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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  Transmission - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Beverly - June 7 - 12:23 am

  The car drove good, but at 20,000 miles the Transmission went out. Kia repaired it at no cost. I do not feel that I have a new car any longer. I have asked Kia to give me a new vehicle but they only offer to pay 1 month payment.

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  Not too sure yet - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Alexis - June 6 - 11:16 pm

  Overall I have had no problems with my Optima and have gotten many compliments on it. Im still not sure its the car for me, but it has performed well. The gas mileage in town isnt very exciting but the car rides so smooth and handles very well. Cant beat the fact it came with some free oil changes and a great warranty either. Overall Im pleased with the look of the car, inside and out, and the performance of the car. There are several little things that really annoy me however. 10 in reliability because that remains to be seen.

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  Sop far so good - 2002 Kia Rio
  By OldBear3468 - June 2 - 2:00 am

  Twotanks of gas and one freeway trip equals suprising improvement in my 2003 Rio, which , though they have been out two months Edmunds fails to note. P is up to 104 and power windows are available. At 6 and 250 Im comfortable in the cabin at all speeds.

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  Need to have eyes like bats. - 2016 Kia Sportage
  By tusabellin - June 2 - 12:07 am

  My one very BIG complaint is that the headlights are just terrible. Night driving is actually dangerous. These headlights should all be recalled and replaced. The mileage is also very poor. No reason why this car should be getting less milage then the one I traded in which was a 2010 Tuscan.

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  Value, Features, and Style - Oh My! - 2011 Kia Optima
  By ggunderson2 - May 31 - 1:49 am

  Unlike others I have been getting good mileage - 22 in town, 33 interstate. Engine is adequate and I always have the power I need. Engine noise is loud outside of car, but unlike others I have had no problems with noise levels inside the car. I purchased for $23K with leather, heated and cooled seats, dual sunroof, and 60K warranty. No Japanese, American, or German car comes close to matching the overall value - If you are looking for a family sedan price and compare. Only weaknesses is it rides low so front frame scrapes when backing out of driveway, etc. View outside constrained by thick C-pillars. But rides very nice and has more truck and interior space than large cars.

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  Love it all but.... - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Soooooouuuuulllllll - May 30 - 2:10 pm

  I just recently bought this vehicle to replace a dying 15 year old Pontiac. Like everyone else, I have complaints about the scuffing on the interior and how easy that is. Otherwise I think its pretty neat so far. However, I live in Michigan and we get a lot of snow. The Soul does not do well climbing out of two inches of snow, which is disappointing considering the size and the lift of the vehicle. Have a set of chains or a shovel ready. :

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  high valued minivan - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By george - May 29 - 10:30 am

  I have the new Sedona Kia for 5 weeks and 1800 kms. and find it a nice van to drive around. No problems at all with quality. Gas mileage not great in city but reasonable on highway. Compared to my previous 2001 Xterra, the mileage on this Kia is a lot better. The Xtera is a lot noisier and too high to climb in and out. Love the features inside and more than enough room for my family of 5 including a baby and a toddler.

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  Great Value - 2005 Kia Rio
  By jlangman - May 28 - 7:06 pm

  White 2005 Kia Rio, Automatic, A/C, and sports package. Pros: Low price!, very comfortable, quiet, roomy, handles well, looks nice (even better with tinted windows), lots of trunk space, simple controls, uncluttered engine compartment, sensation of great value. Cons: Poor acceleration (dont pull out in front of any trucks!), only about 311 miles on tank of gas around city (not sure if it can make from LA to Vegas on one tank). No other complaints that I can think of.

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  Simple Quality with a little style - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Gregg - May 24 - 5:26 pm

  I was shocked that I bought a Kia, but a friend said to test drive one and I was done shopping. Fit and Finish equal or better than Toyota. Price thousands less for more car. I own a restaurant and needed more space to haul catering orders than my MINI could fit.

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  I love it! 2011 Kia Sportage Base - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By Itzel - May 23 - 8:54 pm

  I have had it for 2 months. I love it and my three-year-old son loves it as well. I like the color because I have never seen it on a car. I have gotten many compliments on it. I have plenty of space for me as I am 52. Its equipped with a backup camera and Bluetooth connection. The only thing we have done is an oil change and new tires l. I dont like plastic edges on the outside of the car.