Kia started selling cars in the US in 1993, with the Kia Sephia and Kia Sportage 4×4. Back then, Kia was seen as a company producing budget-friendly cars that weren’t the most feature-packed. Fast-forward three decades, and Kia is breaking out of that mold. Today, Kia sells cars and SUVs that are known for being flush with features and offering a near-luxury experience that’s usually hard to find in the same price range.
Historically, Kia has always struggled with an unreliable brand reputation. Of course, there’s some truth to it. The company’s earlier models weren’t so reliable, and its Hyundai-sourced Theta II engines didn’t do it any favors in terms of reliability, either. But is Kia still the same old unreliable car manufacturer, or are modern Kias reliable? Short answer: almost. Kia has come a long way and offers generally reliable cars today. Here’s how.
Kia Ranks Among The Top Ten Most Reliable Car Manufacturers
Back in the day, Kia cars weren’t known for reliability, especially during the early 2010s, and that reputation still stains the company’s cars. Fortunately, things have come a long way for Kia since then, and today, the Korean manufacturer makes some of the most reliable cars on the market. Independent rankings from Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and RepairPal show that Kia ranks quite high in terms of overall dependability, customer satisfaction, and low maintenance costs. In fact, back in 2022, Kia even took the top spot in J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Survey!
Kia’s Journey To Reliability
How did Kia get here? Kia entered the American market in the early 1990s, and for a couple of decades, it faced various growing pains, including poor perception, weak engine components, and frequent recalls. Come 2010, things started changing, with better build quality and more powerful GDI engines, but long-term dependability was still a miss.
Since 2016, though, Kia has matured with the introduction of Smartstream engines and improved manufacturing standards, fixing the pain points of earlier models from the company. In 2022, Kia fixed the design flaw that led to the whole Kia theft fiasco, the Kia Challenge on TikTok. So now, you don’t have to worry about having your Kia stolen from you, either.
Consumer Reports Ranks Kia At #6 Among Mainstream Brands
While we’ll go over what J.D. Power and RepairPal have to say about Kia, Consumer Reports gives the best outlook about the manufacturer’s dependability. In its latest study, Consumer Reports ranks Kia at #12 overall and #6 among mainstream brands. Kia beats many other manufacturers, including Ford, Volkswagen, and Mazda. Kia is still behind most Japanese manufacturers here, like Honda and Toyota. Based on 380,000 vehicles from the past 25 years, this study shows that Kia makes dependable cars today.
The Most Reliable Kia Cars On Sale In 2026
Kia has a model for everyone, ranging from hatchbacks to MPVs and sedans to mid-size SUVs. Save for a few models, most Kia cars on sale today rank well in terms of reliability. According to J.D. Power, the most reliable Kias on sale today include the Seltos, K5, and Sportage, with a “Great” reliability rating of 86, 85, and 84 out of 100, respectively. Other models rated by J.D. Power fall in the “Average” category, except for the EV9, which has a “Fair” reliability rating of just 67 out of 100. As is the case with any manufacturer, Kia generally makes reliable cars, but some models can fall short here.
Kia Vs. Toyota Reliability
Toyota has long been the benchmark of reliability, so it’s easy to pit Kia vs. Toyota here. The short answer is no, Kia cars are generally not as reliable as their Toyota (and Honda) counterparts. Toyota still ranks at the top in both J.D. Power and Consumer Reports rankings, with many of its models dominating their respective segments. Keep in mind, Toyota cars have gotten expensive in recent years, and just because Kia isn’t at the top doesn’t make it unreliable. Kia models are still worth considering if you’re looking for something with more value for money.
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Owners Report High Satisfaction And A Long Average Lifespan
Independent aggregators, like Consumer Reports, can only show you one side of the coin. The other side comes straight from the horse’s mouth, or, in this case, the owner’s mouth. Unsurprisingly, most owners praise their Kia models for being quite dependable over the years, despite the noise on the internet about these cars not being the most reliable. There’s also the case that negative experiences go more viral online than positive ones; that’s something to keep in mind.
Kelley Blue Book’s Highest Consumer-Rated Kia Models
Kelley Blue Book’s consumer ratings report high owner satisfaction, with the highest-rated cars being the 2026 Kia Carnival Hybrid, with a 4.6 out of 5 reliability score, and the 2026 Kia Niro with a 4.8 out of 5 score. Surprisingly, the 2026 Kia EV9, which gets a poor J.D. Power score, has a perfect 5 out of 5 score on Kelley Blue Book for reliability. Other popular Kia models also get high consumer ratings for reliability, like the Sorento (4 out of 5), K5 (4.2 out of 5), Seltos (4.3 out of 5), and Telluride (4.3 out of 5).
Owners Report High Satisfaction On Forums, Too
Look at Kia forums and Reddit, and you’ll find many owners who praise their car’s dependability and durability over the years. One long-time Kia customer reports, “From my own experience, I’ve driven 3 Kias (2011 Forte, 2014 Soul, and 2016 Soul) for the past 14 years, and have not had a single issue besides regular road wear.” Another owner had this to say about their Kia: “I love it and would buy another [Kia] in a heartbeat.” Owners frequently report six-digit mileage from their Kia models, too. For example, there’s a 2007 Kia Sportage with 627,807 miles on it, and we also found a 2007 Kia Sedona with 452,238 miles on it.
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Kia Cars Are Relatively Cheaper To Maintain, Too
Did you know that Porsche makes some of the most reliable cars in the world? Still, only someone with a smooth brain would buy an old Cayenne for $10k unless they can afford its maintenance, even if it’s just as reliable as a Prius. The reason is simple: the Cayenne would bankrupt you with its maintenance costs. That shouldn’t be the case with Kia, as it is relatively cheaper to maintain than an average car in the same segment. According to RepairPal, Kia ranks third out of 32 car brands for reliability and maintenance costs. It estimates an average repair bill of $474 for a Kia, which is $178 less than the industry average.
CarEdge Ranks Kia At #9 For 5 Year Maintenance Costs
On the other hand, CarEdge ranks Kia at #9 among the least expensive car brands to maintain over five years. It estimates an average of $2,335 for the first five years of ownership and $7,321 for the first ten years of ownership. The latter beats the industry average for popular manufacturers by $935, and CarEdge estimates a 22.72 percent chance that a Kia will require a major repair during that time, which is slightly better than the industry average. Some of the cheapest to maintain Kias today are the EV6 ($1,705), EV9 ($1,834), and K5 ($2,030).
Kia Offers One Of The Strongest Warranties, Too
In case something does go wrong, you don’t have to worry much about a Kia model, as the manufacturer offers one of the best warranties in the market. Kia’s comprehensive warranty includes a 5-year/60k-mile limited warranty, a whopping 10-year/100k-mile powertrain warranty, and a 5-year/100k-mile anti-perforation warranty. In contrast, most manufacturers only offer a 3-year limited basic warranty. What’s more, Kia’s New Vehicle Warranty is also transferable to subsequent owners.
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Built To A Price, So They Have Some Ways To Go Still
All of this should paint a bright picture in your head of Kia cars, but let’s not look at the manufacturer with rose-tinted glasses just yet. Kia isn’t perfect and still has some ways to go, especially when it comes to its dealership experience, electrified models, and other common issues that plague it. According to owners, many Kia models still face frequent issues, like oil leaks, transmission issues, and premature brake wear. While these aren’t as common as they once were, it’s still worth considering.
ICCU And 12V Battery Issue
Things turn a bit more sour with Kia’s electrified lineup, which faces the ICCU failure issue. The ICCU (Integrated Charging Control Unit) manages charging and DC-DC power distribution, and its failure can cause the vehicle to lose power. Owners claim that recalls and software updates have mostly fixed the issue, but it’s not completely eliminated yet. Another common issue is with the 12V battery, which bricks the car if it fails. Owners claim to have fixed this issue by swapping it for a better AGM battery.
Dealership Experience Can Be A Hit Or A Miss
Ask the owners, and most of them will say their biggest problem with Kia is the dealership. A few owners cite that, despite the strong warranty, some dealers are notorious for not handling the repairs properly. Many owners also complain about warranty claims being denied by the dealers. That can impact your Kia’s long-term reliability, as the dealer may fail to honor goodwill repair programs or reject your warranty claims, which can hike up your yearly maintenance costs.
While Kia has come a long way since the early 1990s, it still has more ground to cover to compete with top-ranking manufacturers, like Toyota and Honda. Kia cars are built to a price, and they offer a lot of bang for your buck. It wouldn’t be easy just yet for the manufacturer to get toe-to-toe with Toyota. But if history shows anything, it’s that Kia should keep creeping closer to the top.
Source: Kia, Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, CarEdge, RepairPal, Kelley Blue Book