Kia Optima Reviews

4,889,230reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified
  • We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
  • Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
  • We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.

About Kia Optima

The Kia Optima is a mid-size sedan with hybrid options. Read more Kia reviews to learn about other models.


Shop with confidence

Compare with top companies

Kia Optima Reviews

Filter by Rating

  • (18)
  • (7)
  • (4)
  • (33)
  • (208)

Popular Mentions

    How do I know I can trust these reviews about Kia Optima?
    • 4,889,230 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
    • We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
    • We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
    • Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
    Recent
    • Recent
    • Oldest
    • Most helpful

    A link has directed you to this review. Its location on this page may change next time you visit.

    How do I know I can trust these reviews about Kia Optima?
    • 4,889,230 reviews on ConsumerAffairs are verified.
    • We require contact information to ensure our reviewers are real.
    • We use intelligent software that helps us maintain the integrity of reviews.
    • Our moderators read all reviews to verify quality and helpfulness.
    Page 1 Reviews 0 - 10
    Customer ServiceCoveragePricePunctuality & SpeedMaintenanceStaffTimeliness

    Reviewed May 23, 2026

    First car I ever bought from a dealer… a Kia dealer in Connecticut. Worst decision of my life, literally. I was so excited because it was my first real adult purchase… for news twelve to drop a whole section on Kia’s and Hyundais being stolen THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER I BOUGHT MY CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I bought a 2019 Kia Optima LX… that’s been stolen. Not once. Not twice. But THREE TIMES. And what did the dealer do? NOTHING, those people couldn’t even get me in a loaner car for a DAY. My car was stolen 6 months after I made the initial purchase of my car. So WHY NOT talk about the damages …

    12k in damages TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS on a brand new car… so anyways. When they initially recovered my car, it was WRECKED. Back windows BROKEN, ignition? BROKEN both front and back bumpers? CRASHED as well as my trunk??? I don't know how the hell kids do that… and oh, not to forget my DRIVER SIDE HEAD LIGHT HAD TO BE REPLACED.

    THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY. AND I HAD TO GET TWO BRAND-NEW REPROGRAMMED KEYS for the damn car too… luckily, the guy who did all my body work was kind and understanding. And got my repairs done within the week … and you know what my Kia dealership tells me? Buy a wheel lock. It’s the twentieth century, why in the actual hell should I have to purchase a wheel lock? A year and a half later, THE SAME THING HAPPENS. It gets BROKEN into, ignition all tore up had to be replaced, windows are taken out. The whole nine. The dealership did NOTHING.

    They sent you a letter to Kia Consumer Affairs and tell you they can’t do nothing. Mind you …. I’m just a girl in her twenties ….. so you can all imagine all the bs I have to deal with that comes with all of this nonsense. Yes, insurance covered the cost but then I got screwed because my insurance went through the roof.

    So last and third time… I was napping. At 5:40 in the afternoon on a Friday… and two idiots see my car break the lock cylinder out, and take the car within FIVE MINUTES.

    I called Kia to ask if they can tell me if I have a tracker at least on my car. They tell me they don’t do that on the type of TRIM my vehicle has. So once again. For the third time. I have to eat sh!t from Kia and figure this out all by myself because the manufacturers are **!!! No one cares that these cars are like literally toys that kids use to just joyride in. MORAL of the story? Don’t buy a damn Kia.

    Thanks for your vote!
    Profile pic of the author.
    Verified purchase
    CoveragePriceStaff

    Reviewed March 6, 2026

    My car has had multiple major car malfunctions in the last 4 years that are SOMEHOW NEVER CONNECTED but all end up with my car failing. I’ve been to 3 different dealerships across the country, who all failed to find issues, then misdiagnosed my vehicle, AND CHARGED me anyway. They are so irreparably incompetent, I WARN ANYONE to ever buy a vehicle from this company. They can’t even assure you vehicle to survive the 10 year, 100,000 mile wa rranty CAUSE IT WON'T…. and it sure as shit doesn’t help if your issue (on year 9 with 109k miles) have been persisting through since COVID with THEIR improper work and diagnosis. Warranty coverage means 0 to them until you hassle them. They are unresponsive. Unprofessional. Attached images from a different auto body shop which gave me a correct evaluation and even insisted I check with Kia because they felt they wouldn’t be able to reliably do the work.

    Thanks for your vote!

    Not sure how to choose?

    Get buying tips about Car Models delivered to your inbox.

      By entering your email, you agree to sign up for consumer news, tips and giveaways from ConsumerAffairs. Unsubscribe at any time.

      Thanks for subscribing.

      You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter! Enjoy reading our tips and recommendations.

      Customer ServicePunctuality & Speed

      Reviewed Sept. 12, 2025

      I have a 2012 Hybrid Optima. 2 recalls - Called several time for service, stated they would call back. Never did. Needed new brakes. Took car to my mechanic and repaired. Car malfunctioned and mechanic stated it was due to recalls. Car towed to Kia. They had car for 2 days and said they wanted to do diagnostic- NO CALL BACK! When message left with reception No call back from them for a week, no return calls! They did not answer phones in Service Dept. Finally spoke to someone week later. They told me $18,000.+ for another part and $16,000+ for labour = $34,000!!! They were uncompassionate and ridiculous. I will never deal with them again!! They offered no options!! Buyer beware.

      Thanks for your vote!
      MaintenanceStaff

      Reviewed Aug. 13, 2025

      Paint Peeling KIA Optima Snow White Pearl Paint. KIA sold us defective vehicles. KIA is who told me the damages to my car is a factory paint defect known to KIA. They took pictures and Told me to submit a claim. I did then KIA closed it. This is not a warranty issue. It is a global wide across United States, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Thousands of drivers are experiencing this same inherent. It is the manufacturer's responsibility to restore these vehicles back to factory standards. This is a Paint defect that happened at production. Kia told me that I’ll never buy another Kia again or refer anybody to buy one. It’s full of recalls and this paint defect is awful.

      Thanks for your vote!
      Customer ServiceSales & MarketingStaff

      Reviewed Aug. 8, 2025

      I have a 2013 Kia Optima. I contacted Kia Corporate office (via telephone) because my car has over 404,496 miles on it with the original engine. I was inquiring about any incentive Kia may have. I know other car companies advertise about durability, and I felt my car was a testament to this. After a couple of days Kia replied back via email. I thought the email said they did; however, when I called I wss told the employee "fat fingered" the word in the email and they did not. I was really amazed because again my car is 12 years old with the original engine and over 400,000 miles. I thought possible they would consider my vehicle for an advertisement campaign or something since they no longer build/sell Optimas. I was disappointed with Kia.

      Thanks for your vote!
      CoverageTechSales & MarketingPunctuality & SpeedMaintenanceStaff

      Reviewed July 22, 2025

      I have a 2015 Kia Optima that just threw the P1346 OBD II error code. Went to the dealership and they changed out the knock sensor and said everything was good to go. Two days later it threw the error again and my car went into limp mode. Took it back to the dealer and they ran all the tests. They came back clear, but the error did not go away. They submitted the engine for replacement per the 'warranty' and the class action lawsuit.

      Kia came back and said they could not find 1 maintenance record for an oil change between 2022 and 2023. Somehow this one oil change was the difference between getting approved for the warranty replacement and we are on the hook for replacing it. Will never again buy a Kia and deal with a company that petty to use an oil change as "extreme neglect" to get out of taking care of the crappy engines they knew they were selling to customers. So $8K later, and over a week of back and forth over something that caused no issue for 2 years, we are now WAY over what was expected on total investment of this vehicle. Kia is an absolute SCAM.

      Thanks for your vote!
      CoveragePrice

      Reviewed June 11, 2025

      I purchased a 2016 Kia Optima in 2017. The car had 20 miles when I purchased it. I’m the original owner. My car stopped running in 2024 because of the engine. It only has 68,000 miles on the engine and Kia denied fixing it through both the recall settlement process and my extended warranty because they said it wasn’t properly serviced. I had an oil change two weeks prior to the engine failure!! Please, please do not purchase a Kia!! They are stealing money from consumers knowing that this is an issue with the company they purchased engines from. Your engine will cost more than your vehicle is worth.

      Thanks for your vote!
      Maintenance

      Reviewed Sept. 26, 2024

      I purchased a K5 2024. I have owned the car for less than a year and have only 10k miles. My car engine light has been on for over 3 months and Kia service keeps giving me run around telling me, "It's nothing. If it keeps happening take it back," like if I am not busy. ADVICE!!!! Do not get maintenance plans because they do not accept them at all Kias. Horrible experience I am having, I regret going with KIA.

      Thanks for your vote!
      Profile pic of the author.
      Customer ServiceResolution

      Reviewed May 9, 2024

      My car has been at my Kia dealership for over 6 months. It needs a 37511-4R202 - Battery Module and SAF that's supposedly they cannot locate. If the car is under warranty and you cannot get the part what are you supposed to do? It should be replaced. The whole vehicle. I believe this falls under the Lemon Law. The car is underneath the warranty. I have repeatedly spoke with management. Escalations Department can answer me if they made a phone call overseas to see if they're going to make or send the parts needed. Way too much to add. Don't do business with Kia.

      Thanks for your vote!
      CoverageMaintenanceStaff

      Reviewed April 3, 2024

      My first car was a used 2002 Kia Spectra that I drove for nearly 180,000 miles before driving a used Impala. When the chance came to get a brand new car, I opted for a 2013 Optima and I’ve been driving Kia ever since. My 2019 Optima (last purchase) is everything I could have asked for. It’s such a beautiful car. Super comfortable, spacious, and the technology on it is really awesome— useful and user-friendly. Up until yesterday, I swore by Kia.

      As many are experiencing, my five year old vehicle (with 114,000 miles) is consuming ridiculous amounts of oil. Not half-way between my oil change, I had to replace three quarts, and it just barely gave me a low reading!! I had mentioned the oil light flickering in between oil changes to the dealer and was told that it was normal before a change was due. Had the light not come on so soon this time, I would never have learned that it’s in fact not ok for a car to rip through more than three quarts of full synthetic oil in 3,000 miles.

      Of course, my vehicle is now two oil changes past the warranty period, and neither the dealer or Kia Corp will cover the oil consumption test. Doesn’t matter that I’ve done all my service as I should. A “supervisor” at Kia Corp actually said the test ($699) was regular maintenance and that if the vehicle fails the oil consumption test that it would not warrant a new engine under my vehicle’s lifetime “rod bearing” warranty.

      The only solution offered to me was to drive, adding a quart of oil ($11.49) every 800-1000 miles until the engine eventually seized, stalled, or potentially caught fire, in which case they would provide a new one but (according to Kia Corp) ONLY the rod bearing is covered. I traded in my beloved Kia the same night and will never own a Kia again. It’s really a shame. I loved my car. Unfortunately, Kia is selling beautiful, comfortable, economical vehicles WITH DEFECTIVE ENGINES and they are not doing right by their longtime customers. Unless you’re only looking to drive about 100,000 miles with your car, do your due diligence.

      Thanks for your vote!
      Loading more reviews...

      Kia Optima Company Information

      Company Name:
      Kia Optima
      Website:
      www.kia.com