What is the real-world MPG of a Kia Optima?
Owners report an average of 49.0 mpg across all Kia Optima engines with data, about 73% of the official combined figure. The engine tables on this page give the figure for each engine and generation.
Kia Optima MPG: what owners actually get
Owners report 49.0 mpg from a Kia Optima, about 73% of the official figure. On its NEDC-tested engines that is 79%, worse than typical: the median NEDC-tested car in this 8,216-engine dataset returns 82%. The tables below give the figure for every engine and generation we hold. Add your own at the bottom and the averages get better for the next buyer.
49.0mpg
Real-world average, all engines
73%
of the official combined figure
32–92
Range reported by owners (mpg)
121
Owner submissions
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Kia Optima
| Engine | Official (NEDC) | Official (WLTP) | Real MPG | % of official | Owners report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7 CRDi | 57.6 | – | 47.9 | 83% | 39.0–55.2 |
| 1.7 CRDi Automatic | 47.1 | – | 41.9 | 89% | 32.0–49.0 |
Kia Optima
| Engine | Official (NEDC) | Official (WLTP) | Real MPG | % of official | Owners report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6 CRDi | 62.8 | – | 52.2 | 83% | 43.0–60.2 |
| 1.6 CRDi Automatic | 64.2 | – | 48.3 | 75% | 42.0–56.9 |
| 1.7 CRDi Automatic | 64.2 | – | 43.2 | 67% | – |
| 2.0 GDi PHEV | 201.8 | 188.3 | 78.5 | 42%* | – |
| 2.0 T-GDi Automatic | 34.4 | – | – | – | – |
All figures in miles per gallon (UK). “Owners report” is the spread of individual submissions for that engine. * Measured against the WLTP figure rather than NEDC.
Add your Kia Optima Real MPG
What does yours actually do? Read it off the trip computer over a full tank or work it out from litres and miles. No postcode, no sign-up. The more people add, the better the averages get, and this page stays free.
Kia Optima fuel economy questions
Why is the Kia Optima real MPG lower than the official figure?
Official figures come from a laboratory test cycle, not the road. Cold starts, short trips, hills, load, tyres and driving style all cost fuel the test does not see. A gap of 10 to 30 per cent is normal; a much bigger gap on one engine usually points at a fault, a heavy right foot, or a diesel that never gets warm.
Where did the Honest John Kia Optima Real MPG page go?
The site closed in August 2026 and its Real MPG section went with it. This page is where the Kia Optima figures now live: rebuilt from the archived dataset, with the official figures kept alongside, and reopened for new submissions.
Looking at a Kia Optima right now? Check the advert before you go and see it.
Where the Kia Optima figures come from
If you used the Honest John Real MPG section before the site closed in 2026, this is where the Kia Optima figures now live. The owner-reported averages above were rebuilt from the archived dataset (archived page, 2026-08) alongside the official NEDC and WLTP figures and new submissions from CarAdCheck readers, and the section is open so they keep improving. Real-world figures also feed the running-cost estimate in our free advert check.
CarAdCheck is not affiliated with Honest John or Volkswagen Financial Services. How we rebuilt Real MPG.
Other Kia models
Before you go and see it
Fuel economy is one line on the Kia Optima running-cost sheet. These guides cover the checks that stop you buying the wrong one.
How to haggle for a used car: negotiate the price with what its records showHPI check vs carVertical: which is better, and our pick for a UK carMOT advisories explained: how to check them, and which ones should worry you
All buyer's guides →