If you were driving in the 1990s you might remember the Kia vehicles of the time – they were distinctly bargain-basement cars sold from tiny dealers and offering very little to write home about either in specification or quality.
Fast forward to 2026 and Kia is one of the most highly regarded manufacturers on the global market, regularly topping quality surveys and its product constantly appearing in Car of the Year shortlists – Kia’s EV range features in many of the ‘best car’ rankings in The Car Expert’s industry-leading Expert Rating index, and the cars have racked up many industry awards. Mix in the extra publicity gained from massive levels of sports sponsorship, and the Kia brand today is as well-known as Ford or Volkswagen.
In less than 20 years, Kia has been transformed from a brand on the verge of bankruptcy to a top maker recording more than $4 billion in profit.
This has been masterminded by parent Hyundai, and focused on developing a recognisable and strong brand image. It has led to Kia offering cars that are both practical and of excellent quality,
So who or what is Kia?
Kia is the second largest car manufacturer in South Korea, with more than three million annual global sales. It’s only beaten by its parent company Hyundai, which has owned Kia for close to 30 years.
Kia – the name roughly translates as ‘Rising from East Asia’ – was formed in 1944, initially as the catchy ‘Kyungsung Precision Industry’, making steel tubes and bicycle parts. The company’s first vehicle was a bicycle called the Smachuly, launched in 1951.
Licensing deals enabled Kia to manufacture Honda motorcycles from 1957 and, by 1974, it was producing both cars and trucks under licence from Mazda. Similar deals were later done with European makes Fiat and Peugeot but, when dictator Chun Ddo-When came to power in South Korea in 1981, Kia was forced to give up car manufacture.
By 1987 cars were again emerging from Kia plants, now in partnership with Ford, which had taken a stake in Mazda. One of the first Kia models to come to the UK was the Pride three-door hatchback, which was effectively a Mazda 121. The first Kia Sportage, launched in 1993 and the first Korean SUV, was based on the Mazda Bongo van.
Kia products were aimed firmly at the budget market but the company could not sell enough of them and when the Asian financial crisis hit in 1997, Kia faced bankruptcy. At this point, fellow Korean car maker Hyundai entered the picture. It took a 51% stake in its rival and started the process that would transform Kia from budget brand to highly respected mainstream car manufacturer.
The Sorento mid-sized SUV, launched in 1999, was the first ‘transformative’ Kia. Seven years later, the company shocked the automotive industry by appointing leading car designer Peter Schreyer as its chief design officer – he had previously been working for the Volkswagen Group, creating such design icons as the Audi TT.
Schreyer came up with the ‘tiger nose’ grille design that was a Kia signature for many years and survives today as the ‘Digital Tiger Face’, and led Kia’s new focus on Europe which saw the opening of a major production plant in Slovakia in 2006.
New core models, including the Picanto city car, the Cee’d range of family hatches, and successive generations of the Sportage SUV, accelerated Kia up the car-maker pecking order, fueled by continual improvements in quality and being at the forefront of technology – Kia’s first electric vehicle, the Soul, was launched in 2009 long before EVs became a trend.
By 2016, Kia was winning a host of awards for both its cars and customer satisfaction. The transformed image of Kia has been reflected in the brand’s sales – from 500,000 cars annually in 1998 to more than 3.1 million in 2025.
What models does Kia have and what else is coming?
Kia’s current model range can be split neatly into two – the traditional, mainly combustion-engined, models and the much newer ‘EV’ range designed from the start as electric vehicles and which has mushroomed in numbers over the past few years.
First of the EV range was the EV6, launched in 2022 and claiming The Car Expert Car of the Year award that year. It is a sharply-styled SUV closely related to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and comes in two or four-wheel-drive form. Buyers are able to choose their model with an emphasis on range or power, with a more potent GT model also on sale. The EV6 was updated in 2025, with an improved range and charging speed, and currently holds a top New Car Expert Rating of A – as does all of the Kia EV range.
Launched late in 2023 was the EV9, a much bigger and blunter model with seven-seat capability and assuming the role of Kia’s flagship offering. It won both the UK and World Car of the Year award in 2024.
Kia followed up the EV9 with the EV3, a compact electric crossover launched in late 2024. The sharply-styled car has attracted overwhelmingly positive reviews with The Car Expert editor Stuart Masson saying that it should be at the top of the list for anyone considering a small SUV or their first EV.
The Kia EV4 and EV5 both launched towards the end of 2025. The EV4 is a mid-sized car, effectively a smaller version of the EV6 and offered as either a five-door hatchback or a saloon-style long-tailed version which Kia calls a Fastback.
The EV5 plugs the SUV gap between the small EV3 and very large EV9, effectively being an EV3 with more interior space.
Just one of Kia’s ‘pre-EV’ electric models remains on sale, the Niro small SUV, which is also available as a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid. It was updated in 2025, adopting the family look of the new EV models, and both the electric and combustion-engined versions earn an New Car Expert Rating of A.
For many years the Ceed family hatch was the core of the Kia traditional range but today just one version remains, the Xceed crossover. Its mantle has been taken by Kia’s long-lasting mid-sized SUV the Sportage – it was the second best-selling car in the UK in 2025, only beaten by the Ford Puma.
The larger Sorento SUV, dating back even further than the Sportage and now in its fourth generation, also remains on sale as does the Picanto small car, updated in 2025, and the Stonic mid-sized SUV. Pitched as a rival to the best-selling Ford Puma and facelifted for a second time in 2025, the Stonic does let the side down somewhat, with a New Car Expert Rating of D.
Current Kia range on our Expert Rating Index
Kia’s busy launch programme continues apace in 2026, with the EV line-up getting an even smaller model, the EV2. It’s Kia’s version of the Inster from sister brand Hyundai, and one of the latest breed of small and more affordable electric cars.
Like many manufacturers Kia has revised any previous plans to turn its range all-electric and also launching in 2026 is a successor to the Ceed. The Kia K4 is a petrol-powered family car that will be available as a hatchback and an estate ‘Sportswagon’.
Meanwhile Kia has recently moved into the van market with the PB5, the first of a new range of electric light-commercial vehicles. Just as with traditional vans, it’s spawned a people-carrier version and the PV5 Passenger is already earning very positive reviews.
Kia is not yet saying what will follow these, though it is known to be considering producing an electric equivalent to the Picanto which would become the EV1. Meanwhile a ‘super-GT’ concept revealed at the start of 2026 could become a large electric saloon, a spiritual successor to the Kia Stinger and dubbed either EV7 or EV8.
Where can I try a Kia car?
You won’t have too far to go if you fancy trying a Kia for yourself – over the years the brand has grown to become the fifth largest in the UK and its dealer network now numbers more than 180 outlets.
Kia dealerships all have the same quality corporate image but in terms of size and location vary immensely. The flagship outlet in Brentford, London, rises over four floors and towers over the elevated section of the M4 motorway, whereas Gravells, a Welsh group that consistently takes Kia’s top dealer award, has its main showroom in Kidwelly, a town of only around 3,500 people.
What makes Kia different to the rest?
Most car makers produce a model or two that fail to impress, a sense of ‘why did they bother doing that’ but this is not something that can be levelled at today’s Kia – even the Stinger, a large grand tourer-type car very different to typical Kia product and only on sale for five years, had plenty of fans who were sad to see it go.
Kia’s exterior styling with the signature tiger-nose grille is generally positively received, but the cars sell mainly on a combination of quality and technology that is at the forefront of the mainstream market and comparable to some premium offerings.
A Kia fact to impress your friends
Always had a desire to get yourself an example of a 1990s-era Lotus Elan? Check the badges, as it might not be a Lotus…
After the Norfolk maker canned the Elan in 1995, it sold the rights to the car to Kia, which then built it in South Korea between 1996 and 1999.
On the outside, the Kia Elan looked virtually identical to the Lotus version (the main difference being the tail lights), but under the bonnet it had a Kia 1.8-litre petrol engine rather than the 1.6-litre turbo from Isuzu that Lotus used.
Only around 1,000 were made, sold only in Korea and Japan.
Summary
There’s no such thing as a car maker that can do no wrong but Kia appears to come pretty close – once easily dismissed, Kia is an automotive success story with its cars driven by thousands of happy owners.
This article was originally published in April 2024 and updated in May 2026.
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