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Apr 02, 2024

What Are Kia Reliability Ratings? (2023 Guide)

Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to

Alex is a MarketWatch Guides team writer that covers automotive and personal finance topics. She’s worked as a content writer for over a dozen car dealerships across the U.S. and as a contributor to several major auto news websites.

Rashawn Mitchner is a MarketWatch Guides team editor with over 10 years of experience covering personal finance, loans, insurance and warranty topics.

Key Takeaways:

Kia is Korea’s oldest vehicle manufacturer and is one of the more dependable vehicle brands today. The company also offers one of the best factory warranties for new vehicles. With these things in mind, we at the MarketWatch Guides team will show you why Kia is a reliable car brand and where some models stand in reliability ratings.

We’ll also discuss what Kia’s warranties for new cars cover and the best extended warranty providers to consider when your coverage ends.

The MarketWatch Guides Team is committed to providing reliable information to help you make the best decision possible about insuring your vehicle. Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. After 800 hours of research, the end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Learn more about our methodology.

Kia is among the most reliable car brands. RepairPal ranks Kia third out of 32 car manufacturers for reliability. J.D.Power ranks the company third overall in its 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study℠ and first among mass-market brands. This means that with Kia cars, you likely don’t have to anticipate needing repairs often. And when you do, they tend to be less expensive than repairs for other brands.

Kia offers one of the most robust warranties among automakers. Here’s a look at the warranty coverage you’ll receive with a new vehicle from Kia:

Each new Kia also comes with a 5-year/60,000-mile roadside assistance plan.

Most of these warranties can be transferred to a new owner. So if you buy a pre-owned Kia that has lower mileage and is newer, you could be eligible to assume most of the original coverage. However, powertrain coverage doesn’t transfer when the original owner sells the vehicle.

When you need repairs from mechanical failures, you’ll take your car to an authorized Kia dealership. From there, if the part falls under your warranty, the dealership’s repair shop will take care of it for you.

As you shop for a Kia vehicle, comparing models can help you determine which one offers the best value and dependability for your needs. Using data from RepairPal, we looked at how some Kia models compare on reliability ratings and annual averages for the frequency of repairs and the probability of needing major repairs:

This shows that these Kia models are generally reliable and usually don’t require a lot of expensive repairs. The average frequency of repair shop visits across all automotive brands and models is 0.4 times per year, and most Kia models come in below that average.

Another way to measure Kia’s reliability is to see how it compares to other car brands. Below is a look at RepairPal’s reliability scores for some of Kia’s top competitors:

Having routine maintenance done according to Kia’s schedule can maximize your vehicle’s performance, keep its fuel economy high and reduce the likelihood of having higher repair bills down the road.

The average annual maintenance and repair cost across all car manufacturers’ vehicles is $652, according to RepairPal. Here’s a breakdown of the average annual repair costs for several Kia models:

No matter which vehicle you own, repairs are a part of ownership. Below are some of the most common repairs Kia owners run into for certain models, according to RepairPal:

Your Kia’s factory warranty covers many of these repairs. That said, if your warranty has expired, consider buying an extended auto warranty. These are similar to your vehicle’s factory warranty, covering your Kia’s most critical systems, like its engine, transmission and cooling, fueling and drivetrain systems.

There are several ways to buy a vehicle service contract. Your dealership might attempt to sell you one, but they often charge more than third-party providers. With independent warranty providers, you might need to make a down payment and then pay in monthly installments. Many companies offer roadside assistance, a money-back guarantee and the ability to take your Kia to the repair shop of your choice.

Whether you buy an automaker’s extended warranty or coverage from a third-party provider, when your vehicle needs covered repairs, you’ll take it to a repair facility and pay your deductible if you have one. The warranty provider will handle the rest from there.

If you choose Kia’s extended warranty, which it calls a Protection Plan, it covers repairs for up to 150,000 miles. It comes with your choice of three coverage levels:

Exclusions for Kia’s warranty include:

Your vehicle’s age and mileage will determine which Protection Plans it’s eligible for. Check with a Kia dealer for pricing.

Kia vehicles offer remarkable dependability, scoring third overall for reliability with J.D. Power and RepairPal. When you buy a new Kia, you get a 5-year/60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Kia vehicles tend to have low annual repair costs on average, which can help you avoid paying for fixes your warranty doesn’t cover.

Once your factory warranty comes close to expiring, consider buying an extended auto warranty so you don’t have to contend with unexpected repair costs. When shopping for a warranty, compare offerings from different companies. We recommend Endurance and CarShield.

Kia owners can find coverage similar to the automaker’s factory warranty with Endurance. The provider offers six coverage levels, with some protecting vehicles with up to 200,000 miles. Endurance lets you choose any licensed repair facility, and its contracts have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Each plan comes with roadside assistance and one free year of Elite Benefits, which include:

Read more: Endurance warranty review

Our first choice for comprehensive warranty coverage.

CarShield offers six extended warranty plans and can cover vehicles up to 300,000 miles. Its Diamond plan is a great option if you want to have protection similar to your factory warranty’s bumper-to-bumper coverage. CarShield’s plans come with these benefits:

Read more: CarShield warranty review

A reputable extended warranty provider with industry-low rates.

Below are frequently asked questions about Kia reliability:

Kia is more reliable than Nissan, earning third place in reliability from J.D. Power and RepairPal while Nissan is rated 10th with J.D. Power and ninth with RepairPal.

Yes, Kias are reliable cars. J.D. Power ranked Kia the most reliable mass-market manufacturer in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Kia vehicles also have one of the industry’s longest powertrain warranties: 10 years/100,000 miles.

J.D. Power found Lexus to be the most reliable car brand in its 2023 Vehicle Dependability Study. It asked more than 30,000 consumers about their first three years of owning vehicles from the 2020 model year and then analyzed key metrics such as how often parts replacements were needed.

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best extended car warranty companies. We collected data on dozens of auto warranty providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the companies that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

Our credentials:

*Data accurate at time of publication.

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