Kia Ceed Hatchback (07 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 11 February 2010
For buyers who think Kia is merely a manufacturer of cheap cars the Cee'd will come as a real surprise. Designed for European buyers it's a huge improvement over its predecessor (the dull Cerato) and matches many of the mainstream alternatives. The styling is neat, it's spacious inside and the interior is modern and well-finished. Driver appeal isn't its strong point but it is safe and comfortable with a good range of engines including two excellent diesels. The best bit however is the seven-year/100,000 mile warranty which comes as standard on all new cars and can be transferred to subsequent owners. The Cee'd was given a mild facelift in late 2009 with changes to the exterior styling, improvements to the interior and the introduction of a new economical engine with stop/start technology called ISG. This system is used in the low-emissions EcoDynamics models. Not happy with one award, Kia has scooped two accolades with the Cee’d 1.4 VR-7. The car is well built, stylish and has huge space inside and the materials are of a good quality. It also comes with a seven-year/100,000-mile warranty. This model took the medium hatchback and more importantly the cee’d won the inaugural 2011 Parkers New Car Award after fending off strong competition from the likes of BMW, Audi and Skoda.
4 out of 5

Other Kia reviews

4.5 out of 5

Safety

The Cee'd is one of Kia’s safest ever models, receiving a five star Euro NCAP crash test rating. Six airbags (twin front, side and curtain airbags) are standard across the range. The front passenger airbag can be deactivated so a rear-facing child seat can be carried and there are two Isofix child seat mounting points in the rear. Active head restraints, which respond in a crash to help support the heads of front seat occupants and reduce the risk of whiplash injuries are also fitted. Electronic stability control was available as an option on LS models but became standard on Cee'd 3 models when the model was facelifted.

NCAP Test

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Provides motoring consumers with a realistic and independent assessment of the safety performance of some of the most popular cars sold in Europe.

Visit Euro NCAP for more info

  • Adult Occupant Rating

    5 out of 5
  • Child Protection Rating

    4 out of 5
  • Pedestrian Test Rating

    1 out of 5
4 out of 5

Reliability

Kia's warranty currently offers the longest cover for engine and gearbox of any car manufacturer - a good indication of how confident the company is in its reliability. No major problems are expected.

Car check problem points

Body

No problems reported.

Engine/Gearbox

No problems reported.

Other

No problems reported.