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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  Okay for short-term - 2001 Kia Sephia
  By crazychemist78 - May 26 - 6:36 pm

  We bought this car new in 2001, mainly for the price, fuel economy and warranty. Handled pretty well, a bit underpowered but the manual tranny helped. Interior very cheap. Seats bent easily, vents broke easily, cupholder was awful, shifter skirt broke easily. Entire brake system minus master cylinder replaced three times. A/C system blew a hose. Doors froze constantly in winter. Recently lost power, found that both catalytic converters (yes there are 2!) had gone out and were blocking exhaust after the car heated up. This of course fried the spark plugs, wires, and coil packs. Dealer wanted $2100 just to fix this issue, used it to buy another car instead (not a Kia.)

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  My old Sorento! - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Brian - May 26 - 6:33 pm

  Great SUV for the money. In its 2nd year, I did have a problem with my heater not putting out hot air, with my leather wrapped steering wheel coming unraveled, and a prong on my fuse box breaking. The dealer has been no help getting these fixed--I took it to Cartown, got a rental car, and when I came back they said it was ready to go and everything was fixed. I got home and discovered NOTHING was fixed. :( The vehicle itself has been great--you can have little problems like this with any model of vehicle. The dealership has been pretty bad.

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  Exterior matched the interior - 2012 Kia Optima
  By bradwoods - May 26 - 5:45 pm

  Classic body style matches the luxury interior. Completely blown away with what this car offers. I was hesitant going in because I didnt know what to expect from a brand of car that people considered less than desirable. Kia is on the move baby! Its an head turner. So far so good on gas. Plenty of power. A 4 cylinder w/dual exhaust...KOOL. This car has all the bells and whistles. It fits to your comfort. Youll understand after you check it out. Go see Greg Kelly at Kia East. Great guy, not pushy and he owns an Optima too. Believes in what he says and says what he believes.

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  Like a premium Budweiser - 2018 Kia Stinger
  By Steve - May 26 - 10:58 am

  No doubt, this is an awesome looking car, its fast, and has lots of latest technology. I own a Lexus and Porsche, and never owned a KIA. I went to the KIA dealer, and, I was immediately reminded that KIA dealers are no Lexus dealer. The car is beautiful, but, I noticed the seat and arm rest are not very soft and on the hard side. I sometimes take long trips and wondered how Id feel. The interior is well designed and has nice materials but I am used to seeing a little wood in a sedan. I sat in the back seat, and, at 6 ft, it is very cramped and my hairs touched the roof. The dealer only offered me $800 off of list of $52,000. As much as I liked this car, I could not justify spending more than my Lexus for a KIA. I like going to my Lexus dealer for an occasional oil change and the KIA dealership just felt cheap. If KIA wants to sell $50k cars, they need to better understand and give the customer the full experience.

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  cheap transportation - 2000 Kia Sephia
  By guachi - May 26 - 10:00 am

  Bought car used in 2002 with 28000 miles. It was very cheap and, at the time of purchase, I needed a car that could carry three adults. For a compact car the back seat is quite large - bigger than the Civic, for example. Havent had any major mechanical problems except for some faulty battery cables that cost $80 to fix (almost all labor). The other cable was fixed for free at the Kia dealership. Not really a car I recommend for anyone except if you are poor. :) But if you ARE, then a used Kia can be a great deal. By the time my then girlfriend (now wife) and I purchased the car it had depreciated 40% in only two years.

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  Fine looking car - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By Still happy - May 26 - 10:00 am

  Unique styling.. Risk takers only need apply! Great sound system. Roomy interior and nicely appointed.

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  Kia Sorento - 2003 Kia Sorento
  By NPierce628 - May 26 - 10:00 am

  I love my Kia Sorento. I get lots of compliments and everyone says it looks like a Lexus L300 without the high cost. I just took it on a trip up into the mountains of Tennessee and had no problems at all. It handled very well and was fun to drive up and down the mountains. There were three of us and everyone was comfortable. The Luxury Leather package is well worth the extra money.

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  Stop Making the Amanti, please - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By golfer775 - May 26 - 12:35 am

  Got stuck on vacation in Florida with less than 5,000 mi. and replaced the transmission. New transmission goes "zzzzzz" between first and second gear. Kia, from dealer to national manager, refuses to replace or fix it. Dealer says all Amantis go "zzzzzz." Yeah, right. Engine light goes on repeatedly and have had it reset more than 8 times. Dealer wont replace sensor. Dome light went out after 10,000 mi. Bumper finish is pealing. Now with 60,000. Transmission slips regularly. Stay far away from this lemon model and Kia, in general. Awful customer service. Never again.

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  Our Best Car Ever - 2006 Kia Sedona
  By J. G. Capron - May 25 - 9:13 am

  We are thrilled with the Kia. Plenty of power when needed, and exceptional handling. Very comfortable seating and plenty of cupholders and storage space. A wonderful car for us and our dogs.

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  This car is a lot of fun! - 2014 Kia Forte
  By Jorge Munoz - May 25 - 7:29 am

  Ive always owned Kias and Hyundais and have never had an issue and this car is no exception. our car is loaded with Bluetooth, satellite radio, rear back up camera and stereo controls on the steering wheel, making this car a fun and comfortable ride on roadtrips! we purchased this car for my wife in July of 2014 and now has 15k in it and have had NO PROBLEMS! i absolutely love it. Now i am in the market myself for a new car and after reading the reviews on the 2014 corolla, 2014 sentra SR, two of the cars i was considering buying, i realized the serious problems these two cars have with their trannys and or other critical components. So at this point i am happily going to stick to kia or hyundai. The only 2 issues ive had with my car so far are just minor interior issues. The car door seal seems like it shrunk with the heat (we live in arizona) and its coming out of place. the other problem is the passanger electric windows switch broke off... both of these issues are nothing compared to problems with the engine!