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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  My third Kia - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Garry - October 19 - 11:23 am

  We owned two Sedonas and were pleased with the safety styling and value when the Amanti was introduced. We purchased one with the optional electronic stability control. The performance has improved as it was driven. When new it didnt accelerate very well. It is now "hard to hold down!" We have owned a couple of Lincolns and this auto compares very favorably.

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  KIA-OK - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By Marsha L Edwards - October 19 - 9:10 am

  It rides smoothly and is easy to navigate in and out of traffic. My grown kids really like to drive it. I have had a lot of compliments even a couple who mistook it for a Lexus or Cadillac.

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  Nice Van! - 2007 Kia Sedona
  By Richard and Margie - October 18 - 4:20 pm

  We are a retired couple and were planning to purchase a van as a utilitarian vehicle to haul stuff from home improvement stores, pull a trailer, and take our grandkids to various events. We also owned a 1998 Toyota Avalon that we planned to keep for longer trips and as our "going out" car. We spent nearly six months comparing vans on this website and on safecarguide, and then driving them. Safety and value were very important to us. We decided to purchase a new Kia Sedona. Not only did it cost less than some late model used vans at Carmax, but the warranty and roadside assistance gave us assurance that the manufacturer was standing behind the sale.

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  no spare tire!!! - 2017 Kia Sportage
  By freddy - October 18 - 3:37 pm

  It doesnt come with spare tire!!!!!!!!I found out a week after I bought it. when I went to lift the cover in the back they it came with a kit fill up the air and call the 1800 number for road assistance, but the problem I have to find a use tire. I never asked because to me thats common sense that a tire should be there it has the holder but no tire.

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  Wife loves car - 2009 Kia Rio
  By Randy Mizer - October 18 - 11:20 am

  My wife loves her Rio 5. Already had to have a new transmission put in car with 750 miles on it. Wish it had more power under the hood. Around town it is a nice little car to drive but we live in the Ga. mountains and more power under the hood would keep it from down shifting all the time. We get 30 MPG on average , not bad for where we live. If the new transmission lasts we will be happy with the car.Would have rated car better on quality and reliability if not for bad transmission.

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  High Value for Money - 2010 Kia Forte
  By ausman - October 17 - 11:56 am

  Well designed, in and out. Fit and finish impressive. Feels stable and powerful. Classy, understated interior. Very well appointed for price. Instrumentation and dash clearly lighted. Strong acceleration, though A/T is a little balky and indecisive (note Oct. 09 TSB that promises a fix). Cruises quietly and effortlessly. More than adequate leg and head room front and rear even with sunroof. Seats comfortable enough, but could use more lateral support and cushioning. Above average suspension, but a little jumpy over uneven surfaces. Sound system excellent, but speed sensitive audio feature is ineffective. Bluetooth needs better firmware. Large capacity trunk. Very good fuel economy.

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  Great car so far - 2016 Kia Optima
  By Roger - October 17 - 11:05 am

  KIA made an error when they made the 1.6L turbo engine... They paired it to a 7 speed duel clutch transmission that made it faster than their 2.0L turbo.... Makes zero sense but it sure is fun!

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  Greate Commute Car - 2001 Kia Rio
  By Ed 123 - October 17 - 10:00 am

  This is great for going to work! Excellent price relative to the engine performance you get. Looks not offensive, cute little car that let you zip around town. Except it should come with a bigger tire.

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  Steering Issues - 2002 Kia Optima
  By nt1579 - October 17 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Optima for juts over 6 months now. In those few months, I have loved my car. It drives great, and I have no complaints for the price. The only problem I have is that I have had it in the shop twice in 6 mos. for a bad steering component on the right front wheel. The dealership keeps insisting that its not a flaw in the vehicle, but the body shop seems to think otherwise. Customer Service doesnt seem to be high on their priority list.

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  One year old and nothing but problems - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By angry KIA owner - October 17 - 10:00 am

  We owned the Sportage six months when the bottom section of the cupholder fell off, spilling hot coffee on me while driving. A month later, the cover for the sun visor mirror fell off. Last winter the back passenger window stopped working, and about the same time, during freezing rain with my kids in the vehicle, the wipers stopped working. Now, after 35000 kms (30000 of those highway kms) it needs new front brakes and the rotors are trashed. Never had a vehicle needing brakes this soon before! Its highly unfortunate we leased this vehicle as we are now stuck for another three years costing us nothing but problems and money.