The Sportage was awarded the same title at last year’s inaugural CarBuyer Car of the Year Awards, making it a repeated triumph for Kia. The popular 4x4 from Kia has now racked up eight awards since its launch in 2010.
“We are delighted to be bringing not one, but two award winning Kia models to Coleraine”, commented Ian Lamont from Roadside Kia. “To see the Sportage take the title of Best 4x4 for two years in a row is a great success. We can help the local area contribute towards a much greener future and are particularly pleased that the Rio was recognised as Green Car of the year. This proves that you don't have to choose expensive hybrid or range-limiting electric technology to do your bit for the environment.”
The CarBuyer website gives straight-forward, no-nonsense advice on every new car on the UK market for people who want to know what will suit their needs. Kia's now well-established reputation for quality, reliability, style and unparalleled value, thanks partly to its industry-best fully transferable and transparent seven year warranty, has helped Kia pick up the two awards.
Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief of CarBuyer and Auto Express said: "Kia's Sportage was CarBuyer's inaugural Car of the Year in 2011 and it wins in the 4x4 category for the second year running. We love its style, quality and the way it drives, which when combined with Kia's impressive buying package, makes for a superb all-round buy.
"Joining the Sportage in the winners' circle this year is the Rio, which wins CarBuyer's first Green Car Award. Here's a car that offers the sort of economy and emissions you'd expect from a hybrid in a conventional diesel-powered car. But the Rio is anything but conventional - it's a spacious, high quality family hatchback that's great value to buy and run," added Steve.
If you look at the top 10 list of cars sold in America over the last couple of years you won’t see Kia anywhere on the list in terms of a single model. Instead, you see names like the Ford F-Series pickup, Toyota Camry, Chevy Silverado, and Honda Civic. Yet the same time Kia is eighth in terms of total number of vehicles sold in the United States; better than Chrysler, Mazda, and some other well-known names. Among all Kias the most popular models are the Forte sedan and the Soul.
When it comes to ensuring a brand-new Kia Soul the average driver only pays about $1,300 per year over the first five years. For the Forte sedan it’s slightly higher at about $1,400 per year. These numbers are pretty similar to other cars in the same class, so you won’t be pulling your hair out if you’re looking for cheap car insurance. Obviously, if you take any basic Kia model and start adding extras to it, you’ll drive up its overall value along with your insurance price.
