Crash Test Rating
Source   NHTSA
MPG (up to)
24 City / 34 HWY
Horsepower
132
Seats
5
Front angle view.

Positive Owner Reviews

accountCircle Phyllis P
The makeup of the Kia is great gives my room without being too long or bulky!
This Kia is an very good car it drives well and is very good on gas just service it and take good care of it and it will take good care of you u would but another one if I could afford one everyone should own one I just love the look of it and the feeling of having a 4-wheel drive to go where I need to go with ease I wish Kia would give me a new one ha, ha I know that will not happen, but just thought I would put that out there. Thank you for listening.
accountCircle Jay H
Great car. I love it, so far. Great deal.
All good, nothing bad so far. I love the gas per mile. Parts Are easy to find. Great price. Everything is good, so far.
accountCircle Natalie C
Reliable and gets me from point a to point be with no issues
Cute, fast, fun, sporty, reliable and smooth to drive
accountCircle Mitchell B
Great car for single individual and family.
All around great car for family road trips or even just for job commuting. Running 100k miles and still strong would definitely recommend for new buyers. Everything is pretty simple to get to and easy to fix. Very reliable car for a single individual and also great family car. Very spacious lots of trunk space.
accountCircle Cathy W
It is easy to drive and maintain.
It is a good car with few problems. It gets good mileage especially on the highway. It is easy to drive. There is nothing I dislike about the car. I have no complaints.
accountCircle Kathy W
Dependable, well made, BUY Kia when you can!
It has been extremely reliable! It does have a skippy transmission and has since about 2009. I would buy a Kia in a second because of this dependable spectra, except I like not having a car note. We are very hard on vehicles and it's been perfect for 15 years
accountCircle Tiffany M
Comfortable and dependable
My car is dependable. I purchased the brand new. In the last 14 years I've driven my car all over the southwest of the United States. I have only had to do minor repairs. I would highly recommend the Kia spectra. Since the car is fourteen years old, it is missing newer amenities, but it is comfortable and easy to drive.
accountCircle Florence P
It is a keeper. Plan on driving it for several more years.
It gets great mpg,$120 for 100 miles of travel. Takes about $25 per month for gas. Sound motor, runs so quiet I sneak up on people. Cannot hear the motor run inside the car, fits me. Only bad thing is no ac. Love the stick shift 5 speed.

Negative Owner Reviews

accountCircle Cressie D
It's white, it has 4 doors. It has a CD player. It's over 20 years old.
It gets fairly good gas mileage. It's small, it doesn't take much to fill up in gas. It doesn't have a navigation system.
accountCircle Edward V
How to check the fluid levels such as oil levels, radiator water levels, and how to change a tire.
The paint job is oxidized, it is very small, & there are several things that need repair.
accountCircle Matthew Z
I have a great spare tire in my trunk. I can't get in my trunk.
Overall the car is not in the best of shape. It has a hole in the exhaust and is very loud. Besides this, I also cannot open my driver side door on the inside. I have to roll my window down in order to get out of my car. Along with all of this, my key is broken in the ignition. I cannot lock my car or get in my trunk.
accountCircle Jason H
Blue ferrari. It is blue and has four doors and four tires and six windows too.
Good on gas not so comfortable. Carpet molds when gets wet doors do not seal very well. But reliable to get to work and back. Color not to fond of it is that bright blue with some white flames on it not a great color I guess didn't buy new it was used great for new drivers.
accountCircle Robert L
It's a reliable vehicle. There's never been any major issues.
It's a good car overall. It's gotten me from anywhere I need to be not requiring a ton of maintenance. There's been a lasting problem with fan belts even after they were all replaced. But the car still drives good.
accountCircle Deja A
Awesome trunk space in a small package.
I think that this care is pretty reliable. It is got a sunroof which is great, but I feel like the tranny will go soon. It is lasting I love the spacious feeling even though it is pretty small. The trunk space is pretty nice, too! The pickup is pretty nice and gas mileage is pretty good, too.
accountCircle ashlee D
For the price It's been a great little car.
I like that it is small and gets decent gas mileage. As the car has aged the paint on one side is starting to peel bad and has slowed down in speediness.
accountCircle Brandy M
Easy to drive. Good on far. Very reliable.
I just got this car and am enjoying it so far. No problems. Good on gas. Reliable. It fits car seats comfortably and I love the radio in it. Easy to keep updated. I am not a big know it all about fixing cars but this one things are easy to get to do I can do my own oil change and other things.

Kia Spectra Models

Models also known as Trim Levels, are used to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features.

car
LX
132 HP 29-29 MPG 5 Seats
car
EX
132 HP 29-29 MPG 5 Seats
car
SX
132 HP 29-29 MPG 5 Seats
car
Base
132 HP 29-29 MPG 5 Seats
Photos may not match model

2005 Kia Spectra Owner Reviews

3.92
51 Reviews
close Write Review
5 stars 37%
4 stars 29%
3 stars 25%
2 stars 4%
1 star 4%
accountCircle Cressie D on March 24, 2021
It's white, it has 4 doors. It has a CD player. It's over 20 years old.
It gets fairly good gas mileage. It's small, it doesn't take much to fill up in gas. It doesn't have a navigation system.
accountCircle Deja A on March 13, 2021
Awesome trunk space in a small package.
I think that this care is pretty reliable. It is got a sunroof which is great, but I feel like the tranny will go soon. It is lasting I love the spacious feeling even though it is pretty small. The trunk space is pretty nice, too! The pickup is pretty nice and gas mileage is pretty good, too.

Pros from Owners

likeFilled Kenneth W.

The Kia Spectra5 is a hatchback that has plenty of legroom inside, gets good gas mileage, is not too expensive to fill the tank, easy to perform maintenance on, it's perfect to drive around the city and compact enough to park in most spaces yet comfortable enough to take on longer journeys. Overall the Kia Spectra 5 is a smart buy that is affordable and reliable that won't cost a lot to maintain and drive in the city or on a longer road trip.

likeFilled Jacob H.

My vehicle has air and is 4 door. My vehicle has allowed me to travel from work and home and many other places. I haven't had too many big repairs which means I have save money. It has also passed all of the smog checks.

Cons from Owners

dislikeFilled Kenneth W.

The Kia Spectra 5 has a long list of good qualities, however there can be some cons to owning and driving one. Its small size. Can be a problem in foul weather driving, it's not very effective in high wind driving, its low profile can make visibility hard in heavy traffic its luggage space is limited, the 4 cylinder motor is a bit undersized for any hills and the acceleration in traffic is a bit slow to pick up. Still with its limited flaws it a good little car.

dislikeFilled Jacob H.

My vehicle is older so it may not be the most reliable car out there. The speaker system is busted because of the age of the car. It also has some sun damage that is not very nice to look at. The air is not cooled as much as it could be.

Ranks #11 Small Cars by Owners

The 2005 Kia Spectra has an average owner rating of 4.11 out of 5 which ranks it #11 of 22 other Small Cars.

1
car
4.67
2
car
4.56
11
Tie
car
3.92

Ranks #5 Small Cars by Fuel Economy

The 2005 Kia Spectra has a combined MPG of 35 which ranks it #5 of 23 other Small Cars.

1
Tie
car
42 MPG
1
Tie
car
43 MPG
5
Tie
car
34 MPG

Is The 2005 Kia Spectra A Good Car?

Yes a very excellent vehicle. Have had it for 10 years and no major work has had to be done; only minor things; oil changes; new battery.
Katheryn T.
Yes it is. I love my car. It's good on gas. Had some power. Very roomy. I have owned it for 6 months and have had no problems. I would recommend this car to others
Levi K.

How Reliable Is The 2005 Kia Spectra?

Very reliable. No major work has had to be done. Only regular oil changes and the typical things have had to be done.
Katheryn T.
2005 Kia spectra is very reliable. I have had no issues or problem. I bought mine 6 months ago and it's still running good.
Paula A.

Is The 2005 Kia Spectra A Good Value?

Bought it used in 2008 for 8000.00. To me it was a great deal since I have had no major issues with the car.
Katheryn T.

Related Articles for 2005 Kia Spectra

From the Vehicle History blog

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2008 Kia Spectra Review: Unimpressive, but Adequate
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2007 Kia Spectra Review: A Mediocre-by-Design, but Adequate Budget Compact

Safety & Reliability

NHTSA Logo
NHTSA Crash Test

Overall

Front

Rollover

Side

*National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
IIHS Logo
IIHS Crash Test

Moderate Overlap Front

Side

Roof Strength

Not Rated

Driver-side Overlap Front

Not Rated
*Insurance Institute for Highway Safety