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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  So far replaced 75% of the van - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By hyundai5 - June 14 - 5:26 am

  It all started not 7 months after I purchased it with the battery, then plugs @ 15,000 miles they blamed the condition of the plugs on champion? Each 3 months it was something else, this year the entire transmission. And the 5th set of rotors 3rd set of belts 2nd ac sys. Control panel have so many claims on this van, its almost getting to be routine, like changing your oil, I like the engine but if that so much as misfires Im done with it! It has always had a problem firing upon starting, gonna have the plugs looked at again wrote them a letter, they sent me a 500.00 check, all I wanted was an extended warranty I feel I deserve that after 26 unscheduled repairs in 4 yrs!

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  Kia Renee - 2001 Kia Optima
  By renee - June 8 - 1:30 pm

  Very reliable vehicle with a smooth ride and excellent reliability.

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  Good and Bad - 2003 Kia Spectra
  By susiebelle - June 5 - 11:00 pm

  Car is cute, gets great gas mileage. I bought my car new. Had to change the tires by 30K Replaced brake pads and rotors twice. Replace battery. Driver side locks broken & sometimes wont unlock and I have to crawl through the passenger side. Driver side window roller broke, Alternator going out. Problem with steering system. Hatchback cover broke within a week. Rear window brake light is falling apart from sun damage (I live in Indiana & typically dont have this problem). Brake lights are a pain to change..have to remove whole back panel of car. Very lightweight car and blows around on windy day

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  Sad times for KIA service - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By BAD SERVICE - June 5 - 10:10 am

  The KIA van runs great, however it has been in the shop for 2 months due to an airbag light that was on. The dash and components were completely disassembled and a new wiring harness was installed. I picked up the car and the problems was still not fixed; the technician didnt even bother to test drive the van. I was really disappointed at the poor quality of work from the service dept. at Folsom Lake Kia. Now the shift mechanism and the interior lights wont work correctly. Kia corporate has been monitoring our situation, these guys seem to care very much how Im treated and have offered to help. Ill report back later when we find out how we will be compensated for our loss of use.

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  146 miles and already in the shop - 2010 Kia Soul
  By 2010kiagirl - May 24 - 1:06 pm

  I bought the Soul on June 23 after researching many car options. I choose the Soul based on the warranty and owner reviews. When I bought the car it had 20 miles on it. I drove it for 3 days and then the check engine light came on. It has been in the shop over 24 hours and they have no idea what is wrong other than the p0301 cyl. 1 misfire code. When I called the dealer who sold me the car about the fact that I had the car for 3 days and it was in the shop their response was "These are new cars so we dont work on them much so when they break down it takes us longer to fix." Really? After 3 days your cars breakdown?

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  solid family vehicle with lots of plastic - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By bayoubilly74 - May 7 - 12:11 pm

  Tired of having small sedans so looked for something economical but roomy. Found the Rondo, EX trim. Overall a good family car. Plenty of headroom and the kids have quit a bit of space in the 2nd row. Visibility is near-perfect in this car. Easy to see. Have the 3rd row which is a bit of a joke unless the person back there is about 8 years or younger. 3rd row easily flips down flat for a good sized load space. 2nd row folds flat too but it takes more effort. Great hauler for either people or stuff--just NOT AT THE SAME TIME. Tech is pretty sweet for an 09 vehicle. Touch screen display, navigation (solid), 8 speakers, heated seats, Ipod jack and interface.

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  Not Great - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By cleo - May 6 - 10:23 am

  My family has been driving the Sedona LX for 2 years now. With less than 30000 miles, it has been in the for power steering line problems 5 times. Finally the line was replaced. One dealership added power steering fluid 3 times (why on a brand new car with less than 6000 miles??) Problems with the rotors. Both passenger doors freeze when the temperature drops. This happens consistently, not just when the car is wet. Very aggravating trying to get 3 kids in the van in winter with doors frozen shut crawling over the front seats. Gas mileage is terrible 13-15 in the city. Due to the size of our family (3 car seats), got a minivan (reluctantly). We should have went back to an SUV

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  bad quality - 2002 Kia Sedona
  By richcor - May 2 - 10:00 am

  After 7,000 miles the van started to experience problems, Alternator problems,broken plastics, transmission oil leak,air conditioning(3 times), Speed meter fluctations, driver window fault and now the van is shuting down the engine while runing.In puerto Rico the warranty is 36,000 miles and now Im stock with a van that is a safety concern

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  Wont Buy Again - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By chevylover - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Have 2002 Kia Sportage convertible. Recently bumped a large rubber trash can at 5 mph, and passenger mirror broke off. Check engine light comes on intermitently. Air bag light blinking random pattern for months. Wont go to dealership because service is terrible. Quality is poor, but then again thats why the price is low. Read here about recalls, havent received any notifications at all. Been a chevy buyer all my life, will not go back to Kia. Sneeze and a dent appears in the outside panels, paint chipping in doors, molding in windows not secure. Tailpipe broke off w/ only 27K miles. Seems low to me to have exhaust issues. It was an experience that I wont repeat.

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  Totaled after one accident - 2009 Kia Spectra
  By chintanshah - April 12 - 4:05 pm

  This car was pretty great for when I had it. I bought it used last year. There were no major issues and it was an overall awesome car. Unfortunately, I got into an accident a couple of months ago where someone hit my front right wheel/door side head on. I was going about 40-50 and he had just pulled out, so Id say about 15 or so. The damage didnt look too terrible except that the wheel and door were bent inward, the center dashboard popped out, and the passenger airbag broke the windshield (no glass was actually shattered). It turned out that the frame ended up being twisted inside along with the other problems I mentioned which totaled it out. My passenger and I were safe at least!