Are Kias good cars? Are they reliable? Let’s just say they’re not like they once were.
There was a time not too long ago when Kia cars were looked down on as unreliable junk that only broke and desperate people would buy, but it appears that unflattering reputation has come to pass, forever left in a blazing Kia’s rearview mirror.
Through decades of hard work, the Korean has transformed from a bargain basement afterthought to one of the world’s most respected and revered car brands, often compared to the likes of Toyota and Honda even. Quite an accomplishment, isn’t it?
That of course begs the question: Are Kia good cars? Are Kias reliable? Do they offer the same quality as the best Japanese cars like every Kia dealer would want you to believe?
We provide a balanced look at the quality of the Korean automaker’s vehicles to see if they’ve truly made it to the big league.
IN THIS GUIDE
About Kia Cars
Founded in 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry, a steel tubing and bicycle parts manufacturer, and then rebranding to Kia Motors in 1952, Kia is the second largest Korean carmaker after Hyundai Motors and a major player on the world stage.
The company was practically obscure until the early 2000s, a period when it was the butt of jokes for making bland, low-quality cars that sold on price and a lengthy warranty rather than on substance. It went bankrupt in 1997 and was consequently purchased by Hyundai.
After spending billions researching how to improve quality, develop compelling vehicles, and build up goodwill, Kia’s situation improved markedly in the 2010s. The brand is now a reliable fixture at the top of reliability studies, offering cars that people buy out of desire rather than desperation.
Its ever-expanding lineup of vehicles has a model for nearly every mainstream demographic, and every single one of them offers incredible value for the price. Here is a quick rundown of all available Kia models:
| Model | Body Style | Size | Drivetrain |
| Rio | Sedan/Hatchback | Subcompact | Gas engine |
| Forte | Sedan | Compact | Gas engine |
| K5 | Sedan | Midsize | Gas / Hybrid |
| Stinger | Liftback | Midsize | Gas engine |
| Cadenza | Sedan | Full-size | Gas engine |
| K900 | Crossover | Full-size | Gas engine |
| Seltos | Subcompact | Crossover SUV | Gas engine |
| Niro | Compact | Crossover SUV | Gas / Hybrid / Electric |
| Sportage | Compact | Crossover SUV | Gas engine |
| Sorento | Midsize | Crossover SUV | Gas / Hybrid |
| Telluride | Midsize | Crossover SUV | Gas engine |
| Carnival | Midsize | Minivan | Gas engine |
The midsize K5 (formerly the ‘Optima’), compact Forte, and funky Soul hatchback were the most popular Kias until the SUV craze of the past several years catapulted the Sportage, Seltos, and Sorento crossovers to the forefront. Need a capable city car? The Rio subcompact is a safe bet.
Kia has two large, seven-passenger, the Carnival minivan (previously the Sedona) and Telluride three-row crossover. The Telluride, in particular, is such a standout product that it can often be found on the 10Best list of many publications.
The Korean automaker isn’t big on coupes or sports cars (they are dying segments), but the rear-wheel-drive Stinger is a sporty and stylish sedan that’s engaging to drive and should appease practical-minded driving enthusiasts.
Kia does, however, have a “luxury” car in the form of the K900, a flagship sedan that’s intended to be a very affordable alternative to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series.
The company has also invested heavily in electrification and has the capable Soul EV, Niro hybrid and EV crossover, and all-electric EV6 to show for it, with more models on the way.
Are Kias Good Cars?
Having provided a general overview of Kia, we will now look at just how good its vehicles are on the basis of safety, reliability, performance, features and amenities, affordability, cost of ownership, and even styling.
Safety
Contrary to what you might have heard, Kias of today have a proven track record for safety. They are engineered from the ground up with all the passive and active safety features you would expect of a modern vehicle.
All models, from the tiny Rio to the large Telluride, also come with a host of advanced driver-assistance technologies such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning, and driver attention monitor, all of which help prevent accidents.
As a result of their solid engineering and available driver-assistance features, every Kia has earned either a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the two highest designations.
It’s the same story in Europe, Asia, and South America, where they perform at the highest caliber on safety assessments by the Euro NCAP, ASEAN NCAP, and Latin NCAP.
You will be happy to know that, whereas many automakers make their advanced driver assistance tech optional features, Kia makes them standard on nearly all its models.
So, are Kias safe cars? Yes. Kia’s cars perform at the highest level on safety assessments around the world, thanks to their modern active, passive, and driver-assistance safety features.
Are Kias Reliable?
It was a decades-long transformation, but Kia has gone from consistently showing up at the bottom of reliability rankings to being a staple in the top half. In RepairPal’s continuously updated reliability index, it placed 3rd out of 32 brands, better than all Japanese brands except Honda and Acura.
The average Kia visits a repair shop approximately 0.2 times a year for unscheduled repairs, compared to an average of 0.4 for all models evaluated. Subaru, a brand people often think has better reliability than Kia, has a frequency of 0.33.
Kia has ranked in the top half of Consumer Reports’ Auto Reliability survey for six consecutive years, performing better in some periods than others, or course.
Needless to say, the past 10 years have seen the Korean automakers perform leaps and bounds in the area of reliability, rubbing shoulders with industry titans such as Toyota and Honda.
The idea of a Kia lasting over 200,000 miles (321,869 km) would have seemed far-fetched 10-20 years ago, but we now live in a world where it’s not uncommon for a properly maintained Kia to last that long. According to RepairPal, the Rio, Soul, and Forte are the most reliable Kia vehicles.
Of course, we can’t talk about Kia reliability without mentioning the company’s generous warranty. Kia offers a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, the longest in the industry.
So, are Kias reliable? Yes. The reliability of Kia’s cars has improved so much over the past 20 years that it rivals Toyota and Honda’s reliability. Plus, Kia offers one of the best warranties in the automotive industry.
Performance
Kias were once known for riding rough, handling poorly, and having mediocre power and fuel efficiency. Today’s models couldn’t be any different.
The first thing you will notice when driving one is just how comfortable and compliant the ride is. Handling isn’t as sporty or engaging as you get with a Mazda, but it’s not as numb or floaty as Toyotas of the recent past. You get a good balance.
As for acceleration and fuel economy, Kia’s modern engines and transmissions are generally more than competitive within their respective classes. They are also refined, meaning noise and vibration won’t be an issue.
The Kia Stinger kicks the performance ante up a notch, offering sports car-like performance for those driving enthusiasts who want something a bit more exciting.
So, do Kias have good performance? Yes. Kia cars have never driven or handled better. They offer a comfortable ride, good handling, more than sufficient power, and great fuel economy.
Features, Amenities
All the tech, comfort, convenience, and driver-assistance offered by Toyota, Honda, and virtually every other mainstream automaker can be had on a Kia. This includes industry standards such as a large touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration.
You can also have Bluetooth connectivity, a Wi-Fi hotspot, wireless phone charging, USB ports, SiriusXM satellite radio, leather upholstery, heated steering wheel and seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, and much more.
Whereas most rivals offer these features as optional extras, Kia makes many of them standard on its base models.
Kwame, what about self-driving tech, you ask? Kia isn’t a first-mover like Tesla, General Motors, or even Nissan, but it has put aside billions of dollars to develop driverless cars.
So, do Kias have good technology? Yes. Kia offers all the tech and convenience features you could need and makes many of them standard across its lineup.
Affordability
Despite the drastic improvement in their quality, reliability, and value, Kia’s cars are still generally less expensive than their competitors, though not always. This is especially true when you consider the generous number of standard features they often come with.
That’s not to say Kia’s cars are attainable for everyone, however. The cheapest Kia, the Rio, for instance, ranges from around $16,000 to almost $20,000 in the United States, while the flagship Telluride SUV and K900 luxury sedan kick off at approximately $32,000 and $60,000, respectively.
The Telluride and K900 can reach $42,000 and $65,000 with options, which isn’t necessarily cheap.
One thing Kia usually does better than the competition is give buyers more for less. Kias tend to come with more standard tech, convenience, and driver-assistance features than comparably-priced models from other automakers.
On the second-hand market, used Kias are generally cheaper than used Toyotas and Hondas. Though increasing, their resale value is weighed down by a lingering notion that Kia still makes bad cars.
Need help finding a good used Kia? Read our comprehensive used car buying guide.
So, are Kias affordable? Yes. Both new and used Kia cars tend to provide more value than their competition, and unlike some of them, are proof that a low-price doesn’t always equal low-quality.
Cost Of Ownership
Kia cars are cheap to own. In addition to being affordable and reliable, they deliver great fuel efficiency and, all things considered, are fairly cheap to insure.
According to RepairPal’s data, the average Kia doesn’t visit a shop for unscheduled repairs very often. And when it does, there is only a 10 percent chance that the repair will be severe.
The total average scheduled and unscheduled repair cost for all Kia models is $474 annually, a lot lower than the $652 average cost estimated for all models.
The Kia Soul, in particular, has such superb reliability that most new models can go for several years without needing unscheduled maintenance.
So, are Kias cheap to own? Yes. Kia’s modern cars are cheap on gas, cheap to maintain, and generally cheap to insure.
Styling
Kias used to have bland styling to go along with their reputation of being bargain-basement appliances on wheels, but all of that changed when Kia poached designer Peter Schreyer, whose resume included the original Audi TT sports car, from Audi in 2006.
The excitement volume has been dialed up considerably ever since, with modern Kias now exhibiting some of the most distinctive designs out there.
Their designs aren’t polarizing like what you get with the latest rash of Toyotas. Although skewing younger and sportier than most competitors, they are not controversial by any means.
Granted not everyone will like Kia’s latest styling direction, there is no doubt that it has more emotional appeal than the brand’s old designs.
So, do Kias look good? While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, today’s Kias look far less bland and boring than their distant predecessors. Unlike some of the competition, they have distinct styling with emotional appeal.
Kia Car FAQs
Here are answers to other popular questions about Kia’s vehicles.
Who Makes Kia Cars?
Kia is owned by the Hyundai Motor Group, but it operates independently from Hyundai.
The two companies share research and development, platforms and technologies, and manufacturing plants but differ greatly in the design of their vehicles.
Kias tend to be sportier in appearance and driving characteristics than Hyundais.
How Long Do Kia Cars Last?
Kia makes some of the most reliable cars in the world and approaches Toyota and Honda in build quality. You can expect a Kia that’s properly maintained and cared-for to last around 200,000 miles (321,869 km), if not longer.
So, if you drive 15,000 miles (24,140 km) every year as the average car owner does, a well-maintained Kia car or SUV can last 13 years.
Do Kias Have A Lot Of Problems?
Kias are reliable cars that can last a very long time if well-maintained; however, they are not without problems
Engine issues have accounted for roughly 35 percent of all Kia owner complaints since 2010, with the majority coming from Sorento and Optima owners.
Electrical problems are another area of concern and mostly affect Sorento, Sedona, Soul, and Optima models made before 2016.
Kias made from 2018 onwards aren’t known to have severe recurrent problems.
Final Thoughts
It’s a new era for Kia. Once ridiculed for making shoddy cars that hardly anyone would buy if not for their rock-bottom prices and long warranty, the Korean automaker is now able to stand toe-to-toe with the best.
After spending the first 10 years of the 21st century with some of the worst safety and reliability scores, Kia cars are now some of the safest, most reliable cars on the road.
After years of performing below industry standards with regards to ride, handling, power, and fuel efficiency, they are now some of the easiest to drive, compliant, comfortable, and fuel-efficient vehicles you can buy.
Kia also provides buyers with a lot of tech, comfort, and driver-assistance features for the money, often more than the competition.
The bland, boring-looking Kias of yesteryear are no more. What you now have are boldly designed cars with some personality.
Best of all, this high level of substance is provided at prices that don’t alienate the average mainstream car buyer. Whether new or used, Kias are very affordable.
So, are Kias good cars? Even though Kia is still saddled with a reputation for poor reliability, there is no denying that the company now makes some of the highest-quality, best-designed vehicles available today.