Kia UK Reviews 

KIA EV6 THIEVES PARADISE

I am writing this after a very terrible and disheartening experience.
I bought a new KIA EV6 GT-LINE in 2023.
I have regularly serviced the vehicle, applied OTA updates and also car is registered in my KIA CONNECT app.

But still thieves are break threw the security of this state of the art car, packed with so much technology.
A thief stole my car in under 2 mins...UNBELIEVABLE...JUST UNBELIEVABLE.

To make it worse as he stolen it he made the car un-register from my app automatically.

I was left so handicapped, not knowing how to trace my car.
Just frustrates me to say why KIA make such technology that is THIEVES,ROBBER friendly.

KIA Cars are not cheap by any standard but still security is low class.

Why can't they advise and recommend manual method of hardening the car.

I loved KIA EV6 it is wonderful vehicle but I am sorry to say it is a GOLD DUCK waiting to be eaten by criminals,thieves and robbers.

I have given my VIN number to trace but it has been more than 24hrs not one response...never expected this from KIA.

I have been using a 25 plate Kia Niro for work and the engine management light came on whilst driving at 30mph. No issues with how the car drives but obviously wanted it checking out with it being brand new. Had to wait 3 weeks for an appointment at Lincoln Kia. Took it in for them to check it out. They told me it was either a water pump or the wires to the water pump and could I bring it back on 1st Sept to have the work done. I took it back today, arranged lifts there/back (20 miles each way) etc and work cover only to get a phone call early afternoon telling me the technician has confirmed it's the water pump. OK, I thought we already knew that......so is he fixing it? Not today. They advised not to drive the car and to leave it with them. (I've been driving it for the last 6 weeks with no problems).
OK, so how long to fix it?
Well the good news is that the parts are in stock so it will only be 2 or 3 days. Right, so I'll have the car back at the end of the week?
Oh no, we can't fit the work in until 17th September! It's the 1st today and my car won't be ready to the 17th and you don't want me to drive it. Crazy. No sane person could be without their car for that long. Kia are absolutely out of their mind. Their customers obviously don't matter to them. 3 trips to fit a water pump, how incompetent can you get? Let's just say next time I'm looking for a car for myself it definitely will NOT be a Kia!

Terrible experience – faulty car, ignored legal rights, and shocking service

I purchased a used Kia from **Donalds Kia Ipswich** earlier this year and the experience has been nothing short of a nightmare. Within days of taking delivery, the engine management light came on and the car developed serious issues including:

* **Excessive revving**
* **Strong vibrations** when driving
* **Engine management light repeatedly returning** even after being “fixed”

Despite these clear and ongoing faults, my **legal right to reject the vehicle** under the Consumer Rights Act has been completely ignored by Kia Ipswich and Kia UK. Instead of accepting the return, I have been given dismissive responses and passed from one branch to another.

At Kia Brentwood, I was told to pay **£180 for spark plugs**, even though Ipswich confirmed these had supposedly been changed at the last service. I was assured this would fix the problem and that the car had been road tested – yet the issues returned immediately. I’m still waiting to be reimbursed for that payment.

I have had to chase constantly, with little to no response. Emails go unanswered, calls are not returned, and I’ve been left stuck with a car that is clearly not fit for purpose.

I must specifically call out **David Hardiman at Donalds Kia Ipswich**, whose handling of this matter has been dismissive and unhelpful throughout. His refusal to acknowledge my rights and failure to deal with the situation fairly has forced me to escalate matters to the **Motor Ombudsman, Trading Standards and my bank.

This has been an extremely stressful experience, and I would strongly warn others against buying from **Kia Ipswich or Kia UK**. They do not stand by their customers, they do not uphold consumer law, and their aftersales service is appalling.

Kia recalled our car for a fuse fault. The job takes 2 hours tops but they insisted they have the car all day which is inconvenient for us who rely on the car for work. If I asked my client to come for an appointment of 1 hour but they have to be around all day waiting it would be unacceptable. I will never use Kia again I have other complaints as well as this one. RUBBISH garage.

Received a safety recall notification, concerning a possible fault with the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit, which could possibly burn, melt or smoke.
Called local Kia garage ( Flear & Thomson of Dunfermline) and got no answer, emailed & got no reply, visited garage & was told I’d get a call to resolve issue, but never got a call.
Tried customer services for Kia & still waiting a month on.
Very poor service for such an important safety recall.

KIA HAVE STILL NOT RESOLVED OR RESPONDED TO CUSTOMER FEEDBACK !!

LIVES AT RISK NOW.

I leased a Sportage 2021 car with Kia, which was returned in May of this year.
Would I use Kia again? NEVER!
After a year the suspension went in the car, which the dealer said was down to speed bumps. Laugh out loud! Poor manufacturing and parts is the real issue.
When the car was returned in May I have literally had to fork out £650. I am so angry. Even though I had the car serviced 4 times in 4 years, Kia argued I should have had it done at exactly 10000 miles. The whole company is a mess and so are the conceited and arrogant people who work in the complaints department. Individuals who don’t even put their full name on communication. “Dylan P” is both conceited and arrogant and clearly gets off on a feeling of power.
If you are thinking of personal leasing with Kia, you will regret it!

Upgraded to an EV6 GTs from an E-Nero 4+ What a mistake that was. Nero was a solid car. EV6 has had nothing but problems. Battery charge system failure. Battery wouldn't charge above 70% Brakes, indicator switch, air con systems ( they have no parts in the UK for replacement) The list goes on. . .
Customer Service don't have a clue about warranty parts coming in either. Just keep saying there sorry.
They keep pumping these cars out but a 7 year warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on if Kia don't have the warranted parts to replace them.
It's a case of shipping the cars out fast at inflatable prices and then stuff the customers.
It's a case of . . DON'T BUY KIA..

If i could i would give 0
Shocking customer service
My car has been with them for 9 weeks Went in for a knocking noise on the trailing arm bush.
To then be told that the engine needed to be stripped for them to investigate further they had my service booklet which then kia warranty agreed for it stripped under warranty.
Once it was stripped s g petch kia darlington told me that it needed a new engine which was hopefully covered under warranty.
4 weeks later i was told that kia warranty had refused it under warranty due to back before i had the car the service was late by 2231 miles.(may i add this is nearly 5 years later). Also since then my car has done a extra 40000 miles and your telling me that by not getting the oil changed delayed by 2000 miles has caused this problem now. I think not.
I brought the car under the impression that it had 7 years full kia warranty and a full service history clearly this isn’t the case.
S gpetch told me for me to have the work carried out it would cost me £7000.
In the mean time i have been back and forth with the dealership trying to get my car back to it’s original state.
I drove it in garage and it was ok.
I was told that my car was not in running condition and if i wanted it back
I would have to have it on a tow tuck!!
I was basically black mailed into rather paying the £7000 or to pay £508 to get them to put the parts back on which was done under warranty!
How can they take my car apart under warranty but not put it back together without me having to pay for it.
They surely didn’t have to strip it as much as they did to see what the problem was.

This has been that stressful it has caused me to fall ill with worry / financial stress.

Honestly to everyone who reads this please don’t buy kia and definitely not from S g petch Darlington

Kia UK customer service.
Complete and utter waste of time.
Longggg story, got an issue with our Kia 2021 Sportage GT Line S.
Waiting for an elusive replacement, the Electronic handbrake now for going on 3 months with our local Kia Dealership.
Kia Fish Brothers Swindon.
This is the 2nd brand new Sportage that has had this issue.
All we get is it’s on back order.
Very sorry sir.
So out of desperation I rang Kia UK customer service to see if they can chase things up.
I explained that the car is now off the road as with no hand brake it’s an MOT failure and insurance won’t pay out if we are involved in an accident because of a handbrake issue.
I’m really sorry sir there is nothing we can do, you will just have to wait.
Errh we have been waiting 3 months now and we cannot use the car and no one can tell us when this part will come in. Next week, next month, next year.
Can’t use the car and can’t sell the car.

As a disclaimer, this review is solely about the service we received and our experience. Not a review of a KIA product. As we have not received the product yet.

After 4 years off the road, and not owning a car i was particularly anxious about purchasing a car. My Fiancé also was suffering from anxieties which we will touch on later.
Chris at KIA Triangle resolved these anxieties perfectly. And i will tell you how.

For context:
My Fiancé is a US citizen and "vertically challenged", she's been driving since she was 10, and those American roads are wider than here in the UK. So in order for her to feel comfortable with the narrow roads and lots of roadside parked vehicles. She wanted to be able to see clearly over the bonnet and the wheel arches.

We had visited a fair chunk of dealers, MG, Hyundai, Nissan, Skoda. Presenting them all with this information yielded no real solutions. We sat in lots of cars and checked our parameters. We met young cowboy salesmen and older grumpy salesmen alike. And definitely felt like a car salesman stereotype was being proven true across the board.
After trying to test drive cars that didn't meet our requirements, we hit a wall.

So we land at KIA triangle, on first impressions, the building is clean, modern and stylish well suited to the modern shapes of EV's.
Chris spared no time in making our acquaintance, we very directly told him what we had been doing and our requirements in specs and finances.
He showed us an EV3 GT-Line S which was not meeting our requirements. He showed us a Nero EV and that did meet our requirements, but not finances. Whilst we were sitting in that car Chris said he had an idea and excused himself politely to pursue his idea.
Upon meeting back with him he had made a phone call to the workshop to see about customizing the height of the seat. Amazingly this was possible, and it bought us 2 inches.

Chris then proceeded to make sure that the car was affordable for us. Taking the time to adjust our deposit amount to tailor the monthly payments to our preferences. Once we had established we could afford the EV3 Aero, Chris had yet another great idea.

Chris politely asked his colleague if he could acquire her back support pillow for her chair so that my fiancé could see whether the modification would be viable. He called for an EV3 Aero to be dropped off at the branch so we could test it.
5-10 minutes later the car arrived and we swiftly tested it. Hallelujah! it worked. Or at the very least my fiancé felt comfortable with the amount of visibility. Having that option to then make that permanent was amazing.

There was no way we weren't going to test this car, so we booked for the next day. Before we left, Chris made sure we had all the details of the car and finance to hand by printing a booklet for us. We also clarified with Chris he was comfortable driving in the car with my fiancé who had never driven on anything other than a car park in the UK. Without hesitation and as cool as a cucumber he said it was no problem.

The next day we arrived, he was ready the moment we got there. Straight into the vehicle. Making sure my fiancé was in the front so he could show her the controls more closely. He drove us to the perfect spot where he knew it was quiet and safe for her to drive.
As my fiancé was driving Chris barely spoke and respected my fiancés need to concentrate. He was patient and calm and as she concluded her part of the experience, she was smiling, and unprompted, said that the car was great!

Then it was my turn and Chris gave me the hotseat, showing me the sports mode on the dual carriageway and through different speed zones and road curvature/types. All the way through answering all my questions about the features. And engaging in friendly chit chat. Also he was patient with my slight inability to control the speed of this amazing vehicle and our dislike for the safety features. (we just don't like cars doing the thinking for us)

We landed back at Triangle and me and my fiancé looked at each other and we knew this was the car!
I rang my dad, as he dropped us off and was looking after the kids. Finalized the documents, finances and details. By the end of our experience we left as future owners of a KIA EV3 .

To summarize:
Chris was patient, and showed a calm and calculated resolve. His innovation and determination to problem solve was probably what sealed the deal on this purchase. He went the distance for us, on two people which are roughly the age of his own children. With strange circumstances and particular requirements.
He didn't gloat or bad mouth other businesses. Nothing he did felt predatory, it genuinely felt like he would have been honest about anything with us. Regardless if it sold the car or not. A great guy!

Please make sure Chris gets the recognition he deserves. and if Chris is reading this, Thank you so much.

Bought a brand new kia sorento in 2023, since day 1 it has had issues after issues with the vehicle. Tried to reject it but was fobbed off by kia and motor onbudsman! In the 2 years iv had it its been in and out of the garage nearly 6 times with the same fault. Turbo keeps going! It has 7 year warranty apparently its only valid for 12 months for a courtesy vehicle! Iv got no car to get mobile and i have been passed over from one department to another to get me mobile! Still i have had no luck with them! It is school holidays and we had activities booked for the kids now i cant take them anywhere because kia wont provide me with a vehicle! They say we have to diagnose the issue first which could take 2-5 days depending on the technician if he can find the fault! RAC came out and diagnose it and was told by kia that they not technicians and we dont use they report! What a load of crap! If your thinking of buying a kia save yourself the hassle and money and go for another brand! Bigeest mistake i did was going for a kia with 7 year warranty! Do not get fooled when they say its a 7 year warranty!

Customer care....sorry but its a joke. The part for my car was not ordered and i am now left with a car with no MOT. The car was booked well in advance for its MoT but because the part was not delivered it was cancelled. They then asked for £550 upfront for a courtesy car which i declined because if i was the victim of an accident in that car i could loose it all. Customer care arranged a car which was cancelled by them twice and although i booked a mot test weeks in advance i am now left without a car because KIA does not know when the part for my car will arrive, 8 in transit with no ETA to the dealership. Absolutely dire. I have been messed about big style and customer care apparently does not know what the dealerships are doing. I have had 4 Kias, but what is a 7 year warranty if the company cannot supply its own parts? This fiasco has cost me time and money and i am having to cancel my holiday as no one knows when my part is coming....how bad is that!

Found out today now my car is over 7 years old the traffic services and speed cameras no longer work because the 7 year license with tomtom live has expired and cannot be renewed? Absolutely so dissatisfied rang dealer couldn't help tried tomtom they couldn't help feel so let down and on kia forum I am not alone so many upset customers

Poor poor poor, £725 delivery fee with no obligations to deliver, they could care less about when they deliver your vehicle to the dealership. Leave vehicles sat at the docks for weeks/months on end, dealers then fob you off with excuses about transport efficiency, what absolute garbage, they think you’re too stupid to know they have to pay to store cars at the docks. Used to be a time that customers mattered but the car industry is in a mess through their own faults. Can’t even tell you what the car is like because it’s not even close to being delivered still. Ordered in May ‘25, vehicle arrived 24/6/25, went through all its checks by 30/6/25 been sat at the docks ever since. Still no signs of delivery, ridiculous service.
Wish I had paid the extra and stayed with Hyundai as I have NEVER had a single problem. This will 100% be my 1st and last Kia, if I don’t cancel it. Which at time of writing this I am very close to as I am dreading what standards the rest of their services are like if they can’t even be bothered to deliver a customer their vehicle.

Our new EV3 stopped charging. The Rayleigh dealer have had it for 4 days and still not looked at it. Were are 200 miles from home. How are we supposed to get there

We bought a brand new Kia Stonic the handover from Holden Kia Norwich was atrocious to start with. When the vehicle was 10 months old a series of lights came up in the dashboard. We tried to get the dealer to do an urgent diagnostic but they wouldn’t. When they eventually did find the problem nearly a month later, it was a rear wheel sensor we were told the tool was in back order but it was the part that was on back order.
We contacted the CEO of Kia UK who told us it was nothing to do with them the garage is a franchise and we must deal with them. We would not touch Kia with a barge pole ever again. They may give a 7 year warranty but if it takes three months for every repair you would need a long warranty.

***DO NOT BUY KIA - WARRANTY IS WORTHLESS*** Really disappointed with the service levels Kia and their franchises provide. Car is still within warranty and discovered third major issue with the car this week. Have been told it's at least a 4 week wait for diagnostics (plus additional time to do the fix) and Kia won't provide a temporary car in the meantime. Our car isn't driveable and we have no other means of transport. When you speak to head office they blame the franchises and when you speak to the franchises, they blame Kia. Absolutely no accountability from anyone. The warranty which Kia claim is such a selling point is absolutely worthless if you aren't able to get the car repaired in a reasonable timescale. Exactly the same situation occurred last year and we were left for weeks without a car. Please provide us with a temporary car and good customer service!!!!

Ken Jervis Kia
Bought what i was told a £35000 car kia Sportage GT line petrol only done 3000 miles.

Asked for a quote for a possible upgrade to plugin or Hybrid I was told it was only worth £24000 £11000 drop, also when I bought the car the manager Jamie told me the passenger seat went up and on look it dosnt but I let that one slide but now with the quote £11000 drop I cant let this go.

Updated Review: Brayley's Kia Oxford - A Deplorable Aftersales Experience
The Problem:
My new EV3 consistently reduces its charging rate from 7kW (expected from my Ohme home charger) down to 3.6kW. This significantly extends charging times and undermines the convenience of owning an EV.
The Appointment Process:
Booking an appointment was a month-long wait, a clear indicator of the general struggles with aftersales service in this country. When I finally secured a slot, the service representative at the desk acknowledged that this charging issue is a known problem with these models, and a software upgrade is the typical solution. This initial acknowledgment gave me a glimmer of hope.
The Service Experience - A Blatant Rip-Off:
I dropped off my car yesterday, expecting a diagnostic check and the promised software upgrade. To my dismay, I received a call yesterday evening informing me that no issue was found. Their reasoning? The car charged fine at their 10.8kW dealership charger. They even went as far as to suggest I might be using the wrong cable, having found my Tesla emergency 3-pin charger in the boot – a cable entirely unrelated to the home charging issue.
The most outrageous part came next: I was informed that the warranty does not cover this "diagnostic" if no fault is found, and I would have to pay a staggering £150 before I could even collect my car. Crucially, at no point during the booking process or when dropping off the car was I informed that a charge would be levied even if no fault was found. This blatant lack of transparency is utterly unacceptable and feels like a deliberate trap.
The Insulting Follow-Up Calls:
My frustration escalated further with the subsequent phone calls. Kia Customer Services UK contacted me, reiterating the dealership's position that the charges were "right" and that they had "stolen my money for right reasons." This callous justification for extracting money for a diagnostic on a brand-new, warranty-covered vehicle, especially without prior warning of potential costs, is appalling.
Adding insult to injury, I then received a call from the very same service manager I had dealt with yesterday. He proceeded to explain the "same crap" about how the money "stolen" from me was perfectly justified because they had spent time on a "full Kia warranty car." This explanation, delivered after wasting my time and significantly increasing my anxiety, completely lacked any remorse or courtesy. Instead, he dismissively said, "good luck with your future endeavours." This was the final straw in what felt like a deliberate act of daylight robbery without an ounce of empathy. What a shambles and a complete waste of time the whole Kia experience has been, especially with the service manager and staff from Kia Oxford. I am so angry that I have been robbed by these daylight robbers of my money without a shred of remorse. What a scam and a shambles.
My Deep Frustration and Anger:
This entire experience is utterly unacceptable.
Faulty Brand New EVs: It's infuriating that these supposedly cutting-edge EVs come with inherent faults from the factory.
Charging for Diagnostics on a New Car: To then be charged a hefty fee just to have a brand-new, faulty vehicle checked under warranty is a blatant rip-off. Where is the "warranty" in this scenario? Where is the gesture of goodwill for a customer who has already paid a substantial sum for a new car?
The Wider Issue:
My conversation with Kia customer service echoed the dealership's stance: if they can't find a fault, I pay. This highlights a severe disconnect between manufacturers, dealerships, and consumers. These companies seem solely interested in selling their products and then leaving customers to deal with hefty bills and unresolved issues.

The suggestion that the problem won't occur at commercial fast chargers is another red flag. Why invest in an EV for home charging convenience if it only works reliably on expensive public infrastructure? It's a waste of money, time, and causes immense stress and anxiety.

Conclusion:
My experience with Brayley's Kia Oxford, following on from other poor aftersales encounters, has been nothing short of a nightmare. I am extremely angry and frustrated. The entire Kia experience, particularly with the service manager and staff from Kia Oxford, has been a deplorable scam and a shambles. I have been robbed by these daylight robbers of my money without a shred of remorse.

Based on this, I strongly advise anyone considering a new EV, especially a Kia, to look elsewhere – perhaps at brands like Tesla or BYD. Do not bother with these dealerships; they appear to be more interested in scamming you out of your hard-earned money than providing genuine support for their products.

On arrival at KIA Brixton, Plymouth garage I was pleased to wander around and look at the cars on offer (No hassle) and after finding a Kia Niro Hybrid found a salesman, took the car for a quick ride . I explained I had never driven an hybrid before but Ian the rep was very patient at talked me through it. All good bought the car cash and picked up a week later all washed and polished. Drove it along the motorway 2 days later and noticed a vibration at 60 to 70 mph contacted Kia and they booked it in right away all sorted great service.