Kia Earns Top Honours In Motortrend’s Ultimate Car Rankings

Kia earned first-place and top-ranked honours in MotorTrend’s ‘Ultimate Car Rankings’ for the second half of 2022, a total of nine Kia models were recognized.

More than half of the podium winners are electrified vehicles, including the crowd favourite 2022 EV6, which took the top spot in the Electric SUV category.

MotorTrend’s buyer’s guide director, Zach Gale, expressed, "With so many of Kia's podium award winners being hybrids or EVs, electrified vehicles are clearly becoming a strong suit for the brand. From the superb Sportage Hybrid to the sporty EV6, Kia has made its presence felt in MotorTrend's Ultimate Car Rankings."

Specifically, the 2023 Telluride, 2022 Rio Sedan, and Rio Hatchback, came in first place in the 3-row SUV, subcompact sedan, and subcompact hatchback segments, respectively. 

Bolstering Kia’s stable of EVs, the 2022 Niro, Sportage Hybrid and Sorento Hybrid took second place in the Compact Hybrid Hatch, Compact Hybrid SUV, and 3-Row Hybrid SUV segments.

Kia America’s chief operating officer and executive vice president, Steve Center, concluded, “We are honoured that so many of our vehicles have been recognized, especially the EV6, which continues to reaffirm its leadership status among an impressive field of electrified competitors. While these rankings reinforce our advancement in electrification thus far, we’ll only become more formidable as our ‘Plan S’ strategy continues to unfold.”

That said, MotorTrend updates its Ultimate Car Rankings list twice a year, which evaluates how a car drives, long-term value, safety, efficiency, driving range, technology, and more.