Kia tops J.D Power initial quality survey
South Korean brand is the first non luxury car maker to top survey in 27 years.
Kia has topped J.D Power's initial quality survey for the first time, improving from its second place in 2015.
The initial quality survey ranks brands on problems experienced within the first 90 days of ownership based on responses from more than 80,000 new car owners in the US.
This was the first time in 27 years that a non luxury brand has topped the survey with a total of 83 problems reported for every 100 vehicles.
Kia buyers singled out the brand's engine and transmission and interior functions - such as stereo and air conditioning - as of the highest quality.
Porsche came in second with a score of 84 and Kia's sister brand Hyundai came in third with 92.
Both the Kia Soul and the new Kia Sportage topped their respective categories and the Kia Rio, Sorento and the Forte - which is called the Cerato locally - all finished within the top three of their categories.
Kia's high reliability score is reflected in strong local car sales where the brand has experienced a year-on-year growth of 24 per cent through May this year.
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