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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  Fabulous car for money!! - 2013 Kia Optima
  By Roger - September 14 - 8:07 pm

  We bought the car Dec of 2012. Got the LX with convenience package. Out the door with remote start (added non OEM) for $19800. Very comfortable and drive it whenever I can (its the wifes car). Now it currently has 60k miles on it. Only stuff that has needed done so far is new tires at 53k and front brakes during the 60K mile maintenance service. OEM tires werent great (horrible on snow) but the new tires have made the car even quieter and perform great on snow. Bottom line is for a brand new car with all the standard equipment it cant be beat.

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  Blown Motor with just 105,000 miles on it. - 2012 Kia Optima
  By David - September 14 - 4:29 pm

  I bought my 2012 Optima LX brand new. Kept up with oil changes and used it almost exclusively for commuting on the highway. Without warning the motor started knocking and squealing on the freeway and then died. Had it towed to KIA who said that the engine needs replacement. Since I am 5,000 miles beyond the 100,000 mile warranty they will not cover anything and gave me a quote of about $7,000 to replace the motor. Although I absolutely loved this car, this is unacceptable. It appears that I am not the only person who has experienced blown engines with the Kia Optima. Now I have a car that is only half way paid for and I have to come up with 7k to fix it. I will never buy a Kia again.

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  Features removed - 2016 Kia Optima
  By Harry - September 14 - 4:07 am

  Compared to previous years this is a big step back for the optima! A lot of the chrome highlights are gone! The dual exhaust chrome pipes are no longer! No more fog lamps either! The dash is no longer sporty looking! Was bad enough when the v6 was removed from the ex! I have a 2015 and wont go newer!

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  Changing My Mind About Kia - 2012 Kia Optima
  By amandal0514 - September 14 - 1:05 am

  Ive had my 2012 Kia Optima EX (with Premium Package and Navigation) for a little over a week now. I traded in my 2008 Honda Accord for it because I was looking for something a little more "fun" with more options but needed the same size. I owned a 2002 Kia Sportage and it lost $10k in value in 1 year so Kia has always left a bad taste in my mouth. Since 2003 Ive been with Honda but a new Kia Optima caught my eye not too long ago and I was surprised to see it was rated the #1 sedan under $25k on this site. I started checking into it and really liked what I read about it. Its only been 500 miles but I love all the features! My daughter and I adore the car!

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  Amanti problem - 2005 Kia Amanti
  By Val Bill - September 13 - 8:10 pm

  My wife purchased the Amanti choosing it over a Buick or Honda due to its driving pleasure. We enjoy traveling in the car and most of the use is on the open road. One problem has troubled us from early on. If the vehicle sits for a few days, the battery goes down. Multiple testing of the battery by Kia, and others, finds no problem. Having it towed in, 180 miles, resulted in replacing the "12 month" battery. ($180) Friends who have purchased an Amanti on our recommendation have reported the same problem. I doubt that the problem is fixed and expect it to re-emerge in the months ahead.

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  Parking lights stay on sometimes - 2008 Kia Spectra
  By Don - September 13 - 5:46 am

  Bought car 6 mo. ago, had this problem since I bought car, dealer said if it doesnt happen all the time, they couldnt fix it. That was fine in the summer but when I had to have it jumped 3 times in the parking lot at work in -10, thats a problem. Brought it back, still wouldnt fix it. Car is 6 mo. old, 13,000 miles, lost 6 grand in value. My mpg were 24-33 thats terrible. My folks big Buick gets 30 and its a nice ride, not like this.

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  Solid Value, - 2011 Kia Sorento
  By Phil - September 12 - 2:00 am

  Shopped/drove $19-23K competition(used Edge, Mariner, CX7, CR-V, Pilot, Highlander, old MDX), we drove both 4/6 cyl Sorento. Kia dealer experience better than expected. Ultimately new Sorento V6 LX final price was competitive with other cars that were 4 years old and had 30-40K miles. Kia 100K mile warranty is world class. Have 1500 miles. Would give car a solid B. Ride is compliant but a bit tough over pot holes. Comfort is very good. V6 engine is strong, idle is not perfect, gas mileage only fair. Visibility from drivers seat takes getting used to, but mirrors are big. Base radio has good features but only fair fidelity. Bluetooth not solid. Got third seat, still good room. So Far So Good.

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  Just passed 60k - 2004 Kia Amanti
  By steve - September 9 - 10:20 am

  This will be easy. I just passed 60k miles. My car has spent zero seconds in the repair shop. The only thing Ive done is replace tires and battery. Easily the best car Ive ever owned and Ive owned many.

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  You get what you pay for - 2000 Kia Sportage
  By ckzk - September 9 - 2:00 am

  My father, husband, and sister all talked me in to buying this vehicle because it was a great deal...well, 7 months later they now agree I need a new vehicle. It had 36,000 miles when I bought it and has been nothing but trouble. The 4WD does not work, I have had to fix the drivers door handle 4 times ($68 each time)and I still have to roll down the window to get out! The rear tire cable has broken, for the second time and now I cant get into the back unless I climb over the back seat. The cup holder is not only in a horrible place, blocking the clock, defroster, and other features but it bounces on the bumps and spills all over the place.

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  Sedona on Course! - 2004 Kia Sedona
  By JOrlando540 - September 9 - 2:00 am

  Sedona holds road just fine Interior has lots of goodies including first aid kit under seat. Only problem is fuel consumption. On 1600 mile trip to Fla averaged 15 MPG.