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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  Fun car - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By Lia - October 14 - 5:46 am

  I really like this little guy. Its so cute, I have to say it looks smaller then it is. Very roomy inside and I will say for the warranty and price no other car in its class can beat it. It says alot about the manufacturer to put a 5 yr 60k mile warranty on their vehicle they must not be expecting a bunch of big issues. One thing I would change would be to have a better (taller) armrest and a bit less plastic in the car, but the sat radio and ipod jack are awesome. Power seats standard on driver side would be cool, also a little less cabin noise its louder then my Nissan but hey its an suv But I bought this for practicality so for that it gets a 10. I hope it continues to make me happy

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  Good, solid if unspectacular car - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By mjone182 - October 12 - 9:40 pm

  Having now driven this car as a primary for 27k miles, this car is a good one. Easy to work on, even if youre a backyard mechanic. Lots of room, even for a family of six (all small children). Downside, theres not a real trunk space if you have the third row. Positives, plenty of extras even on the base model, pre-drilled holes for mounting aftermarket towing kits and side rails, plus it gets better gas mileage than a minivan. So far, no major maintenance has been needed.

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  Needs Improvement - 2009 Kia Rio
  By jrhorner - October 11 - 12:10 pm

  The Rio is an excellent commuter car. However, paying 17200 for this car new with the warranty was a mistake. Purchased w/out A/C, power steering, or power options. Dealership said A/C absolutely could not be installed. The car accelerates fine as long as you are willing to rev the engine all the way up to 4000 rpms. Handles well even w/out powersteering.

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  7 years & 90k miles- still feels like new! - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By pakialover - October 6 - 2:22 pm

  I drive about 12k miles/year with a good mix of city and highway. I have had no maintenance issues with this car whatsoever. I just do the regularly scheduled preventative maintenance and thats it. I sometimes forget I bought this car way back in 2006. It still feels brand-new after all this time. American car companies could learn a thing or two about quality from Kia. I will be a Kia customer for life, for sure.

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  my sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By jerry smith - October 6 - 10:00 am

  we love our sorento for its looks,power,drivability and comfort. only problems have been a horn replaced under warranty and one head lamp had to be replaced which i did myself and found it to be quite easy. the quality has been excellent so far and routine service from our dealer has been great. we would highly recommend this vehicle for its value and quality.only compaint if you would call it that is lower than desired mileage! all in all a gray suv!!

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  18 Months... the Paint!! - 2011 Kia Soul
  By hamster_rider - October 5 - 11:27 pm

  So Ive owned my Kia Soul for 18 months, still love driving it, maintenance is a no brainer, however, while washing it today I noticed a fine rusting (white car) on most panels, even the major plastic pieces!! I will be calling Monday for an appointment, I just am putting it out there for others to watch for, I live in Florida so no winter conditions here, no road salt etc. I will update after it gets looked at. Others have posted with paint issues, better safe I guess. The only problem with the car to date is the brake light switch at the pedal failed and it took the dealer 5 days to get me in to replace the switch, which of course was a warranty repair. So no brakes for 5 days

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  Trip Car - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Colorado Mountaineer - October 4 - 10:00 am

  We selected the Kia over other makes result of maintenance reviews. Our 2008 Sedona has 39,000 ( used)is a great van with plenty of space and lots of comfort for our family. Took road trip of 3.000 traveled wonderful. 25 mpg on road. Easy to drive and plenty of pep. The seats are very adjustable with good support. Lots of storage in cabin and rear of two back seats. Air and heat in compartment very good and door windows give lots of air inside.

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  Reliable soldier - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By Laszlo Pocsi - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I owned my Sedona since new in 2006, has over 60k miles in it. Mine has been a trooper. Its a typical minivan - cavernous, comfortable, safe, practical. It is the top of the line model with leather, DVD player, back-up radar, etc. I towed heavy things with it, I packed it chock full of stuff and/or people many times, and it performed great. The safety rating is top-notch, which was a huge selling point for me. Gas mileage is not great by at around 17.3 mpg its OK for a big vehicle. We had to replace the audio under warranty, one bulb went out in 6 years, other than just scheduled service. Its a bit noisier than I like, but I love it. Better yet, my kids love it. The power doors are great!

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  Feeling sad - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Hopeful - September 28 - 12:33 pm

  I purchased my car with 913 miles on it. It was primarily driven by the Kia manager where I purchased my vehicle. I have roughly 28,000 miles on my car and I am on my 2nd transmission. The new transmission is unfortunately not any better than the initial one. My 1st tranny was replaced at 22,000. Ive brought it back to the dealership and told them about the new 2nd transmission slipping when starting up. Now with cold weather its even worse and Im actually afraid to drive it any long distances until I get this transmission remedied or get another new transmission. Im very envious of the folks who have had good luck. I really love my Amanti, but its sick at the moment.

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  Love it! - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Rae - September 21 - 5:20 pm

  I purchased my Sportage used, with a little over 44K miles. In the 2 years Ive had it, Ive put 51K on it, and enjoyed every minute of it. My mileage has stayed between 19 & 22 mpg. The few problems Ive had have been things designed to wear out, like the battery, brakes, etc. Ive kept it maintained and have not had any major surprises. I chose it for the car-like interior, with the height of a small truck, and not for towing or anything heavy duty, knowing that the engine is small and pretty easily taxed. I have truly enjoyed this car more than any other Ive ever owned, and have put the miles on it to prove it. :)