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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  Recent Kia purchase - 2009 Kia Sportage
  By WSB - March 31 - 2:43 pm

  after inflated ford escape and toyota dealer sticker prices I purchased my first Kia , This SUV seems well constructed and tight, It handles well and is fund to drive and even with all the added options its cost is almost half that of the others. After 30 years of American car dealer deception the purchase was a nice change.

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  good little car - 2003 Kia Rio
  By altimax9091 - March 31 - 2:38 am

  i replaced the timing belt and water pump at 60k ...a lot of people dont know ...right now has 92k ..its been reliable ..really good in gas since its standar ..power windows terrible ..don`t work ..but i don`t care as long the a/c, heater works ..very cheap to fix , parts etc ..and looks easy , my friend has a rio that has 140k and still running strong

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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.

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  Not bad - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Piper Cub Pilot - March 22 - 7:30 am

  My first imported car. Very well thought out packaging and overall design. Efficient with great safety features. At 27,000 miles the car feels and looks the same as it did when new. Reliability has been excellent and performance is on par with competition. Cheap to maintain and insure. At a $14,500 out-the-door price in 2008, it is a bargain.

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  Surprises everyone who rides in it! - 2007 Kia Rondo
  By midwstguy - March 20 - 5:03 pm

  I had originally intended to purchase the Kia’s parent company’s Santa Fe because my mother has one and I am extremely impressed with the vehicle – so is my mother. I decided to purchase the Rondo instead because of the somewhat smaller outside dimensions. The funny thing is that the Rondo with the smaller outside actually is larger inside than the Santa Fe. Four things stand out with this car. First of all the comfort, I am 6’2” and even with the sun roof have more than enough room and the seats are extremely comfortable. Second is the ride, in a word fantastic! Third would be quiet cabin and forth would be the fuel mileage. I have consistently got over 27 mpg on hwy running at

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  Not a bad choice - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By kialover15 - March 19 - 4:53 pm

  This is such a life saver, my grandmother is handicapped, and they had to get a vehicle that could have a wheelchair lift put in it. But most of the vans were to expensive, this one was only around $17,000. It is very comfortable, great ride, quiet, and just a nice minivan. The reason I gave the gas mileage such a low rating is because in ours, we have all the extra weight in the back from the wheelchair and the lift. It is extremely heavy.

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  2006 Kia Sorento EX Lux Edition - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Steven - March 18 - 9:16 pm

  Quit, fast and reliable.

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  Hard to believe - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Don - March 18 - 8:43 am

  I wasnt sure about buying a Kia but so far, really happy. Easy for older person to get in and out, the mileage is on real, getting on a average city and highway 38 mostly city I have been a gm person all my life but they wouldnt bring prices down to match Kia and Kia gives you more options inside and out.