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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  1st kia - 2010 Kia Sportage
  By mike - April 13 - 3:26 am

  Excellent, i was a little nervous of buying a kia, but now i am very happy i did. absolutely love it. Lots of power with the V6, gas mileage of around 24 mpg, it only has a 60 liter tank, in city i average 650 km to a tank. really good for a V6 4wd SUV.

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  Perfect Car - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By Nilesh - April 10 - 9:53 pm

  I was lucky I bought this car!! I drive like 200 miles a day back and forth to my work, but Kia is one tough car which gives me performance which I need. I love the shape of 2002 hatchback, it is like sports car. I get around 30 miles per gallon for 2002 model, thats extraordinary. I will recommend to buy Kia Spectra, it is a really nice car.

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  JUST BOUGHT - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Mario Suarez - April 10 - 7:01 pm

  Almost purchased the LX but ran into the EX on the show room floor and thought it was worth the extra money. Push start, Beautiful touch screen, power seats, fog lights, and leather did it for us. Got 30 mpg on the way home for a 2 hour drive. Look forward to many years with this sexy beast

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  The Right Choice - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Phil - April 8 - 7:00 am

  This is my first new car, and I would have to say I made the right choice. This car provides all around safety, convenience, and just the right amount of sport as well. All of this is available at the right price. I believe this car is entirely too underrated. It drives tight, the infinity sound system sounds great, the controls are easy to follow, and it goes. The only problem is that it says Kia. People ask me what I own. All I can say is let me take you for a ride and ill prove that this car is awesome.

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  Really nice vehicle - 2016 Kia Sorento
  By Gary Williams - April 5 - 10:54 am

  We drove Chevys, Fords, Hondas & Toyotas and liked the Kia Sorento the best. The car is rated higher than the rest in safety & reliability and has a far better warranty as well. The comfort and passenger room in the front seat is far better than the other brands. My wife did all of the homework, drove and rode in all of the other brands and Kia got the sale. If you dont believe it, go drive one and see. Now we have 6,000 miles on the Kia 11/3/16 and all is well, my wife still loves it.

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  Just over 1700 miles and loving it - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By JLCHL - April 4 - 6:03 pm

  Even though its been just 1700 miles I have to say that I am pleasantly surprised about this SUV. I had a hard time buying a KIA (Ive always had Japanese cars before), but i have to say that so far its been great. I already tested the off road capabilities of it and it handled great, its a fun car to drive with a lot of power (something to keep in mind when evaluating gas millage). Overall a great buy for a very accessible price.

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  Yes, its a KIA! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By rozebud - April 1 - 2:00 am

  Wow, I never thought in a million years Id own a Kia! I researched this one to death and feel like a made a great purchase. I really enjoy driving this vehicle and I love the response I get from people when they ask what brand it is.Most say "really?" or "youre kidding!" It was a bit of an adjustment going from a Town & Country van(ultra smooth, luxury) to a rougher riding SUV. But Kia has really done a great job making this vehicle seem luxurious.Of course I got the lux package. I may consider buying smoother riding tires when its time to replace the originals.

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  Great car BUT, MPG not as expected - 2012 Kia Rio
  By auntkatie24 - March 25 - 10:27 pm

  i love my 2012 Rio5 SX Manual trans, however the Est. Fuel Economy hasnt come close to meeting what Kia says it does. It doesnt cost much to fill up, havent gone over $30 yet, but I fill up once a week and if I fill up at 1/4 tank I am lucky if I have 200 miles on my tank. It estimates around 350 till empty when I fill up. I am a very reserved driver since I bought this so I can get as much out of it as I can so I do not "hot rod" it. the gauge that shows me how much MPG I am getting says I am getting routinely, 28-30MPG but if that were true I should be able to get atleast 300 miles to a tank and I am not even reaching that. Otherwise I love my car! Great options, good looking, runs good

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  Great Car for the money!! - 2009 Kia Optima
  By Dave - March 24 - 7:30 pm

  1st car I have owned in a while (former truck owner) and it is a nice surprise. I like everything about my Kia and am really surprised on how well it drives aon the highway. Highly recommend it!!!

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  Fun to Drive - 2013 Kia Soul
  By kiasoulite - March 23 - 11:09 am

  The manual transmission on the Kia Soul is quite fun to drive. It is easy to switch gears there is even an indicator to tell you when to switch gears. I find it to be the right size. I am able to haul around groceries or large items. Its compact size makes it easy to park and navigate narrower streets.