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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  Korean Cadillac? - 2014 Kia Cadenza
  By richie_car_nut - February 24 - 2:27 pm

  Im leasing a fully loaded Smokey Blue Cadenza with the Premium, Technology and the white Napa leather packages. I have gotten lots of compliments. The car is very good looking. Ive had the car for 2 months, 2,300 miles now and am quite impressed with it. The fit and finish, the quiet and smoothness of the engine and the ride is comparable to the luxury nameplates that cost several thousand dollars more. The technology features are great and for $42K sticker it has every bell and whistle you can think of. If you are tired of paying big bucks for a prestigious hood ornament and want understated elegance and value, do yourself a favor and give this car a look!!

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  Bentley Continental Flying Spur? - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Turbo - February 24 - 9:40 am

  I purchased this vehicle in 2006. It looked like a Bentley or did it look like a Jag or did it look like an E-300 Mercedes or... well, you get the picture! This car is an eye catcher for sure. It kinda has to grow on you! It definitely has the European styling. It is priced way below the aforementioned vehicles. For the price and the warranty, you cant go wrong. I drove the Lincoln Town car, Cadillac DTS, and Mercury Crown Victoria before my purchase. Why spend the extra money! This car rates among these that I mentioned. JD Power and Associates rated it top in customer satisfaction and I have to agree. It is delightful to drive and I havent had any problems with it to date.

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  I am in love with my 2017 Kia Forte S - 2017 Kia Forte
  By Jenna - February 23 - 4:23 am

  This car is amazing, I have only had for 1 day but I love everything about it. The only thing that I was it had is a spare tire instead of a tire inflation kit. Also I wish it had another USB port, but those are nit picky things. Amazing car!

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  Wish I had read the reviews - 2008 Kia Sorento
  By lsunburst - February 22 - 9:05 pm

  I bought a used Sorento with low miles a little less than a year ago. The car has been in the shop for a faulty transmission sensor 3 times without much of an explanation from the service department (the positive is all repairs have been covered under warranty). I wish I had read the reviews before purchasing, as the HARD shift and the passenger air bag comments would have alerted me I might not be happy with the choice. I have lost my faith in this car due to the transmission issues, and am looking at trading it in.

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  I love my KIA! - 2007 Kia Optima
  By Marcy - February 22 - 7:06 pm

  I had an attitude about getting my Kia at first. I had a Hyundai and didnt want another car like that. I had to get it because of my job, I am in sales and drive a lot and needed something reliable. NOW! All I ever want is a KIA. They are stylish and sleek. IT drives like a caddy and I love the car, has never left me stranded and I am not so good about changing the oil and they are made to be able to go 10,000 max if you forget to change the oil like me.

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  Kia is a deathtrap. - 2001 Kia Optima
  By Rebecca McCoy - February 22 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my optima for 1 1/2 years and ultimately hate it. I am trying to get kia to take it back as a lemon, but of course they dont want to. there have been 5 recalls to date on this model, and one of those recalls almost caused the loss of life to myself and my 5 year old son on the freeway, as the vehicle failed to operated(ie:the crankshaft positioning sensor recall). i am currently experiencing the second failure of this particular recall. I would have been better off to spend the extra money to buy a honda or toyota. Even though this car has the warrenty, you will use it often. If you love your family, buy a different car.

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  2004 kia - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By haughtt1 - February 22 - 10:00 am

  WE used this site to look for a new mini van..even though you recommended others, we found the kia to be extremely comptetive in its class.Excellent value with quality inside and out. Also the best warrenty..We could not justify spending 3-5,000$ more just to have a Honda or Toyota sitting in the garage,or getting a stripped down version of a caravan instead of a loaded sedona..Thanks

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  Better then those expensive cars - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By k1a4m3 - February 22 - 2:53 am

  I was very very skeptical about getting this car at first. I mean, come on. a KIA! But in the end I fell in love with it. The car is very good looking, but is obviously a carbon copy of the Civic, just park your next to one you WILL see it. Very well built, doors feel sturdy, everything feels well built and tight. There is no rattling at all even when going over hard bumps and potholes. The car feels very powerful, though not so much in 1st gear. I drive with a lot of friends in the car to classes and it still feel very strong with 4 grown men in the car. It is very very very quiet on the highway even when hitting speeds of 80 mph, where most cars get the windy noise.

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  Warranty is a scam - 2005 Kia Sedona
  By chdsgrl - February 21 - 5:23 pm

  The problem I have with KIA in general is the warranty. They sell you the car with this great warranty and then pretty much refuse to honor it if they can. "Lack of maintenance" is a global loop-hole they use to not do warranty work. I have 49,000 mi on my car and theyre saying I need a new engine due to the above and wont warranty it. I do not "need" a new engine, and I have done the recommended services per the warranty policy. But, again, they wont honor it. Nobody at the dealership cares, or at KIA corporate. My husband has a honda with twice as many miles, and has had no problems. Steer clear of KIA and stick with a reliable manufacturer.

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  Loving My Kia - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Becca - February 21 - 8:33 am

  We traded a F150 pickup for this Sorento for me to take care of "Mom" duty. I have come to love it. I use to have anxiety about driving, not now! I can fit so much stuff inside that suv. I put a basketball goal in back. We fit two households of shopping plus two adults and three kids. I have found that there is nothing standing in my way. It is sporty, fun, and NOT TOO big for me to park! Driving an automobile that was too large for me had really robbed me of the freedom of driving. I would come home with tension headaches. Now I love to drive and feel that makes driving safer. Thanks Kia, I feel like my Sorento was custom made for me and my life! And It isnt a minivan. GREAT!