Kia maintenance schedule
The Kia maintenance schedule on many current models calls for an oil and filter change every 8,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. That is the normal schedule in the 2025 K5 owner’s manual. In severe driving, the same manual shortens it to every 5,000 miles or 6 months. Intervals differ by engine and model year, so check the manual for your car.
On this page (9 sections)
The short answer
| Item | Normal schedule | Severe schedule |
|---|---|---|
| Engine oil and filter | Every 8,000 miles or 12 months | Every 5,000 miles or 6 months |
| Tire rotation | Every 8,000 miles or 12 months | |
| Engine air filter | Replace every 24,000 miles or 36 months; inspect in between | More often on dusty roads |
| Cabin air filter | Replace every 16,000 miles or 24 months | More often in dusty areas or heavy traffic |
| Spark plugs | Every 96,000 miles (2.5 L); every 48,000 miles (2.5 L turbo) | |
| Engine coolant | First at 120,000 miles or 10 years, then every 24,000 miles or 2 years | |
From the Kia online owner’s manual for the 2025 K5 (Smartstream G2.5 GDi and G2.5 T-GDi). Other models and years differ.
How Kia sets the schedule
Kia, like its sister brand Hyundai, prints a fixed schedule in the owner’s manual. Each step is a number of miles or months, and the work is due at whichever comes first. Kia’s manual says this directly: when both mileage and date are shown, the service is due at the one that comes first. Nissan also prints a fixed schedule, while Ford and Chevrolet calculate oil life from how the engine is used.
Some newer Kias also have an Oil Life Management System. Kia says it predicts oil life from your driving history and alerts you when an oil change is due, and that the remaining oil life must be reset after every oil change. The reset steps are in the instrument cluster section of your manual; a summary is in how to reset the oil light.
Kia oil change interval
On the 2025 K5, Kia’s interval is 8,000 miles or 12 months on the normal schedule and 5,000 miles or 6 months on the severe schedule. The manual also says that if the recommended oil is not used, the oil must be changed on the severe schedule.
Severe use, in the 2025 K5 manual, includes repeated trips under 5 miles (under 10 miles in freezing weather), long idling or slow driving, stop-and-go or heavy traffic, dusty, unpaved, or salted roads, repeated mountain driving, towing or a loaded roof, frequent high speed or hard acceleration, and taxi, patrol, or other commercial use. If several of these describe your driving, use the severe column. See normal vs severe maintenance.
Older Kias, and some engines in current models, have other intervals. Don’t carry the 8,000-mile figure to a car whose manual says something else.
Free maintenance on a new Kia
Kia’s U.S. warranty covers defects, not routine maintenance. Before you buy, ask the dealer whether any oil changes or a prepaid maintenance plan come with the car, and get the terms in writing: how many visits, for how long, and at which dealers. How maintenance and the warranty fit together is explained in maintenance and warranty.
Where to find your Kia’s schedule
Kia publishes owner’s manuals online at ownersmanual.kia.com, by model and year. Open the “Scheduled maintenance service” chapter for the normal and severe tables and the notes for your engine. The printed manual in the glove box has the same tables.
Keep a record
Write down the date, the odometer, and the work at each visit, and keep the receipts, in a car maintenance log. With both miles and months on every item, a log is the easy way to see which limit comes first. Kia model pages, such as the Soul and Telluride, have the schedule by year. More makes: car maintenance by make.
Kia models
FAQ
How often does a Kia need an oil change?
On the 2025 K5, every 8,000 miles or 12 months on the normal schedule, or every 5,000 miles or 6 months in severe use. Other models and years differ, so check your manual.
When does a Kia need new spark plugs?
On the 2025 K5, every 96,000 miles with the 2.5 L engine and every 48,000 miles with the 2.5 L turbo. The manual lists the interval by engine.
Does Kia have an oil life monitor?
Some newer models have an Oil Life Management System that alerts you when an oil change is due. Reset it after every oil change, and still follow the limits in the manual.
Is a Kia maintenance schedule the same as a Hyundai one?
They are similar, since the two brands share engines, but each model has its own table. Use the manual for your exact car.
Milealot is an independent site, not affiliated with or endorsed by Kia America. Kia and the model names are trademarks of their owner and are used here only to name the vehicles.
Sources
- Kia, 2025 K5 owner’s manual, Scheduled maintenance service (normal and severe schedules, severe conditions, spark plugs, coolant; Oil Life Management System) (checked November 12, 2026): ownersmanual.kia.com