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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  Killed one, going on another! - 2006 Kia Rio
  By adoom - November 15 - 7:37 pm

  I had a used 2006 Rio5 for a short bit before getting t-boned in a winter storm. The offender was a dodge caravan making an illegal left turn. The Rio took the hit well, with little damage to me...but the car was a write-off. After much searching for a new car, I ended up buying the exact same model. The Rio5 is great on gas, the 5sp is peppy enough to be fun. The spare tire cover is crap, I recommend buying a piece of plywood to cover it. The balljoints in the 3 kia rio5s that I have driven have all needed replacing.

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  Sedona LX - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By Mike Phillips - November 15 - 10:00 am

  We have only had the Sedona for 2 days. Gas mileage is crappy but the fit, finish and design extras are great. Excellent interior features like storage and lighting. Seats could be more comfortable (cloth). Drives very nicely, good power, very quiet interior. Far superior to the Caravan with respect to interior fit and finish and extras. Why cant we build them like this after 100 years? Just ask the cutomers what they want. Kia apparently did.

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  Love the pfeformance -Hate the headlights - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Mark W - November 13 - 10:33 am

  Car has good performance. Interior is comfortable. Only problem have with the car is the headlights. They throw a shadow about half way down and all the way across the windshield. The lights look like somebody drew a line across in front of you and it is difficult to seen what is ahead of you. Very poor design and is A SAFEY CONCERN. I travel several times a year at night to northern Arizona and with a limited view I really do not want an elk or deer to run out in front of me. I took this problem to a Kia dealer, they tried to adjust the lights , but it did not help much. If anyone else has this problem contact your dealer and maybe with your help Kia will look into this problem

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  Love the pfeformance -Hate the headlights - 2017 Kia Sorento
  By Mark W - November 13 - 10:33 am

  Car has good performance. Interior is comfortable. Only problem have with the car is the headlights. They throw a shadow about half way down and all the way across the windshield. The lights look like somebody drew a line across in front of you and it is difficult to seen what is ahead of you. Very poor design and is A SAFEY CONCERN. I travel several times a year at night to northern Arizona and with a limited view I really do not want an elk or deer to run out in front of me. I took this problem to a Kia dealer, they tried to adjust the lights , but it did not help much. If anyone else has this problem contact your dealer and maybe with your help Kia will look into this problem

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  Canadian Kia Forte 5 EX Auto - 2011 Kia Forte
  By canuck29 - November 12 - 7:28 pm

  Purchased 2011 Kia Forte 5 as a commuter car for wife. Test drove hatchback two times and came away feeling it was a good combination of value, space, safety features, fuel ecomomy, performance and interior room. So far have put on approx 900 kilometers ( approx 540 miles) all in the city and have averaged about 27 miles per gallon. Engine and powertrain ( 6 speed automatic) provide good driving dynamics for the class of vehicle. Unknown is Kia service as I suspect new generation of Kia vehicles are probably ahead of the service in terms of quality. Will find out in time.

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  Sportage Delights - 2011 Kia Sportage
  By John - November 12 - 4:13 pm

  Purchased the KIA brand for the first time. This is my 6th new car I have purchased. I currently own Honda and Cheverolet. I have owned 3 Toyotas. As is my usual routine after driving the car home I go over the car with a fine tooth comb and give it a complete wash and wax looking for flaws. I am impressed! The lines and styling of the new Sportage are terrific. The more I look over the car the more impressed I become. The handling is excellent and the ride is smooth. The interior is well thought out with an amazing number of features you seldom find in a car at this cost. The car is very comfortable to drive with plenty of room for 4. Since it is new I cannot rate it for reliability.

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  Some problems -overall good car - 2007 Kia Optima
  By mickkia - November 11 - 1:53 pm

  I purchased this this vehicle used in April of 2009 with 23500 miles. Since then I had two problems, both front sway links need to be replaced and one of the rear brake was worn unevenly. Took numerous visit to repair shops over two months to figure out the brake issue (car was squeaking periodically when moving - was driving me crazy). The bad sway links were covered under Kia warranty. Since the repairs, the car has been running fine. The dealership was very professional in fixing the problem. Car now has 33000 miles on it. P.S. - trunk sometime open by it own. Happen to me about 4 times in 5 months. Also, averaging 27 miles per gallon with 80% stop/go driving -

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  Not a good MPG - 2010 Kia Soul
  By Northland Driver - November 11 - 11:46 am

  When we love the looks and the fun ride, the reason why we got it was: 1) the roomy back (which is very good compared to others) 2) the miles-per- gallon (MPG). We are yet to see the advertised 26 or higher. We are lucky if we get close to 24. In addition to front seat is way too stiff. This is definitely a city commuter and nothing more. Yes, a fun ride, but a bit uncomfortable and not as economic as promised (in the city). Not to be negative, but more of a reality check. The glare on the front glass is very uncomfortable. The light brown reflects the entire dash into the front window. I have seen this in other small cars I have rented. Sound system? Back speakers are NOT good at all.

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  Kia Sportage 2WD Convertible -Must Read- - 2002 Kia Sportage
  By Majali - November 10 - 3:06 pm

  I have purchased my 2002 convertible Sportage in 2008 and have put 24m000 miles on it since then. Its a great good looking affordable car. It has a special charisma. This STRONG Vehicle has literally saved my life, after hitting a parked car from behind while doing 100 mph the damage was slight regardless that the Honda i hit got totaled! Featuring 3 air bags/Automatic Transmission/AC Easily removed cool soft top options. The 2.0 L is strong enough for a small below 2000 LBs SUV ( it has served a BMW 520). Doing 20 MPG City and Crazy 30 MPG highway miles. I dont have any more mechanical troubles after doing a full maintenance a year ago. It maneuvers perfectly, but i wish it was 4WD for sand

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  Good Commuter Car, Got it a Great Price - 2004 Kia Rio
  By pslims - November 10 - 1:53 am

  I got my 2004 Rio last month. I was looking for a commuter car to drive about 20-30 minutes on the highway to work. So far I am pleased with the car. It was manual transmission (the automatic drove horrible) and manual windows, locks, no ABS, no stereo. Overall, I am happy with the car as a commuter car. I probably would not have bought this car but for the price I paid, it was definitely worth it.