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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  Great Car - 2017 Kia Forte
  By DMtampaFL - March 26 - 4:14 am

  Recently purchased a 2017 Kia Forte EX and I love it. From the second I started the test drive I knew it was the car for me. It has great handling and is pretty quick for a 4 cylinder. The interior has nice materials and easy to use controls. Even though it’s a new car and needs to be broken in, I have been getting around 30-32mpg almost all city driving ( but I do tend to drive a little fast.) The only con I have with this car is that even on the EX model (without the premium plus package) the drivers seat isn’t electric and there is no auto dimming mirror. It’s not a deal breaker but they would be nice without having to pay ~$5k more. Overall this is a great car and offers great value for what you pay for.

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  Engine Light - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By jacques - March 24 - 8:50 am

  Only problem we have is the engine light that keeps blinking (three times already), and every time you need to drive it to your dealership or get it towed (once). Had the same problem with the sliding doors in very cold weather. Cant find air bags for the rear end! Do you know anyone who has installed some? Thanks

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  Good Van For Price - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By jam - March 23 - 6:06 pm

  Plenty of power. Good handling. Excellent seat comfort for long drives. Great options. Can hold 7 adults. Average fuel economy. Built in garage door opener. Rear air/heat that can be controlled by the person setting in the back seat.

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  Great van with little problems - 2009 Kia Sedona
  By Landric - March 22 - 2:06 pm

  I bought this van in 4/10 as a new 09 and got a great deal. Ride quality is nice, the engine is smooth, quiet, and powerful, and the interior is well though out with the exception of the armrests, which are mounted too low on the seats. So far its only got 1600 miles on it, as we mainly use it for family outings and not day to day driving. In that time its been back to the dealer twice because the check engine light came two different times and the battery died once. Kia roadside assistance picked it up when the battery died, and both of the check engine lights turned out to be sensor problems. Hopefully all that is sorted out. I love the van, but not the hassle its been so far.

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  Looking for a good used car? - 2004 Kia Optima
  By jim - March 21 - 7:16 am

  I now have about 40K miles and over 2 years on this car (see my 7/02/05 review) and no major problems. I average about 23mpg in mixed hwy/city driving. I would definitely recommend this as a great used car buy (but only the V6). I have had a few minor things fixed at no cost under warranty: rattle in rear view mirror, license plate light cracked, and the keyless entry control unit stopped responding. The engine still purrs and It rides just as smooth and quiet as ever with no rattles. I am looking forward to the next 40K miles.

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  Awesome!!!! - 2016 Kia Soul
  By Rose - March 11 - 4:16 pm

  Purchased a 2016 Kia SOUL two weeks ago. Had a great salesperson named Theo Noor (highly recommend him). Went in their thinking I was going to purchase the Kia Sportage but ended up buying the Kia SOUL. This vehicle was in the price range I was looking to spend. LOVE, LOVE the vehicle so far.

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  Great Kia Sorento - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Joncab5 - March 11 - 1:50 pm

  I cant believe I own a Kia Sorento, but I do. It is Made in the USA (Georgia) in a brand new plant. It has good fuel economy and nice features. 3rd row seating in the event you need it. I did not want to buy a minivan and I did not want a huge American SUV. The Kia Sorento is the perfect solution, especially the price is great too. I am not a snob, but I have only owned MBZ, Porsche, Lexus, and Toyota in the past. Kia is very new for me, but so far, so good. Great value for the money. Just go buy one, dont be shy, gets better gas mileage than most vehicles in its class.

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  Pleasantly surprised - 2006 Kia Sportage
  By texassportage - March 11 - 10:03 am

  I used Edmunds and other websites to research my compact SUV purchase and my final four were the: CR-V, Sportage, RAV4, and Tucson. My wife has a Kia already so it was the first place we went. I was so impressed with the drive of this vehicle that we didnt even bother test driving anything else. This car was already the best "deal" and the fact that it drove well, was comfortable, fun, and the perfect size for us now...and in the future (there are clasps for child safety seats on all three back seats) made it the right car for us. I am really impressed with its power too. It used to be considered a toy car - but I would recommend this SUV to anyone who wants a little more room.

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  Good buy - 2013 Kia Soul
  By dviljoen - March 10 - 11:27 pm

  We had an 01 Maxima that needed too many repairs. I didnt want a payment, but the wife wanted something new. I essentially went into the dealer and said "I want a Soul, manual transmission, white, and no options." The "no options" thing is just to give you maximum leverage, because nobody makes a vehicle with "no" options. I was almost wrong. Kia had a white Soul, manual trans, and floor mats (option). All said, it has been awesome. Only $245/mo payment, 37mpg, and plenty of room.

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  Wanna see ya in a KIA - 2016 Kia Optima
  By Pammy smith - March 8 - 8:09 pm

  Decent car for the price. Turbo a big help since it is a 4cyl. Wish it had auto seats.