Kia Forte 5
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,798a year, fuel only
The 2018 Kia Forte 5 is EPA-rated at 26.7 MPG combined (24.3 city / 31 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 562 gallons, $1798 a year in fuel, or $0.120 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2014–2018 run it averages 25.9 MPG, improving by 1.2 MPG over 5 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 26.7 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the large cars average, 21.5.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,798 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.120
- Per kilometre
- $0.074
- Gallons burned/yr
- 562
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
Test figure — not a road resultSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.094 | $936 | $1404 | $1873 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.112 | $1124 | $1685 | $2247 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.120 | $1199 | $1798 | $2397 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.131 | $1311 | $1966 | $2622 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.150 | $1498 | $2247 | $2996 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.169 | $1685 | $2528 | $3371 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.187 | $1873 | $2809 | $3745 |
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
5 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 26.7 MPG | 24.3 | 31 | $2333 | 334 | 3 |
| 2017 | 26.7 MPG | 24.3 | 31 | $2333 | 334 | 3 |
| 2016 | 25.3 MPG | 22.3 | 30 | $2467 | 352 | 3 |
| 2015 | 25.3 MPG | 22.3 | 30 | $2467 | 352 | 3 |
| 2014 | 25.5 MPG | 22.5 | 30.8 | $2450 | 346 | 4 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the large cars bay
Among the 149 large cars models tracked here, the Kia Forte 5 ranks 17 on current figures, against a class average of 21.5 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: BMW X1 sDrive28i (27), Kia K5 AWD (27), BMW 740i Sedan (28), BMW X1 xDrive28i (28), Kia K5 (28).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 334 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 5.0 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Kia Forte 5 get?
The 2018 Kia Forte 5 is rated at 26.7 MPG combined by the EPA — 24.3 city and 31 highway. Across all 5 model years in the database it averages 25.9 MPG, ranging from 24 to 28 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Kia Forte 5 cost in fuel per year?
At 26.7 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 562 gallons — roughly $1798 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.120 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2018 model is $2333.
Has the Kia Forte 5 become more efficient over time?
Yes. It has gone from 25.5 MPG in 2014 to 26.7 in 2018 — an improvement of 1.2 MPG, or 5% across 5 model years.
Is the Kia Forte 5 efficient for its class?
It ranks 17 of 149 in the Large Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 21.5 MPG. That is 5.2 better than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
