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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  Things I Wish I Knew - 2007 Kia Spectra
  By kam2901 - September 23 - 9:19 am

  I bought this car used in 2014. It only had 49k miles on it and was a one owner car. I thought I had a great deal since it had such low mileage for the age and that it was a one owner car so I bought it after my mechanic looked at it. About a month after purchase I filled my tank and it began stalling (its an automatic) and releasing black smoke out of the exhaust. I immediately got it towed to the dealership and they replaced all of my spark plugs and fuel lines and the problem was fine. Now a year later at 59k miles I filled my tank to only 3 quarters of a tank and the same problem is occurring. I wish I knew what I was getting into or else I would have gotten something reliable.

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  Cheap - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By kia lover - September 12 - 4:10 pm

  I have had this car for a while now since 2003. I have had to do some minor repairs. I have also driven this car all over. Its a cheap car. You get what you pay for. I still have it and it still gets me from point a to b. I accidentally hit the garage with it once all down the side. Its only cosmetic and it still runs.

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  Not for mountain/foothill dwellers - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By sharonkay - September 7 - 10:53 pm

  I liked this van at first,but after having it for 16 months I was more than happy to trade it in and will never buy another Kia.I do alot of mountain driving and long road trips. The front brakes had to be replaced 5 times, the rotors 2, the tires 2x (H rated tires are expensive) and recently the wheel bearings on the front left went out. I had to have it wrecker towed to the dealer. Luckily,the warranty covered the bearings and first 2 sets of front brakes and rotors. Other sedona owners in my area have had brake and tire issues as well. Even the service manager admitted these cars are not suited for those who live in mountainous areas.ext. warranty helped with rental but this van is not worth it!

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  A true LEMON - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By phgraves - September 7 - 10:00 am

  I am not so happy with our van. It has spent 15 days in the shop. We have not had the van 3 months yet. Seven different problems, so far. The van has a sensory problem and is in the service dept. for the thirt time now. I am quite let down. I loved the way it drove and its comfort level.

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  Step down - 2010 Kia Sedona
  By eddocw - August 13 - 11:22 pm

  From Oldsmobile Silhouette to this. 4 miles less per gallon of gas than my 1999 and 2004. Rides like a dump truck, loud, poor cornering, terrible in snow with good snow tires. Doors freeze shut in winter. Wiper blades clear only part of the visual field. Rear wiper can only be obtained at a dealership and lasts about six months for $ 25.00 Side mirrors poorly suited to the vehicle. Cheap arm rests that fail constantly. Worst radio in automotive history. There is nothing that could convince me to try this vehicle again.

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  Scammed - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By cheated by dealer - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Horrible quality. Windows wouldnt go up, drivers seat not bolted securely, cup holder broke, dome light burnt out twice in 6 months. The scotch-guard on the seats didnt work, stains on them and there are parts already rusted! Cheap vehicle and now the dealer wont standy by it indicating I "only" bought a $20k vehicle and not to expect much. Getting rid of vehicle within 1st year and taking huge loss, worth only 1/2 of its value & will have to add remainder on new car loan.

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  LEMON ON WHEELS - 2001 Kia Sportage
  By KPLIN - July 20 - 10:00 am

  My very first new car and I had to buy this one. It spends more time in the shop then in my driveway. Rotors bad, over and over, rear shot, windows dont work, oil leaks, 4wheel drive broken - twice and the list continues. Wouldnt recommend this car to my enemy. All it needs is a picture of a lemon put on the side and it would be perfect. Resale value dropped so bad, I cant even afford to get rid of the darn thing. No wonder its discontinued.

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  Worst Mistake Ever Made - 2006 Kia Optima
  By iAmDizzie - July 10 - 7:26 pm

  Bought in Feb. 2007 to replace 2000 Kia Sephia. Biggest mistake we couldve made. Less than two months after purchasing it, we had to have the compressor for the AC replaced and that was just the first in a line of major issues we had over the 3 years we had this piece of junk. The crank shaft pulley broke, which in turn caused the timing belt to have to be replaced, too. Then, we started having to replace at least one low-beam headlight every month because they kept blowing. The final straw was that the passenger door started having some kind of issue where it wouldnt unlock and stay unlocked - you unlock, pull handle, then it re-locks itself. FINALLY got rid of this car last week!

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  NOT a good minivan option - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Jesse R - July 1 - 10:16 pm

  First warning if you are researching here: The only reason the average rating for this van is 8.0 is because the vast majority of the ratings are from 02 and 03. That said, I bought my Sedona about 1 year ago, with 50k miles. I am trading it in for an 07 Town & Country. Why? 1. Alternator died 2. bearings and axle on passenger side died 3. Tension pulley for serpentine belt fell off 4. Tranny is beginning to shift wierd (see other ecent reviews about the tranny issues with Sedonas) 5. Several squeaks and rattles that drive me nuts. 6. sticky difficult sliding doors Overall, I cannot own it any longer as I do not trust that it will serve any better than it has in the first year.

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  Disappointed - 2007 Kia Rio
  By liv2fsh - June 14 - 5:16 pm

  Have had this car for 1 year and what a mistake. Should have stayed w/Hyundai Accent but they didnt offer a 4dr hatch. Have had a constant speed sensor problem on the auto trans. The car is slow, handles poorly in the snow and less than good gas mileage. Avg 28 combined city/hywy. Should get better mileage w/such a small engine.