What Is Kia Drive Wise?

Kia's advanced features include standard and optional items to make driving safer.

Bob Sorokanich | 

Sep 13, 2024 | 3 min read

Kia

Kia Drive Wise is a group of advanced driver-assistance features meant to help drivers avoid dangerous situations in city traffic, on the highway, and even while parking. Different Kia models offer different varieties of Drive Wise features, both standard and optional.

Drive Wise Is Kia's Suite of Crash-Avoidance Features

Kia currently sells 14 models in the U.S. market, each with its own variants. Nearly every new Kia offers a collection of standard Drive Wise features, plus optional upgrades.

We exclude the Kia Rio from this conversation because, as Kia's most affordable model, the Rio only offers a limited selection of Drive Wise features, all of them optional.

Many Drive Wise Features Are Standard

Across the board, 2024 Kias offer lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-following assist, and rear-seat occupant alert (not available on the Stinger). Driver-attention warning, which reminds you to take a break after a few hours behind the wheel, is standard, as is high-beam assistance, which automatically switches to low beams when oncoming traffic is detected.

As of the 2023 model year, most Kia models offer some form of forward-collision avoidance, which can automatically activate the brakes if an impending impact is detected. Upgraded versions with evasive steering, lane-changing, and intersection capabilities are optional.

The EV6 electric sport sedan and EV9 three-row electric SUV offer the greatest number of Drive Wise features, with the Carnival minivan and Telluride three-row SUV not far behind.

Kia

Drive Wise Features Vary by Kia Model

Kia offers a plethora of upgraded Drive Wise options depending on the model. Parking-collision avoidance, which warns when you're backing toward a person or object and can automatically stop the car if a collision is imminent, is standard on the Carnival but optional on most other 2024 Kia models.

Surround-view monitor, which shows a 360-degree camera view of the car for tight parking or backup maneuvers, is optional on the Carnival, EV6, K5, Sorento, Sportage, Stinger, and Telluride. Front and rear parking distance warning is optional on most of the Kia lineup.

Kia offers three versions of Highway Driving Assist. The basic version maintains a set following distance on highway drives and is optional on the Carnival, Forte, K5, Niro, Seltos and Sorento, while the most advanced version adds stop-and-go capability, lane-centering assist, and lane-changing assist. It's optional on the EV6, Niro EV, and Telluride. A blind-spot camera is optional on the Carnival, Sorento, Sportage, Stinger, and Telluride.

Remote smart-park assist lets you move your car in or out of a tight parking spot using the remote key fob and is optional on the EV6 and Niro EV, while smart cruise control capable of handling stop-and-go traffic is optional on most Kia models.

Rear cross-traffic collision-avoidance assist applies the brakes if you're reversing into the path of a moving vehicle. It is optional on the Forte, Seltos, Soul, and Sportage. It's standard on the rest of the Kia lineup.

Bob Sorokanich

Bob Sorokanich is a car-obsessed journalist and editor who manages to maintain an old Mini Cooper and a love affair with automobiles while living in New York City. When he's not thinking about cars, he's riding his motorcycle, and when he's not riding his motorcycle, he's anticipating his next joy ride.