Kia Takes Big 2023 Wins

Kia UK is thrilled to have been honoured with two awards at the prestigious 2023 What Car? Car of the Year Awards, including an impressive major category win for their Kia Sportage.

Additionally, amongst its successful year, Kia UK Limited recently accomplished something truly remarkable – they earned their 3rd consecutive Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, the highest accolade available from this respected customer feedback organisation.

Kia Sportage: Best Family SUV

What Car? magazine’s judging panel dubbed the Kia Sportage ‘Best Family SUV’ among its rivals in the UK’s most popular and competitive vehicle segment. With this award, it has solidified itself as a top choice for families looking for an all-round exciting ride.

Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK Limited, commented:

We’re proud to see the Sportage recognised by What Car? as the ideal family vehicle. As our best-selling model in the UK, it’s incredibly popular with buyers looking for a car that covers all the bases, at a range of different price points. Now offering hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, the model perfectly represents our leadership in electrification and also gives customers greater choice.

The Kia Sportage is a mid-size SUV that provides an unmatched driving experience with its powerful engine, comfortable suspension and an array of safety features. For those looking for optimal fuel efficiency, the Sportage features Eco-Dynamics technology that offers improved aerodynamics and maximised fuel economy. Significantly updated over the years, it now also comes with a range of entertainment options such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and cutting-edge audio systems.

The judging panel for the awards, made up of the magazine’s team of expert road testers, commented:

We’ve group tested the Kia Sportage extensively in various guises over the last 12 months, and it’s emerged victorious every time. But when you consider its competitive pricing, all of the equipment that you get as standard and how complete a car the Sportage is, it’s easy to see why. It strikes a near-perfect balance between agility and comfort, which gets it off to a great start against any rival. Meanwhile, the interior neatly blends practicality with style.

Kia’s Sportage has become an increasingly popular choice for UK families over the past year. With 29,655 units sold in 2022 alone and five generations of model variations being released since its introduction at the beginning of that same year – including hybrid and plug-in hybrids.

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EV9: Readers’ Choice Award

In an impressive show of enthusiasm, What Car? readers have bestowed the Kia EV9 with their ‘Readers’ Choice’ award. This honour is a testament to its highly anticipated release in 2023 and proves that it already has considerable appeal among car enthusiasts looking for something unique on the road!

We asked What Car? readers to name the upcoming model that they’re most excited about from a 14-car shortlist, with each of the contenders given equal promotion via our website and social media channels. But despite this, the Kia EV9 emerged victorious after attracting more than twice as many votes as the second-placed car. This is the second time in three years that Kia has won this award, with the EV6 taking top spot in 2021. If the EV9 turns out to be as good as that car, it will be truly special.

Kia is set to revolutionise the electric SUV market with their new Kia EV9. The model will be unveiled in 2023 and UK drivers can expect it before the year’s end, as part of a long-term strategy towards electrification leadership coined ‘Plan S’. After receiving What Car? Car of the Year honours for its predecessor, Kia is readying nine total EVs by 2027 – including an all-new Niro model.

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Kia goes Platinum with latest Trusted Service Award

Kia UK Limited has gone above and beyond to achieve the venerated Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, capping off three consecutive years of earning awards for their exemplary customer service. This remarkable feat is a true reflection of Kia’s focus on customers being at the centre of everything they do – as only those who consistently go above and beyond are eligible for such an accomplishment from one esteemed organisation like Feefo.

Despite navigating difficult market conditions and consumer confidence being at its lowest in years, Kia has managed to secure a highly-coveted award for customer service; this is evident by the impressive sales figures of 100,191 vehicles during their largest year ever. The Institute of Customer Service’s research showed that complaints had risen 17.3% between late 2021-2022 – making it all the more extraordinary that Kia was able to deliver excellent customer satisfaction across various areas and receive such an esteemed accolade.

Congratulating Kia UK, Tony Wheble, CEO at Feefo, said:

This year has been a difficult one for so many businesses. I’m delighted to recognise thousands of our clients that have overcome various challenges to provide such high levels of customer service and satisfaction. The Trusted Service Awards have always been about recognising companies that go way beyond the norm in customer service and in turn receive great feedback from delighted customers. A particular congratulations to Kia UK for winning a Platinum Trusted Service Award by providing great customer service consistently over a number of years. I look forward to seeing them continue to achieve next year and beyond.

David Hart, Customer Experience Manager at Kia UK Limited, commented:

It is extremely satisfying to receive this award, which is importantly based on real customer views. Kia is now a mainstream brand in the UK, selling its largest volume in a year ever in 2022, so it’s great to see that our customers love our products and are continuing to receive a fantastic experience despite the larger volumes we’re now delivering.

Businesses that earn a Gold Trusted Service Award for three consecutive years receive one of Feefo’s highest honours for outstanding customer service. First introduced in 2019, a Platinum Trusted Service Award is a certified seal of approval that shows customers the value of their feedback through ratings and reviews.

Kia partnered with Feefo in October 2020 to give prospective customers access to reliable, independent feedback from real Kia owners.