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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  Would Rather lose money - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By Upside Down Kia - April 10 - 10:00 am

  Well I am so glad my wife and I decided to go totally upside down on our car loan and managed to buy a 2005 Ford Focus. This car was a lemon since mile 60001. The dealership ordered parts and never called us back, they would charge an arm and a leg for basic problems, the brake dust was awful, there was no power uphills, no one wanted to work on it, the radio was horrible, the interior design was not well thought, the only thing I can say somewhat positive is that we basically putted into the dealership and left that day with a car. Although, I see now why they were all smiles.

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  Friends dont let friends buy KIAs... - 2004 Kia Rio
  By tree0923 - April 6 - 4:53 am

  bought brand new, had to take to dealership often for brake and clutch issues. Timing belt broke at 57k miles destroying engine, fortunately under warranty. NEW engine gets worse mpg (only 27-30). Stereo eats CDs regularly. Things break and pop off all the time. Alignment issues from day one. On my 3rd engine now that my camshaft snapped in 2 ruining the head and valves. Costs more the fix than anything Ive ever owned. Leaves me stranded more often than not. This car is only worth the value of a running engine. I will never buy another KIA.

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  JUNK@7k Miles POOR FUEL ECONOMY! DIES! IDLES BAD! - 2012 Kia Soul
  By - April 2 - 8:04 pm

  Car dies and idles ROUGH! get 19-21 mpg! Has a lot options but they wont get you were you need to go..Car has moderate power for a 4cy...seats are ok comfort has lots of room...Buy a honda element used and you will be much happier...bluetooth is crappy

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  Not good at all - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By not pleased - April 2 - 6:36 am

  Drive far on a daily basis due to job location. Have had this car for about 7 months. In may the car would not start at all. Had to be towed to the dealership! Apparently a loose cable came loose and had to be tighten. July. Car back in dealership car turned off while in motion. No I did not put in neutral it was in drive and the car turned off. Dealership cant find anything wrong. Sorry Kia better luck next time! Safety is a big concern!

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  Sorry we bought this beast - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By erininohio - March 16 - 6:13 am

  Bought a new 06 in 07. Thought we were getting a deal.Buy van get RIO free.Still think there was something illegal about the paperwork,since we ended up with a loan on the "free" RIO.the van has not performed well at all. Headlights constantly going out.As soon as temp drops under 40 side doors freeze shut(dealership thinks Im crazy)Third row seat keeps getting caught,have to use screwdriver to unstick it.Brakes and tires shot at 20000 miles. Alignment has never been right. Airbag had to be fixed. Light still comes on. Engine light on and off all the time. They say there is nothing wrong with it,but van keeps acting like it is going to die on the road.Value is next to nothing.

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  Worst decision for a first time car buyer - 2012 Kia Optima
  By Ashli - March 12 - 1:33 am

  Im do disappointed with colonial Kia I bought a used 2012 Kia Optima lx at 25,000 miles Ive had to replace tires twice since I bought it last year really had in rain and snow. Just recently for state inspection had to buy a whole new set of tires! Then tonight I actually made it home thank god but my car now will not start! Ive poured a lot of money into this car this is my first car that I bought and it has been a horrible experience my Jetta vw that was given to me from my mom lasted longer than this :(

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  piece of junk - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By opencarry - March 8 - 9:06 pm

  Bought it in 08 with 15k on the odometer.... 3-4 sets of brake pads pr year, Throttle positioning sensor replaced, Camshaft positionong sensor replaced, power steering pump dissintegrated, ac compressor..shot, timing belt, L front strut..toast, unable to maintain allignment, 5 sets of tires up front, gas mileage sux!!! 13mpg - 18mpg., underpowered, delayed gear shifting, 4 sets of headlights, power seats malfunction, front bearings, seizure of R front wheel. Aaand regular maintenance costs. We are a fam of 7. demand are high but the vehicle has been maintained. All was well untill 75k. After that, should have dumped it.... never again.

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  Check engine light - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By Cruz - March 1 - 5:46 am

  The vehicle that I bought has given me nothing but problems. After my warranty expired, the check engine light came on and after over $5000 in repairs, its still on. Had the catalytic converter replaced 3 times, even got a new transmission. Had the fuel filter changed, the coil pack changed 4 times. Changed the spark plugs and numerous other things. The engine diagnostic says that its the coil pack. But every time its replaced, the engine light only stays off for a couple of miles.

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  2012 Sorrento is a LEMON - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By sdannett - February 25 - 7:22 am

  I find it unacceptable for my 2012 sorrento to require an entire engine replacement after only 8 months of driving. Although the repair was eventually covered under warranty, I had to fight and followup daily for updates on repairs. It ended up taking ONE MONTH for my vehicle to be ready. The breakdown occurred in another city 4 hours away from my home and they expected me to drive 8 hour round trip to pick it up. Faulty vehicle and abysmal customer service. I feel duped. Stay away from KIA.

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  jose99 - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Jose99 - February 24 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I purchased our Sedona EX back in November I am concerned about the locking mechanisms of the Van. We brought the vehicle back to the dealership one week after we purchased . one of the storage compartments will not close. Now i have to wait 2 weeks or more to get the parts in I am not happy with the dealer at all this is a new car and should be fixed on the spot