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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  Avoid the Optima - 2007 Kia Optima
  By RichardErikson - September 6 - 2:06 am

  My transmission has been replaced twice. Bad head gasket. I bought it new and it was great for the first two years and then this year it has been problem after problem.

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  Worst New Car ever owned! - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By Stacey - September 5 - 7:40 am

  Do not buy a Kia, I have had problems since I drove car off show room floor. Check engine light on day 3. 3 different Kia dueler ships before fixing camshaft. Came off production line damaged. Day 3 air conditioner freezes when on longer than 4 hours. Still having problem. Before first oil change. Gas flap will not open at gas stations. So cant always fill with gas. It opens when it wants to. Horrible customer support from Kia. Kia service dept isnt sure how to fix things cause car is to new.

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  Do Not Buy a Kia - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By Piece of Junk - August 15 - 9:33 pm

  This van has been a complete piece of junk from day one. Gas mileage is horrible. Transmission went at 15,000 miles. Front Brakes need to be replaced every 12,000 to 15,000 miles. A/C system has been completely replaced and still does not cool well and is extremely noisy. The following also have been replaced: Alternator, Front Hub Bearings (twice), front struts, front stabilizer links, rear heater lines, accelerator cable and battery. Do not buy this van unless you like visiting the service department very often. Worst automobile purchase I have ever made. A PIECE OF JUNK!!!

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  You couldnt pay me to buy another Kia! - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By mm2kanda - April 24 - 5:53 am

  We purchased our Kia new Feb. 2006 when it had about 18 miles on it. In less then 6 months the check engine light came on. Not a big fan of dealerships but assuming things are under warranty we take it to the dealership in the town we live in. We are told its not covered anymore by about 800 miles ago (CO2 sensor). We fixed it ourselves. Light still randomly comes on and goes off. We blow headlamps what had been about 3-6 months apart but now as soon as 10 days. My dash light has been randomly going off for about a year and now my dome light randomly goes on. Our dome light stopped working correctly 2 years ago. Very uncomfortable on long trips especially for tall men. Just a gag car!

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  kia sedona - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By 4gs - March 4 - 10:03 pm

  We have had a terrible experience with our Kia Sedona. It gets terrible gas mileage. We had some work that needed to be done that was covered under warranty, and they did not fix it. It is a very heavy van and does not ride very smooth. Would not recomend it to anyone.

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  Engine stall while driving - 2015 Kia Sedona
  By Ching - February 27 - 4:27 pm

  At only 800 miles since bought new, the car engine stopped and the steering wheel locked by itself while driving with my 2 year old son and 9 month pregnant wife. The car had to be towed to the dealership and I was told it needs a new computer. Now I am waiting for their final response to see if it gets repaired. Dont know how much I will trust its safety in the future travelling with my family. Very Disappointed!

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  Warning! Under investigation for faulty engine - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By Kris - February 23 - 9:12 pm

  Car had 88 k miles. Defective part under investigation with national highway traffic safety. Auto lube to timing chain faulty causing chain to break and completely destroy engine. Engine replacement not available due to investigation. Kia corp wants u to bring to their shop to "investigate" at your cost. Do not go. They will cover up defect. Instead file complaint with dept above. 20 have filed complaints so far all at 90k or below miles. 100k warranty not valid because Kia trys to Blaim on owner for lack of oil changes even though u submit proof. Also warranty not valid for 2nd owner over 60k miles. Car also has several dangerous recalls. Beautiful car but made out of tin and duct tape it seems. I will never buy a Kia again.

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  DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By CarissaP - January 6 - 10:00 am

  I hate this vehicle. They do not hold their value at all. If you dont believe me then get on the phone right now and call around to a few dealerships. They are uncomfortable to ride in. When the commercial says rugged, they mean the ride not the vehicle performance. We have only had it a year and are trying our best to get rid of it. One dealership actually told me that they would not deal with me because they flat out did not want a Kia on their lot. I dont honestly blame them!

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  Money sucking - 2002 Kia Rio
  By JoBlow - September 16 - 7:56 am

  My God, where to begin my rant. I bought this car for 4 gs and a year later the engine went and then the trans went, needless to say I put just as much into it as I paid for it. TERRIBLE TERRIBLE car I will never buy a Kia or anything that has anything to do with a Kia ever again. And now to top it off the mass air intake needs replacing, please heed my call and stay away!

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  steer clear from Kia, Silver Spring Kia and the King automotive group - 2011 Kia Forte
  By planedoc42 - August 15 - 5:29 pm

  In April 2011 I bought Kia Forte. since i drove off the dealers lot the car seemed sluggish like theres a brake or gear is stuck on. Within two weeks after i bought the car i asked the Kia service station to look at the car and thats when a employee at Kia service stated that the catalytic converter could be clogged or not functioning properly. (I think Kia hide him because I never saw him again). Since than my check engine light which i actually thought wouldnt even come on if came on as I was on the beltway coming from my office at Andrews going 60 mph it did come on and the engine automatically slowed down which concerned me because this could have caused an accident during rush hour. A day after the check engine light came on i brought it into the Kia service station and Kia said we reset the light and we do know it was a misfire code but we dont know why or if it will happen again. For a new car this scares me. 6 days later i started my car and began to drive and AGAIN i noticed the check engine light stayed on but went off in 47 seconds Again for a new car this scares me and represents a safety issue and for Kia to disregard safety complaints from customers is disgraceful. The dealer Silver Spring Kia was great UNTIL i bought the car I actually brought the car back 3 days later and told the sales Mgr Laura Jerlet the i had a problem with the car and what i can do now to get trade it or get a refund (again this was after 3 three days) she said "once you buy a Kia your screwed" the dealership GM Betty ann Mendelsohn Aschenbach a the part of the KING AUTO group should be steered away from at all costs, the customer service after you buy the car is awful. So far I spent at least $1000.00 on this car due to something wrong with the engine operation that can be causing the bad fuel economy and the check engine light to come on and slow down in beltway traffic. (it happened 3 times since i bought the car 9 Mounts) Under the Md State Lemon Law I Asked Kia to Re-purchase or at least help me get into a car that doesnt have issues. The BBB arbitrator actually stated at the arbitration hearing before the hearing started "Kia doesnt want to do anything to assist you anyway." I did explain the issues to the Arbertrater (Harold Cohen) and the person from Kia Ted Renfrow explain his side (he lied and covered up issues about the vacuum system and the safety issues i explained To be safe Customers that are looking to buy a new or used car must stay away from Silver Spring Kia. and Kia all together. Kia is a very poorly made very cheaply built car and at highway speeds the car is very unsafe and the Kia corporation that covers up safety issues and lies to customers are best just kept away from.