10 Of The Most Successful Models In Kia History

Kia is one of two South Korean automotive giants, the other being Hyundai and its luxury arm Genesis. Kia operated independently until 1998, when it merged with the Hyundai group to become the world's fifth-largest automaker. Over the decades, Kia has grown into one of the largest players in the global car market, with major presences in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. 

The company has offered many, many different models since their inception in 1944 as Kyungsung Precision Industry. Interestingly, the company did not produce its first vehicle — a bicycle — until 1952. The company eventually produced a very successful Mazda-based three-wheeled pickup called the T-600 in 1962, although it wasn't until 1974 that the brand released their first passenger vehicle, the Brisa. However, Kia was forced to leave that market in 1981 when General Chun, the country's leader, ordered that Kia was only allowed to make light trucks until further notice to consolidate the country's industry.

It wouldn't be until 1993 that Kia motors would officially arrive stateside with four dealerships in Portland, Oregon. They then quickly followed up with more dealership lots in Arizona, Washington, Utah, Nevada and Colorado. Since their return to the U.S., Kia has made dozens of passenger models, many of which have been sold in North America. Here are 10 of the most successful models in Kia's history.

The Carnival is Kia's full-size people hauler that was introduced to the American market with the 2022 model. The current version is available in five trim levels, ranging from the base LX to the top-tier SX Prestige. The base MSRP on the entry-level LX is $36,800, and the starting price of an SX Prestige-level Carnival is currently $50,900. Since it debuted in the U.S. market, the Kia Carnival has sold 149,943 total units to date, earning it the 10th spot on our list.

The 2025 model year is a refresh of the design, and comes standard with a six-cylinder GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection) engine. The six-cylinder is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and the Hybrid HEV Kia Carnival four-cylinder to a six-speed automatic box. In addition, you get seven-passenger seating as standard but if you want to upgrade to an eight-seater build, you'll have to shell out for the more expensive LXS trim or higher. The top two trims add a rear entertainment package, 360-degree camera, more power outlets, and a better interior overall.

The Telluride is another popular people carrier that Kia makes that has sold 583,441 units since it was introduced in 2019. You can configure it to seat up to eight passengers, and today the cheapest new model you can get is the LX, which starts at $36,390.

Now, this SUV has had its fair share of problems, with the most common complaints about the Kia Telluride being the interior not holding up that well after a couple years of use, excessive oil consumption, and broken valve springs. Those minor gripes aside, you can comfortably seat adults in all three rows, it can tow up to 5,500 lbs, X-trims handle off-road terrain well, and comes standard with a V-6. That V-6 pushes out 262 lb-ft of torque alongside 291 horsepower, and it all comes in a package that also happens to deliver a combined EPA mpg of between 20 and 22 – not bad Kia.

The Telluride also comes with a system that amplifies the driver's voice to the last row of seating, to better communicate with those sitting there. If you want to buy one new today, you have a whopping 10 trims to choose from, starting with the LX all the way up to the SX-Prestige X-Pro with its base MSRP of $53,685.

The Spectra was introduced as the replacement for the Kia Sephia in 2000, at the turn of the century. Kia intended for it to compete in the segment of the Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic. Production of the Spectra ran from 2000 through 2009, when it too was replaced by the Kia Forte. During that production run, the Spectra had two generational refreshes and sold 589,883 units across the U.S. of the hatchback, four-door, and five-door variants. 

The first generation of the Kia Spectra that ran from 2000 to 2004 came with a 1.8-liter inline-four that pumped out a grand total of 124 horsepower. It could be had with either an automatic or manual transmission, and was essentially just a modernized upgrade of the Sephia that it replaced. It then went through a major overhaul in 2004, with a better interior, better engine, and better safety features. The second-generation Spectra had the same inline-four engine, but this time, the displacement was 2.0-liters, and it produced 138 horsepower.

The first generation was priced quite affordably at $11,245, while 2004 range started at $13,590. This made the Spectra a pretty good bang for your buck, with decent gas mileage of 29 mpg in the city and 36 on the freeways, and room for five passengers. The only real pain point was the cargo space, but if you got the hatchback version, you had yourself a very nice, affordable, reliable all-in one package. 

The Sedona, once Kia's flagship people carrier, sold 610,411 units before it was replaced by the Carnival in 2021. The last model year that you could get new was the 2021, which had three trim levels: LX, EX, and SX. The LX started at $30,400, the EX cost $3,300 more at a base MSRP of $33,700, and the SX that started at $41,500.

All trims came with the now-mature V-6 engine with a displacement of 3.3-liters. The engine was mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and the powertrain put out 248 lb-ft of torque with 276 horsepower. All three trims have an EPA-estimated economy of 18 miles in the city, 24 miles on the highway, and 21 miles combined. The LX and EX trims both got a seven-inch color touchscreen display, although only the SX got the eight-inch version. You also got powered sliding doors as standard on all trims, a conversation mirror, and a rearview camera.

Today, you should be able to get a very decent spec 2021 Kia Sedona for about $19,000 on the used market, making it practically a steal. After all, it's basically a Kia Carnival for half the money.

The Kia Rio was introduced in 1999, and was sold in the States until as recently as 2024. In 2024 it was discontinued, presumably so that it would not compete with sales of the Kia K4 and K5.

When you could buy one new, you had two trim options, the LX and the Rio S. The Kia Rio LX was $16,750, and the S trim was $17,390. Both got the same 1.6-liter MPI (Multi Point Injection) engine mated to an automatic gearbox producing 112 lb-ft of torque and 120 horsepower. Given that powertrain, the Kia Rio was a very fuel-efficient vehicle, with a gas mileage of 41 mpg on the highway,32 mpg in the city, and 36 mpg combined.

In total, the Rio has sold 752,233 units since its U.S. debut and came with a load of options as standard. For instance, you got solar control glass at the front and rear, electric heated mirrors, a 12-volt socket in the center console, wireless Android Auto or Apple Carplay, and a rear-backup camera as standard options — all of which was available on the lower LX trim. 

The Kia Forte was another relatively new addition to Kia's U.S. lineup, having only launched in 2009 as a sedan, but it's already been discontinued as of 2024 in the U.S. The Forte has since been replaced by the Kia K4, which starts at about $21,990 and goes all the way up to $28,090 for the top-end GT-Line Turbo model. 

The base model came with a 2.0-liter multi-port injection (MPI) four-cylinder engine that made 147 horsepower, while the GT and GT MT trims came with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine that was turbocharged, and made 201 hp. The turbocharged engine could push the Forte from zero to sixty in 6.7 seconds, putting it in Golf GTI and Civic Si territory. The Forte of recent years had styling cues taken subtly from the Kia Stinger, and could be had with an eight-speed automatic DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) or a six-speed manual one.

Throughout its lifetime, the Kia Forte logged a total sales volume of 1,432,662 units — the first to cross the one million sales mark on this list.

The Kia Soul is one of the company's highest-sales cars by volume, with over 1,521,271 units sold as of March 2025. However, it is also one of the most polarizing. In fact, a Kia Soul hate page on Instagram has grown to over 200,000 followers. Contentious though it might be, with numbers like that it likely won't be killed off anytime soon. Today, you can scoop up a brand-new 2025 Kia Soul starting at $20,490 for the entry-level LX trim.

That base MSRP climbs to $24,790 for the top-level EX trim, and two other trims are also available in between, called the S and GT-Line respectively. Today, all versions come with a 2.0-liter inline-four cylinder engine making 147 horsepower. 

The Soul has gotten a number of refreshes since it was first shown to the public at a motor show in Detroit in 2006. The most recent of these arrived with the 2023 Kia Soul, which offered improved tech but also dropped the turbocharger. Overall, it's a cheap and cheery runabout that won't let you down.

Finally, we're in the top three. The Kia Optima was introduced over two decades ago to the American market and was at first available to order with a four-cylinder I-4 or a six-cylinder V-6 engine. The model continued selling through the 2000s and the 2010s only to finally cease production with the 2020 model year. However, fret not, as the nameplate may be dead, but the product offering lives on in the form of the Kia K5. You might also be interested to know that in some parts of the world, the K5 is not called the K5 — it's called the Optima.

In 2020, you could get the Optima in six different trim levels, ranging from the $23,390 LX to the $32,190 SX. You could choose from among three engines — a 185 hp 2.0-liter I4, a 1.6-liter 178 hp turbocharged I4 and a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4 making 245 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. The EX trim was the most fuel efficient, with an estimated mpg of 27 in the city, 37 on the highway, and 31 mpg combined.

So how many did Kia sell before the rebrand? The answer is a very respectable 1,561,184.

You might or might not know this, but the heritage of today's unassuming Kia Sportage is actually rooted in one of the most hardcore off-road motor races of all time. The Sportage 4x4 was first introduced to the American market in 1993 for the 1994 production year. One year later the Sportage would finish the grueling Paris-Dakar rally, and it would soon go on to win the equally challenging 1,000-mile Baja 1000 rally raid championship in 1995. 

Both of those were seriously impressive feats from what was undoubtedly an underdog at the time. Today, you can choose to spec your 2025 Kia Sportage from among seven different trim levels. These range from the entry-level LX, priced at $27,390, all the way up to the top-option X-Pro Prestige that would run you $38,290.

The base model LX is FWD only, and costs $1,800 to upgrade to an AWD version. All versions of the 2025 Kia Sportage come with the exact same engine — a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder that makes 187 horsepower and 178 lb-ft of torque. This engine will be mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. You'd also get a pretty decent interior for the price, and an acceptable feature set on lower-level trims, all of which helps make the Sportage the second-best-selling Kia model of all time, with 1,668,799 units sold as of March 2025.

The best-selling Kia model in the United States of all time is the Kia Sorento. It makes sense that one of Kia's longest-running nameplates would be among the highest-selling ones as well. The long-running Sorento was introduced to the stateside market way back in February of 2003, where it instantly caught on. 

If you want to pick one up for yourself, the 2025 Kia Sorento has five trim options, which are the LX, S, EX, SX, and SX-Prestige. The base MSRP on the entry-level LX is $31,990, and the most expensive SX-Prestige costs $47,390 to start. The LX and S have the same 2.5-liter inline-four engine that has gasoline direct injection making 195 lb-ft of torque and 191 horsepower. The EX, SX, and SX-Prestige trim levels add a turbocharger, pushing the output up to 281 horsepower and 312 lb-ft of torque. All engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, but the EX trim and higher get a DCT version of the gearbox.

Since being introduced in the early 2000s, the Kia Sorento has sold 1,844,069 total units and is still available for purchase today. That's average of about 230 units per day every day since the day it was released. If you didn't know, now you can proudly tell people at dinner that you know what the most successful Kia model of all time is.

We looked at official Kia sales data for all of models that were offered in the U.S., going as far back as 1994 in some cases, or as far back as the Kia website would allow. We then manually totaled up and verified the sales figures, and then ordered the ten highest-selling cars from ten to one. For some years Kia would not list the sales figure for a particular model, we've assumed those sales to be zero.