The Kia cee’d has been named the most dependable compact car and Kia Motors has been ranked second overall brand for dependability, according to a new UK study by JD Power.
The inaugural JD Power 2015 UK Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) is an industry-wide survey, examining problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of vehicles up to three years old. Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting a higher long-term quality level.
In the study, Kia Motors ranked second out of every brand featured in the results with a score of 83 – the second lowest in JD Power’s study, and significantly below the industry average of 114 for 2015. In the compact class, Kia’s best-selling cee’d took top honours, being named the most dependable car in its segment.
Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia Motors UK, commented: “Kia has a long-standing commitment to quality, and this result demonstrates that our products are now some of the most dependable and well-built cars on the road. This backs up the results of previous studies from all around the world, which highlight the quality and reliability of our cars.”
New testing regime for every new Kia model
Kia recently established its new Global Quality Centre, adding a further level of quality testing and verification to ensure that every new Kia vehicle is engineered, tested and manufactured to exceed customer expectations.
This final stage of development for new vehicles involves advanced component quality assessment and evaluation, and final vehicle testing in controlled conditions designed to emulate extreme high and low temperatures, humidity and wind speeds, as well as intense vibrations. This final level of assessment is carried out in conjunction with Kia’s suppliers, enabling both parties to benefit from any findings.
All Kia models undergo testing to ensure high durability in all conditions, but the new Global Quality Centre introduces the most extensive qualitative evaluation ever carried out by the brand. All future Kia vehicles will be tested this way to ensure continuous improvements to vehicle quality and the brand’s reputation for producing cars that exceed buyers’ expectations.
Kia’s rigorous vehicle development programme
Kia’s new car development programme is carried out on a global scale, with over one million kilometres of durability testing carried out around the world – equivalent to approximately 27 circulations of the Earth around the Equator.
Cars are tested across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America, for extreme climate testing and quality verification for all components used in Kia’s latest vehicles. Throughout this programme, Kia models are subjected to extreme cold and heat and high altitude, and face up to the unique demands of the desert, congested city centres, mountain passes and permafrost regions. Extensive testing is also carried out across Europe’s particularly diverse range of roads.
