Overview & Reviews

Kia Motors is a South Korean automaker that's relatively new to the United States. In its early years, Kia largely catered to budget-minded consumers with well-equipped vehicles priced below competing models. More recently, this growing brand has kept value a priority while also emphasizing technology and sportiness.

Founded in Korea in 1944, Kia started as a producer of steel tubing and bicycle parts. The company's name has its roots in the Chinese language, and means "to arise, to come up out of Asia." By the early 1950s, the company had produced Korea's first bicycle; by the latter part of the decade, Kia had branched out into motor scooters, with the rollout of the C100.

The 1960s saw Kia expanding its lineup to include motorcycles and three-wheeled cargo vehicles. Naturally, the next logical step was automobile production, and the company began moving in this direction in the early 1970s. By 1973, Kia had built a facility designed to make its automotive dreams a reality; its Sohari plant held the distinction of being Korea's first fully integrated automobile production facility, and went on to spawn Korea's first internal-combustion gasoline engine. A year later, Kia unveiled the Brisa, Korea's first passenger car. By the end of the decade, Kia's technology was being used to manufacture vehicles like the Peugeot 604 and the Fiat 132.

By the late '80s, Kia's lineup included new models like the Concord, Capital, Potentia and Pride. In 1987, Ford brought the Pride to U.S. shores, rebadging it as the Ford Festiva. Seven years later, Ford dealers got a replacement for the entry-level, subcompact Festiva in the form of another Kia constructed product, the Aspire.

Kia finally began selling vehicles in the U.S. under its own name in the early '90s, trumpeting its presence with the introduction of the compact Sephia. The car's rollout was gradual; in the early days of its production, the Sephia was only available in select Western states. By the mid-'90s, SUVs had emerged as a phenomenally popular and profitable vehicle segment. Kia responded with the 1995 Sportage, a compact SUV. By the end of the '90s, Kia's nationwide rollout was nearly complete.

Financial difficulties in the late '90s prevented Kia from expanding its lineup beyond those two models. Hyundai, South Korea's other major automaker, acquired the company in a merger in 1998.

Kia has been on a major upswing since its purchase by Hyundai, with improvements in build quality, performance and overall refinement. Reliability, previously a weak point, has also improved markedly and consumers' confidence was further bolstered by Kia's substantial warranty program. Today, Kia is on a dramatic upswing and offers a broad lineup of well-built coupes, sedans and crossovers that stand out for their value, performance and sporty styling.

User Reviews:

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  Edmunds readers like it. So do I. - 2018 Kia Sorento
  By Howard Gabennesch - April 30 - 12:59 pm

  In early January 2018, I compared the average consumer ratings on Edmunds for midsize SUVs with at least 20 ratings in the 2017 model year. Grand Cherokee, Explorer, Highlander, Murano, and Pilot fell in a narrow 4.1- 4.3 range. The Sorento topped the list at 4.6. While the Sorento is unchanged in 2018, some of the others are now in new editions and their 2018 ratings may turn out to be different. But its safe to say that the current Sorento has been very well received by the owners who submitted reviews to Edmunds. And this satisfaction mirrors my own. High-quality interior, quiet ride, excellent safety technology, superior warranty, peppy V6, thoughtful touches throughout. I do wish they had given it a bit more leg room in second and third rows, but so far I cant find anything else Id change. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend this excellent vehicle.

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  Great Bang for your buck - 2004 Kia Sorento
  By afiremedicswife - April 28 - 3:06 pm

  This is a fun truck to drive! My husband even loves it (hes an F-350 man). Great towing, pulled our 4 wheelers and snowmobiles without a problem. MPG could be a little better. However, with the money I saved I dont mind putting a couple extra bucks in the tank. KIA did a great job design wise. I was looking at the BMW X-5 when a co-worker bought one and spent more time in the shop having it repaired than she owned it. I have not had one problem with my Sorento in 17,000 miles. I love it! I will consider another one when that time comes.

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  You would be surprised, pleasantly - 2004 Kia Rio
  By psalms2711 - April 28 - 2:00 am

  I am thoroughly pleased with my 2004 Kia Rio. It has so many features that I never would have expected in a car costing 13000.00 fully equipped. An Excellent value and very comfortable to drive.

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  Great Value - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Bigboy - April 27 - 7:56 pm

  Had owned 3 other minivans, wife wanted another despite kids being much older. Shopped around a fair bit have always owned NA, decided to look at alternatives. Most features for the least amount of money. Great ride, lots of room. Gas mileage is not much different than was claimed 17.9 mpg combined over the last 8 months.

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  Zs KIA - 2001 Kia Optima
  By zabas - April 26 - 10:00 am

  I have about 13000 miles on the car. had a slight shimmy at 65 mph, but the dealer had the wheels balanced and that solved the problem. Otherwise I havent haad a problem. The wife loves to drive the car and is very happy with it.

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  Buy the damn van already! - 2016 Kia Sedona
  By C in AZ - April 24 - 6:52 am

  This is by far the best family vehicle we have ever owned. It is so roomy with tons of storage. We love the front console, kids love the captains chairs. It got great mileage on our last road trip, and performed well in snowy and icy conditions. The only "con" if you can call it that, is that stock DVD/Entertainment systems are not available through Kia. However, we made the best of it with our portable devices. The Sedona was so much more affordable than the competitors. This is overall a great purchase. Seriously parents, if you are doing the van vs SUV thing (I did), this will by far exceed your expectations with style, comfortable seating, mileage, storage and lower insurance rates. Happy shopping.

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  Best Value for Hard Earned Dollars - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By GorgeKiaDriver - April 22 - 9:26 pm

  We purchased our Sportage EX new, has every available option. We had a full size SUV before this. We were surprised at the interior room and comfort. Easy to get in and out. Handles great, especially in the snow and ice, we had a lot this year. I saw jeeps and subarus crashed into ditches and sign posts but our sportage kept on going. Its a little luxury SUV at a reasonable price. Great car!

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  So far, not quite happy - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By mr. moo kow - April 21 - 2:46 pm

  I bought this vehicle about a month ago.The clock doesnt work, the air bag light sometimes works and sometimes not. I took it back to the dealer only to hear them say "Your name is on the waitng list. We are still waiting for Kia to come up with a new part". Very disappointed.

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  Wonderful - 2005 Kia Sportage
  By Laura - April 21 - 7:03 am

  I have had my sportage for 3 months now and I love everything about it. I think it is awesome both inside and out and it is really fun to drive. The design of the care is really cool compared to the old sportage and the inside is really handy to haul things in. All the passanger seats lay flat to be able to get a 8 foot box inside. The only downside is the gas mileage approximately 19-20 in city and i havent taken it on the highway for a trip yet. I would definitely recommend this vehicle to everyone. A couple of my friends who have drove my sportage have also loved it.

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  Love my soul - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Jaras500 - April 21 - 12:43 am

  Husband just picked up a Kia soul automatic and we love it. Its fun to drive, comfortable to ride in, and has plenty of room inside. We got the alien green color which makes the vehicle look sharp. Going from driving a Chevy Cobalt to a Kia Soul is like night and day. The Kia soul is better quality, more features for less money, and a much better driving experience. I feel safe driving in the Soul and my daughter has plenty of room to stretch out her legs. I look forward to taking many trips together as a family. I would recommend the Kia brand to anyone looking to buy a good quality car.