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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  BUYER BEWARE!!! - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By kreeate - February 3 - 11:14 pm

  Despite spotty reviews, we bought our van in 2005 because of the safety ratings. I now feel sick that we wasted so much money on this vehicle! I drive very little so the mileage is still low and we kept up on maintenance. Despite that the power steering has had ongoing issues, no air conditioning, the power accessories dont work, the electrical system has issues, the drivers side window leaks, one exterior door handle doesnt work,the cheap foil covering the inside handles flake off and cut our fingers, and the transmission is now going out. Once we were driving and parts from the inside wheel started falling out and bouncing down the road. We have wasted thousands in repairs. Do not buy!

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  Think long and hard before buying!! - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By Kianot4me - February 1 - 10:00 am

  We have had our Sportage for two years now and it has been the longest two years ever in owning a vehicle. Weve been trying to wait long enough to be able to recoup some of our money!(And probably wont) We have been very disappointed in the overall ride and performance of our Sportage. Every little bump, nook or cranny in the road is both felt and heard something fierce. And the gas mileage is absolutely horrible for such a compact vehicle with such a rough ride! Opening the tail gate is such a pain--you just dont want to even use it! Resale Value is terrible--should have everyone questioning whether they want to invest in the Sportage--Its Not Wise!

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  Bad experience - 2012 Kia Optima
  By Luis - January 28 - 6:31 pm

  Compre un kia optima 2012 con 18000 millas, el peor carro que he comprado, se me prendía el check engine y el turbo dejaba de jalar. lo lleve al dealer y me dijeron que era la bomba de gasolina. 910 dlls. A los 3 días comenzó a fallar otra vez de lo mismo. Lo tenía que prender apagar y volver a prender para que probablemente trabaje el turbo. Todavía debía 4 años de 340 dlls por mes. Finalmente un día no me prendió el check engine y aproveche para ir a la ford para cambiarlo por una Ford edge. No vuelvo a cometer el error de comprar un kia.

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  Do NOT buy a KIA ! - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By williamsabode - January 11 - 2:27 pm

  I would like to know who writes these reviews. As I said, Do Not buy a Kia. You will probably need every little bit of the so called associated warranty as there is not much on these sedonas that you wont have problems with. Hey Im not banging on the Sedona just to be contrary but you will have nothing but problems with these things. There is not enough space here to list them all but just so you know what we dealt with from the get go has been; rotors, doors (Front, Back & sliding), engine, alternator, heater control, brakes, electrical, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc....... you name it. Please talk to someone who has owned one (at least a yr) long enough to know something. Wish I had !

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  Poor vehicle/Poor Customer Service - 2010 Kia Sedona
  By seemang - December 31 - 10:00 am

  KIA is dishonest. Standard options dont come standard. 15 mpg instead of 21 mpg. The engine light came on at only 500 miles. It handles poorly. Acceleration is weak. It has the feeling of a 4 cylinder. It doesnt have all the options that its competitors have. The options they do have dont have the functionality of its competitors. For example, it has radio controls on the steering wheel, yet you cant change the station or go to the next song on the wheel. You still have to go to the radio. ***Spend a little bit more upfront for a more reliable minivan. Itll be cheaper in the long run.

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  Never again - 2002 Kia Spectra
  By anti-kia - December 26 - 11:13 pm

  The Kia was the right price at the time for a college student. However, in driving the vehicle it was not worth it. The trade in value was only 3000 after a year and a half of driving. I was upside down by 6000. The interior was cheap and all the buttons were chipping paint. The exterior paint could be scratched with a finger nail and then rust immediately. The drivers seat broke and some metal rod was sticking out into the middle of your back. The check engine light kept coming on and the dealer could not find anything wrong. It turned out to be the exhaust system causing the problem. The cover for the speaker broke, as did the weather stripping across the hachback trunk.

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  Will never own another Kia - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By Christina - December 25 - 3:29 pm

  Kia does not stand behind its product. My mothers 2013 Sorento had engine failure at 80,000 miles. The car was regularly serviced and she only drove it to work and back. Kia says that even though they have a 100,000 mile warrenty they can not honer that because she bought the car used 3 years ago. Kia has tons of lawsuits against them right now for this reason. Please research before buying.

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  Pretty Terrible - 2003 Kia Rio
  By ultrarunner100 - December 6 - 10:19 pm

  Car had less than 90k miles when the engine failed. No power, looks terrible. Im 64" and I barely fit in the car.

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  Worst car ever - 2009 Kia Sorento
  By Chris - December 3 - 5:59 pm

  This is the worst car i have owned. Bought it two years ago with 56,000 miles on it. In two years have had to replace ac clutch and compressor. Both valve cover pan gaskets. Then the rear differential went out. After having that fixed today the alternater went out. If I didnt owe more than its worth would trade it in tomarrow.

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  Should have bought a bicycle - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Riky - November 26 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about 2 1/2 years. During the first month, the breaks started to squeel, the trim on the doors started to fall off, during snowy or even damp conditions the wheels would lock-up making the car slide rather than stop(maybe the tires?) the engine has been making a ticking sound for the past little while, etc. I sold my crx and took on the 4 year lease when I was in college (Im an idiot!) Íve been trying to find out how much it will cost to get out of the lease, but they have been dicking me around for a few weeks.