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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  Mixed bag - 2002 Kia Rio
  By treacherousdad - May 8 - 10:00 am

  I love my little Kia... except that this year has many problems. You either get one that will last forever, or you get an utter lemon. My luck has given me the latter. These things have a nasty habit of bad grounds, blowing head gaskets, and having sensors go out... all at a premium cost if you can even find the parts. If the car were more reliable, I would recommend it to anyone. What I love is the handling. The car is fun to toss around in S-turns and roundabouts. I like the interior and it is comfortable. RPM spin a little high on the freeway, but then the motor is tiny, so what do you expect.

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  Update of 9-24-2010 Review - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By sarge - May 8 - 10:00 am

  Like any 1st year new model, things go wrong. Took in to dealer to check on "soft brake pedal". If I pumped it (which should not be done to ABS system) it would be firmer. Well, it turns out needs new master cylinder! Never heard of one going bad on a new car! Dealer has to order. The sun roof chatters going back. Had grease put on at last service. Still does it. May need new rails! Headlight beams set too low. Needs adjustment. Steering wheel seems not level. Car drifts to the right with hands off wheel. Hope 4 wheel adjustment fixes it. Kia customer service has been great! Wheel adjustment normally is not under warranty. But I wont be charged. See my 9-24-2010 comments about our rating.

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  Decent value for a second vehicle. - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Dan O - May 7 - 10:03 pm

  Looked around for an inexpensive second vehicle for the wife. Considered sedans(e.g cobalt, g5, focus & corolla), but eventually I stumble upon a fully loaded kia sportage. It was exactly what she needed to get around town, it had 4x4, lots of room and 4 doors. Sure it was a little underpowered, but around the city she really didnt really need to be a speed demon. The 4x4 works great in snowy conditions, the storage capacity in the back is functional (Fit a dresser in the kia, even with the back seats not able to lye flush with the back). The aluminum rims can be a pain, especially with air pressure loss. This vehicle is fun, practical, and for us has been a valued purchase.

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  Here we go again - 2011 Kia Optima
  By rockinrn - May 7 - 2:42 am

  I am rewriting the review of my 2011 Optima EX because my original review and many other drivers reviews have disappeared. I have owned the car for 5 months now and I can say that it is a very good value. The interior and exterior styling are very modern and eye-catching. The quality of the materials is above average and the car has many standard features such as Bluetooth, leather-trimmed interior and a 6-speed automatic transmission. However there is bad with the good. The seats are hard and acceleration is unimpressive. AND boy is this car noisy on the freeway. Tire roar/wind noise is so LOUD that it is impossible to carry on a conversation with out practically yelling.

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  Great Value - 2008 Kia Sedona
  By Bigboy - April 27 - 7:56 pm

  Had owned 3 other minivans, wife wanted another despite kids being much older. Shopped around a fair bit have always owned NA, decided to look at alternatives. Most features for the least amount of money. Great ride, lots of room. Gas mileage is not much different than was claimed 17.9 mpg combined over the last 8 months.

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  Trouble free after 43,500 miles - 2016 Kia K900
  By Gene - April 17 - 5:55 am

  Car has been trouble free, other than having the tires changed to continentals, every thing works fine. Would have given a better rating except for a couple of things. No apple car play, no rear entertainment. No hud. The problem was I purchased a 2015 CPO car so got great price. Live in Arizona so wanted a light or white interior, couldnt get it with the VIP package in white interior at that time. Fuel economy could be better , but Im getting combined better than the highway mileage listed for car. Would have been better with the VIP package After 54,000 miles, traded for a 2018 Genesis G90. Ive owned 6 KIAs, sorry to leave. Kia doesnt have the new K900 out that includes everything I want hope they follow Hyundais lead with new luxury brand. (just dont think they will) Car was great, no problems at all excellent car

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  Short on MPG promised - 2012 Kia Rio
  By lholt - April 16 - 1:22 pm

  Had the Rio hatchback for one year. Never came close to the 40 MPG. I drive 60 miles a day and average about 34. This driving at about 65 mph. The car ride was noisy until I bought some good tires. The car is peppy and keeps up with traffic. I now have 16000 miles on the car and havent had any problems.

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  excellent - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By Ellen Keser - April 14 - 2:00 am

  It drives quiet and the driver feels safe behind the wheel

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  Happy with my Rio - 2011 Kia Rio
  By mdv076 - April 10 - 9:15 am

  Its small. runs smooth and it has all the features I need. My Kia Rio LX is all I wanted and more.

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  Excellent vehicle! - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By bek - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Everything is perfect, except that I hate the massive "Kia" logo on the front. Why did they have to make it so big? Also, the fuel economy is crappy, but about par for many SUVs.