korea shows how to find them on Opinet. LPG registration rules and taxes are outside this guide’s scope.
The K5 hybrid
The Korean K5 hybrid pairs a 2.0 gas engine with a 38.6 kW electric motor and a 6-speed automatic. It’s the most fuel-efficient version on the Korean spec page, as the table below shows.
Kia Korea shows two prices for the hybrid: one before a tax benefit (세제혜택 전) and a lower one after it (세제혜택 후). Kia’s notes say the benefit is a cut in individual consumption tax and education tax. They don’t give an end date, so check the current price list before you budget.
Official fuel economy
Korean fuel economy is government-reported (정부 신고 연비) in km/L, for each version and wheel size. Here are the combined figures for the smallest and largest wheels listed, from the 2027 spec page.
| Korean version | Wheels listed | Combined, km/L | In US mpg (our conversion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 turbo gas | 17 to 19 in | 13.7 to 12.3 | 32.2 to 28.9 |
| 2.0 gas | 16 to 18 in | 12.6 to 12.2 | 29.6 to 28.7 |
| 2.0 LPG | 16 to 18 in | 9.7 to 9.5 (17 in: 9.8), per liter of LPG | Not comparable |
| 2.0 hybrid | 16 to 18 in | 19.8 to 17.1 | 46.6 to 40.2 |
Some versions are listed with and without the built-in dashcam (빌트인 캠). The 18- and 19-inch figures are for cars with it fitted, and so are all the LPG figures. Kia notes that these come from a standard test mode and that real-world economy varies with road conditions, driving style, load, maintenance and outside temperature.
For the US, Kia America estimates 30 mpg combined for the LXS, 29 for the GT-Line with front-wheel drive, and 27 for both the GT-Line AWD and the GT. Those are US estimates, not Korean ratings, so don’t read the two sets as a direct match. If you want other units, our Kia K8 guide has a km/L converter.
What the K5 costs
These are the starting prices on Kia Korea’s price page (private-use prices as of October 1, 2026) and Kia America’s 2027 pricing page.
| Market | Version and trim | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| Korea | 2.0 gas, Smart Selection (스마트 셀렉션) | ₩27,630,000 |
| Korea | 2.0 LPG, Prestige (프레스티지) | ₩29,610,000 |
| Korea | 1.6 turbo gas, Prestige | ₩29,730,000 |
| Korea | 2.0 hybrid, Prestige | ₩34,340,000 before tax benefit, ₩33,340,000 after |
| US | LXS, 2.5 FWD | $27,690 |
| US | GT-Line, 2.5 FWD | $28,690 |
| US | GT-Line, 2.5 AWD | $30,290 |
| US | GT, 2.5 turbo | $33,790 |
US prices are MSRP and exclude a $1,245 destination charge. Kia America notes that taxes are extra and that dealers set their own prices. In Korea, Kia also has separate price tabs for rental cars and for buyers with disabilities, which it says are tax-exempt prices. We haven’t converted between won and dollars, since exchange rates move and the two prices include different taxes.
Searching for a K5 in Korea
In Korea, search K5 (or 기아 K5). An Optima search won’t match how Korean sites name this car.
If you’re buying one, our guide to buying a used car in Korea as a foreigner covers the paperwork, and our car tax guide covers what you’ll pay each year.
Among the US, UK and Australian lineups we checked on October 14, 2026, only the US listed the K5. For other Hyundai and Kia names, our Korean and international model name lookup table has a search box.
Where to check
- Korean specs and prices: Kia Korea K5 specifications and Kia Korea K5 prices (in Korean)
- US specs and prices: 2027 K5 specifications and 2027 K5 pricing on Kia America’s press site
- The name change: Kia America’s 2021 K5 overview and Kia’s heritage archive entry for the first K5
- Model codes: Kia owner’s manual portal (choose Korea or the US)
Last checked: October 29, 2026. Sources: Kia Korea specification and price pages for The 2027 K5 (prices as of October 1, 2026); Kia America press site pages for the 2027 K5 (specifications, fuel economy estimates, pricing) and the 2021 K5 overview (June 30, 2020); Kia heritage archive; Kia owner’s manual portal (Korea and US). hp, lb-ft, inch and mpg figures are our own conversions.
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