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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  why are you not told the truth - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By melvin - December 24 - 2:00 am

  when i first got my kia sportage everything was good, except a loose brake line. now my trans wont shift into overdrive because of the cold weather. they said it was normal, why was i not told this when i first got it. or was this a way to sell me one. they may get it back yet.

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  new to rondo - 2008 Kia Rondo
  By herb46 - December 19 - 7:50 pm

  i have owned many kias,currently a new amanti,and i have to say that many people with negative comments need to contact kia corporate !they will make sure your problems are resolved ! anyway,roommate needed to get rid of very old & tired olds ciers,so we went to my kia dealer,test drove a 2008 rondo lx-v6 with 41000 miles.all i can say is very nice ride !

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  Kia Sorento - 2005 Kia Sorento
  By Blair - December 17 - 11:13 am

  I test drove numerous SUVs and for the price, there is no comparison. The Kia is an excellent choice for value and styling.

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  Radiator - 2006 Kia Spectra
  By S.Ryt - December 16 - 8:50 am

  I truly love my Kia but I had a Radiator that went bad at 56,000 miles, lucky this was still under the Warranty. Since I put the car I kept on hearing water moving couldnt understand this. Ever since they replaced the radiator the noise went away. So the problem must have been there since I bought the Car new.

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  Great Value - 2010 Kia Forte
  By mots1 - December 16 - 6:10 am

  Great car for the money. For under $20,000 you can get a LOT of options. Materials could be better, but I remind myself how much I paid. This car reminds me of my 2003 Honda Accord Coupe. My only complaint really is that after driving for over a week I still get frustrated with 1st gear. I’ve been driving manuals for over 20 years and I think this one is really touchy. Besides that if you want a lot of car but don’t want to spend a lot, the Forte Koup may be a good option.

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  Great for the money I paid - 2013 Kia Sorento
  By Juan Sanchez - December 15 - 9:13 pm

  Make sure the tires are in good shape, even the new tires can be flat due to excessive parking and not moving it on the dealer, I have to change the tires one week after I got it, and of course for being an used car the dealer wouldnt take any responsibility about it... for the rest its a great car good gas saving for an SUV. Very convenient for more than 5 passengers, the infinity sound system is amazing, A/C is great even in the second and third row seats. Very reliable car.

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  What a Suprise!! - 2003 Kia Optima
  By l24k2g - December 14 - 10:00 am

  I went to KIA just to take a look Because I travel 25000 miles a year and I needed a car with warrenty. I was supprised the engine is spunky for a small engine, the interior is practical and the Price is right not to mention the warrenty. I love my KIA! Only time will tell how much..

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  seeking college students - 2002 Kia Optima
  By optimagyrl - December 14 - 10:00 am

  At first when my uncle pointed out the car to me I was like ugh Kia? Not good cars. One thing that I love about this car is the warranty. 100,000 mile warranty! If you are a college student or on the run with a medium price range choose the Kia Optima. I have had no major problems and all Kia asks me when I have minor problems is the mileage. I work with service writers at different car lots and it just doesnt move that simply. Car could be a little less shakier at 90 m.p.h. (if you go that fast)I give Kia Optima a A-.

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  2010 Soul for Mom - 2010 Kia Soul
  By H-Battery - December 13 - 2:13 pm

  We bought the Soul as a 3rd car ( teenager got the older car) for mom to drive. She puts quite a few miles on a car per year so we wanted something w/ decent fuel economy. We chose the Soul over Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4, Kia Sportage & Subaru Forester.

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  good car - 2009 Kia Rondo
  By godesshay - December 11 - 12:54 pm

  I bought this car with 41,000 on it.i love how it handles it has lots of room its comfortable on long trips it fits 7 people with no problem with the 3rd row its a very quiet ride.i like the car it is built well to be a kia i was unsure about it before i bought it,but now it has impressed me :) it fits my family its good on long trips