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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  Wish I had Not Purchased - 2002 Kia Rio
  By hatetherio - February 13 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Kia Rio for about 16 months now. The whistling noise is more than annoying, I have already had to replace the brakes and tires, although the gas milage is great there is nothing else good I could say about the car, I am trading it in this week for something much much more reliable.

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  Excellent! No problems! 60,000 miles! - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Krp321 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  2000 Sportage 2-dr. Convertible 4x4. Almost 3 years old, almost 60,000 miles, and i have not had a single problem with anything important. Driven hard on-road, off-road, and in-between, the only thing wrong at all was the drivers side power window switch failed. I read a lot of complaints about other Sportages, i know some people received a Lemon. That happens with every make and model. Your cupholder broke, so you rate the vehicle as "Poor"? Realize you get what you pay for...this is one of the least expensive SUVs you can buy, not a Mercedes! Besides, the THOUSANDS of happy owners dont complain here. Only the people who have a complaint post here!

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  dont pay more for a name brand - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By dino1 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  We have had our Sedona for six months now, and we love it! No problems at all.At first we were a little leary about buying a Kia, but with all the great extras you get(moonroof,cd player,power everything)then the warranty, and of course the huge savings over the other guys, we would be stupid to get anything else. Although it does use a lot of gas!

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  Great Van - 2003 Kia Sedona
  By VFR - February 13 - 2:00 am

  I love this Van. We dont have enough stuff to put in all the interior storage compartments. It has all the features and more of the MUCH more expensive Vans. We have had it for over a year now and Havent had any complaints yet. Plus I went Head to head with a realative who owns the Honda Van in a "well I have this" comparison. The only thing he could do better was flip his rear seat over. He got rid of it later that year due to costs.

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  Good no frills putter - 2003 Kia Rio
  By spaded92 - February 12 - 1:12 pm

  Great car if you need a get around vehicle..bought my 03 back in 07. Had around 48k miles back then..Now sitting at around 125. Worst thing thats happened is a A/C line sprung a leak..no biggy..On my second timing belt..did the water pump, tensioner and pulley on the second one..lasted 120k no problems just didnt wanna chance it this next 60k. It dents easily and the paint quality is mediocre,clearcoat sucks..the door locks have an attitude sometimes but that didnt start until the 10 yr/100k warranty was up..its an old car thats taken a fair beating..Engine still runs smooth like new. Doesnt leak a drop. I have faith this car will last another 100k if I keep it up as I have.

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  Poor reliability and price for the features - 2016 Kia K900
  By Daniel H - February 9 - 9:58 am

  We have two identical K900s that we bought in October 2016 we have taken both of the cars in since day 2 with small to large problems. Kia Motors was aware of some of the issues prior to us buying our two cars. As an example, the cruise control set speed indicator and speedometer do not match, ex. If the cruise is set at 70 mph it says you are going 75 mph on speedometer they still have no idea how to fix it from Kia Motors and its been over 4 months since I reported it. Backup camera wouldnt show picture had camera replaced. Auto Hold Brake feature on both have issues, on one it lets off the brake when it shouldnt which could make you get into an accident. Our other K900 is also having an issue with Auto Hold but it now doesnt work at all and has lights on indicating it knows there is an issue. For both, parts have been ordered to replace a different module on each respectively one a Trac module and other an ABS module, but it sounds like the Field Technician is guessing at least with the ABS module been waiting for ABS module since November 26. 2016. Trac module was ordered in late December. Fuel door doesnt open now without using manual release in trunk along with pushing the door open. Vibration, tire and alignment issues continue to be present even after multiple times of tires being replaced. Finally, overall customer service satisfaction from Kia Motors in handling my cases is Extremely Poor, I asked Kia on December 19 for a callback and even after multiple attempts to speak with upper management and for callbacks, the first time someone called me back was on January 12. I only received a callback because I had to file a BBB Autoline complaint since they never responded to my lemon law notice even after 30 days and even though I already had an open case. Also, be aware although Kia promises on their site that K900 customers should get a Cadenza or K900 loaner car dont bet on it. My dealer only has 2 loaner cars in its tiny fleet, an Optima or Sorrento dont expect to be blown away for the start of a luxury car experience. I think it is funny that the dealer employees have to be K900 certified but they dont follow Kias rules even though they know the rules. And if youre wondering my dealer is the largest in the world so why cant they follow the rules and meet customer expectations.

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  Road trip review - 2010 Kia Soul
  By wsteinhauer - February 9 - 8:33 am

  We just returned from a 2500 mile road trip in our new Soul+. Car handles really well on interstate and winding 2 lane roads. Great directional stability. Reminds me of a slot car! Short wheel base does result in jarring ride on bumpy roads, but not a deal breaker. got anywhere from 28 to 34 mpg, doing 70-75 with air on. Our + has the black interior, and it does tend to scuff up pretty quick. First car I have had in many years that allows you to see the ground when you look in the engine compartment! Lots of room in the interior and you sit up higher than a sedan. even higher than the PT Cruiser we traded in. Plenty of power for normal drivers.

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  2006 Kia Sorento review - 2006 Kia Sorento
  By Ken - February 9 - 2:56 am

  My 06 Kia Sorento was the first NEW vehicle I had ever purchased. I figured with the used cars and trucks in the past, I had been spending too much in repairs. With the warranty of the Kia 10 yr/100,000 mile how could I go wrong? So far Ive driven 51,000 miles in my Sorento and other than regular oil changes and tire rotations Ive not had 1 problem. The gas mileage could be a little better, but I get 19-20 mpg in the city. I think most who claim poor mileage could be due to poor driving habits. Also my Sorento in a manual. I would suggest you check out the Kia Sorento if you are looking for a mid sized SUV!

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  Excellent car - 2008 Kia Optima
  By Doug - February 8 - 3:30 pm

  After having this car for 6 months, I still am glad I bought it. I truly think with the warranty, quality, comfort etc - for a 4 door midsize sedan it is definitely a smart buy!

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  Worth It! - 2003 Kia Optima
  By Babs - February 8 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car! I have put over 5000 miles in less than 3 months and not one problem. I switched from a Maxima with all the options and this is just a good if not better with the warranty! I got the sunroof and leather and infinity stereo. You have to get that, better than the Bose in the Maxima. Pearl color is just like the lexus pearl! Nobody ever guesses this is a KIA! You cant beat the warranty! I bought the 4 cyl., worth it with gas today!