Compare the2027 Kia K5 VS 2027 Dodge Charger

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia K5 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Dodge Charger 2-Door doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the K5 and Charger have rear cross-traffic warning, but the K5 has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Charger’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the K5 and the Charger have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The K5 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Charger’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the K5 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Charger. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Charger ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the K5 has a 760-amp battery. The Charger only offers a standard 650-amp battery.

On the EPA test cycle the K5 gets better mileage than the Charger running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
K5
	FWD	LXS 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/37 hwy
		GT-Line 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/36 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/33 hwy
Charger
	AWD	R/T 3.0 turbo 6-cyl.	17 city/26 hwy
		Scat Pack 3.0 turbo 6-cyl.	16 city/23 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia K5 uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Charger Scat Pack requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The K5 offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Charger doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The K5 stops shorter than the Charger:

	K5	Charger
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

The K5 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Charger; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For better maneuverability, the K5’s turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the Charger Six Pack’s (36 feet vs. 40 feet). The K5’s turning circle is 5.5 feet tighter than the Charger Daytona’s (36 feet vs. 41.5 feet).

The Kia K5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1500 to 2250 pounds less than the Dodge Charger.

The K5 is 1 foot, 1.4 inches shorter than the Charger, making the K5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The K5 is 6.6 inches narrower on average than the Charger, making the K5 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The design of the Kia K5 amounts to more than styling. The K5 has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .27 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Charger (.35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the K5 get better fuel mileage.

The K5 has 2.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Charger (105.3 vs. 103.1).

The K5 has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 3.5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room and .9 inches more rear headroom than the Charger Four-Door.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the K5’s trunk can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Charger doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The K5 GT’s optional front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Charger’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

Both the Kia K5 and Dodge Charger offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The K5 offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Charger’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The K5 is available in both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Charger doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Kia K5 retains 53.11% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 47.49% resale value of the 2026 Dodge Charger after five years, which can save the Kia’s owner up to $18546 in depreciation.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia K5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the K5 first among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Charger isn’t in the top three.

The Kia K5 outsold the Dodge Charger by almost 8 to one during 2025.