The Kia Rio rivals the still popular Ford Fiesta in Europe, but Kia is pulling the plug on selling the car across the continent. According to Autocar, European sales in Europe in 2022 of the subcompact amounted to 32,506 - nine percent less than in 2021. Its direct rival, the relentlessly successful Vauxhall Corsa, sold 164,119 units.

In the UK, Kia sold just 3,800 Rios in 2022, a fraction of a percent of its 90,000 cars sold on the islands. Kia suggests the low sales numbers are, at least in part, to higher-riding crossovers eating sales. However, the tiny Kia Picanto and its 1.0 and 1.2-liter engines made up 10 percent of Kia's UK sales.

That doesn't mean the Kia Rio is finished and doesn't still have a good home in other countries and on other continents.

CarBuzz reached out to Kia North America to ask about the Rio's future and Communications Manager James Hope told us the following: "Kia America has made no official announcement regarding the Rio. It remains a component of Kia's awarding line-up of cars and SUVs."

It makes sense Kia wouldn't rush to end selling the Rio in the US as that's about as small of a vehicle Americans will buy in enough numbers to justify its existence. The much smaller Picanto would not go down well here.

The good news for Kia in the US is that the Rio doesn't face anywhere near the competition as it does in Europe. Amongst others, cars like the Ford Fiesta are long gone here.

Here, the Kia Rio comes with a 1.6-liter inline-four engine that makes 120 horsepower and 112 lb-ft of torque and averages 36 mpg combined. We're fans of it as an entry-level car that starts at $16,750 and can be picked up fully loaded for not too much more than $20,000. It's also available as a hatchback (Rio 5-Door) starting at $17,690. We're also fans of the super-practical and quirky Soul, starting at $21,215 with destination charges and filed by Kia as a compact utility vehicle.