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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  Bad on gas - 2007 Kia Rio
  By bootsr1 - October 26 - 4:46 am

  This was a horrible purchase. Terrible MPG 16-18 max. Brakes shot @ less then 9,000 miles in the shop 9 times for charging problem. This car looks ok, highly overrated!

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  I hate my Kia - 2001 Kia Spectra
  By ojena - October 21 - 10:00 am

  I have had many problems with the engine begining with the loud noises it makes & a/c and radio malfunctions. The plastic pieces of the vehicle are always breaking off such as those that recline the seat,open the trunk and gas,and a/c vents.Ancira, the dealership where I purchased my Kia, is not very efficient when it comes to fixing it. So the warranty Kia always raves about really means nothing to me.Within the first year of owning my new Kia Spectra, the tires and brakes had to be replaced, and since they are considered maintanence parts, they were not covered by the warranty. This car has been a headache from day one.

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  poor fuel economy - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By Mark - October 12 - 3:20 pm

  This 2005 Kia Sedona seemed like a nice van at first, then I noticed the brakes didnt have a solid response in defensive braking. Turning sharp corners made the vehicle feel top heavy.The real surprise came when the fuel mileage averaged out 7 MPG!!!. I asked other owners and got similar news. The 3.5 V6 has plenty of power and most likely too much thus such low mpg. Unfortunately these vans lose their value very quickly.

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  DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Laura - September 21 - 8:06 pm

  Ever since Ive gotten my car its given me hell. Theres a squeaking in the right side (maybe the suspension) which the Kia dealer "doesnt know whats wrong with it". The check engine light comes and goes when it pleases. When the weather is cold my car stalls and doesnt shift well; revs really high before shifting into the next gear until the car is completely warmed up 30 minutes later. My brakes went out once - they all of a sudden started rubbing and were completely gone by the time I got home. This car is too light weight -- if theres a breeze you will be flying into the next lane. I havent been happy with this car or the dealership/ customer service since I got this car.

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  Do Not Get a Kia - 2008 Kia Optima
  By barbararoberts - September 13 - 3:44 am

  I bought my car brand new in June 08. The main reason I bought an Optima is because all the safety airbags on it. it really did seem to be a safe car on the market at that time. Since then I have seen a main complaint that the airbags DO NOT deploy when there is an impact. That gave me a really big concern. Well, now my car is cutting off with me as I start down the road and I have been told it is because I have used aftermarket oil filters. BULL!!!!! They put Kia oil filter on and guess what? It is still cutting off with me. I came to a T-intersection one day and it desided to cut off. When it did NO BRAKES, No Power Steering and I had to pull out IN FRONT of another vehicle that was coming and just luckily there was noone coming in other lane so that vehicle could go around me. And I guess that I forgot to mention that my 10 yr old SON was in the car with me. I have taken my car down to the Kia shop in Myrtle Beach, SC every Tuesday for the last 2 months and it also stayed there for 1 full week during that time. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE EXCEPT A KIA OIL FILTER PUT ON... I"m considering this car to be a LEMON and I have told Kia that it will be on them if this car kills me and my son until it is fixed or replaced. I have been dealing with Wes and Bob at the Kia Service area in Myrtle beach, SC which has been very nice to me but something has to give. I am fixing to list this car under the Lemon Law with my lawyer. The safety of this car SUCKS!! I need help with this. Someone else higher up the ladder needs to step in on this case. Wes has a case number already out with the Technical staff but something has got to be done. I can not have mine and my sons life in jeoperdy like this. THIS CAR IS DANGEROUS. I have dropped it off AGAIN at the Kia Service area this evening (09/03/12) for the ump-teenth time so it can be checked out again tomorrow. I will travel ANOTHER 45 min to check on it tomorrow. My days off from work should NOT be spent at the Kia Service area.

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  Not Happy :-/ - 2007 Kia Sportage
  By 07kiaowner1 - August 27 - 10:54 am

  I just got the car about two weeks ago. i had a 2001 chevy suburban and with todays gas prices i was ready for a gas saver. The dealership told me the gas mileage was 22 city and 27 highway. i was truly excited about the car till i went out of town the first time. in fifth gear going 70mph my rpm is running about 3000!!! when i checked my gas mileage i got 23 mpg and nothing but highway no city driving at all!!!! i get 21 mpg in town very happy with that but highway sucks im a 22 year old college student that still cant afford the trips home to see family thanks to a lie of a dealership and the poor gas miles of my new kia :(

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  Yuck - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By Kitch - July 29 - 9:43 am

  Really DO NOT Like it. Have returned it to the dealer for brakeing issues. Manual seat does not go up as high as the power seats, engine (3.3) is slow to respond. Have to remove the rear seat headrests in order to put the back seat down, with all of the rear seat headrests & seat belts crossing in my view in the rearview mirror you do not get a clear view out the back, nice storage under the rear floor, but you have to remove EVERYTHING from the back of the vehicle to access it. The cover for the rear area cuts down on the amount of stuff you can put in there unless you remove it & you have to remove it to put the rear seats down. REALLY WISH I had returned it & gotten my old vehicle back.

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  Consider carefully - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Brian Macy - July 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought the Sedona because it is cheap and safe. In this case you get less than you pay for. It isnt user friendly, the vehicle is made out of poor quality materials, and the vehicle is noisey. So far it has overheated because of a fan relay failing and the dashboard lights have gone out. The internal fuse box cover is constantly falling off while driving. The vehicle is simply not quite there and though other vehicles may cost $5-6k more they are more than twice the car. So spend if it you can afford it.

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  Big Mistake - 2012 Kia Sorento
  By justman - July 26 - 11:05 pm

  I bought a 2012 Sorento and only had the car for two months when things started to go really bad with it. Broken axles, motor mounts, transfer case, and the side panel was coming off. Kia fixed these issues because it was covered under warranty. On top of that the SUV did not handle well especially in the rain. I drove it home to DC from Charlotte and we were so thankful we made it safe. I fought with Kia wanting to get another one because that one was a lemon for sure, but they did Nothing! So, I got rid of it and bought another make and model. I do NOT recommend Kia at all. To top it all off, I thought I was saving money, but it wasnt that much cheaper than my new car.

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  Finilly Got It--Wish I Never Did - 2004 Kia Rio
  By Jebediah - July 22 - 10:00 am

  It took me 2 years to save up, but I finally purchased me a new car. I bought a 2004 Kia Rio. Mine is red. This car is alright, but it doesnt work too well, and they have been trying to fix it. I cant keep paying for repairs, I dont have a whole lot of money. This thing is decent looking, but I think the interior is crappy. It is really cheap and plasticity looking. They need to make them look fanicer, like one of them BMW er Merecedes or somethihgn.