We’re not surprised to see Kia at the top of U.S. quality study. Are you?
Which automaker ranks highest for quality in 2017? You may be surprised to learn that it’s Kia Motors, but we certainly aren’t!
This is the second consecutive year at the top of the heap for Kia in the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study, as they once again beat out all the other automotive industry brands.
Last year, in the 2016 IQS, Kia became the first non-luxury brand in 27 years to lead the industry in initial quality, following a strong performance in the 2015 IQS, in which the brand ranked second overall.
Besides leading the pack in the 2017 car quality survey, Kia also had 5 different models top their segment, once again proving the reliability of Kia cars.
Let’s have a look at the top quality Kia vehicles on sale in the United States today.
Top quality compact MPV: Kia Soul
This is the third straight year that the ever-popular Kia Soul funky car landed on top of the compact MPV segment.
The Soul came in with a score of 68 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), which was an increase of 4 PP100 over last year.
We regularly hear from Soul owners who love their vehicle, and that praise has now been confirmed in the annual car quality study.
Best quality compact car: Kia Forte
The Kia Forte took the top spot in the compact car segment. The Forte comes in a number of body styles, including the 4-door sedan and 5-door hatchback, and it made a big jump in quality this year.
It ended up with a score of 75 PP100, which is an increase of 11 PP100 over the score it gained last year.
Top quality small SUV: Kia Niro & Sportage
The small SUV segment features a pair of Kia vehicles at the top of the list.
The brand-new Kia Niro hybrid crossover took the top spot, but it was followed very closely by the Sportage SUV.
What makes this result even more impressive is that these vehicles lead the small SUV segment by an average of 30 points, once more underlying the quality of the Kia cars.
Highest quality midsize SUV: Kia Sorento
The Sorento SUV, which is manufactured in the US, also did well, landing on top in the ultra-competitive midsize SUV segment.
Some of the vehicles that the Sorento beat out include the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and Buick Enclave.
The Kia Sorento had the fewest problems in the segment across all the measured categories, which must have been a proud moment for the folks who do all the hard work at the Kia production plant in the US.
Most quality large car: Kia Cadenza
Last, but by no means least, the redesigned Cadenza managed the best score across all industry models with an impressive 51 PP100.
It wasn’t even particularly close, as the Cadenza led the next best vehicle by 14 PP100 in the large car segment.
The average in that segment is 91 PP100, which again clearly shows just how dominant this win was for the Kia Cadenza.
Kia, more than value brand
The days of Kia being viewed as nothing more than a value brand are now long gone.
As you can see from this list of the best quality Kia cars, you are making a smart investment when you choose to get behind the wheel of a Kia.
