Kia reliability is closing the gap in 2026

Independent rankings and owner reports indicate Kia has improved reliability and now ranks near the top among mainstream brands, though it still trails Toyota and Honda.

Kia arrived in the U.S. in 1993 with the Sephia and Sportage 4x4. For many years the brand was associated with budget cars and notable reliability issues. Since about 2016, Kia has updated engines and manufacturing processes, and modern models are generally reported as more dependable. The article draws on data from Kia and independent sources such as Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, RepairPal, Kelley Blue Book, CarEdge, and TopSpeed. Key facts: - Independent rankings place Kia near the top of mainstream brands, and J.D. Power named Kia first in its 2022 Vehicle Dependability Survey. - Consumer Reports ranks Kia #12 overall and #6 among mainstream brands based on data from 380,000 vehicles over the past 25 years. - RepairPal ranks Kia third out of 32 brands for reliability and maintenance costs, estimating an average repair bill of $474. - CarEdge estimates five-year maintenance costs at $2,335 and ten-year costs at $7,321 for Kia, and reports a slightly below-average chance of a major repair. - Kia offers a five-year/60,000-mile limited warranty, a ten-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, and a five-year/100,000-mile anti‑perforation warranty; the new-vehicle warranty is transferable. Summary: Kia's investments in engines, manufacturing and warranty support have narrowed its historical reliability gap, and model-level rankings and owner reviews now frequently show strong dependability. The brand still trails Toyota and Honda in most major rankings. Undetermined at this time.