Kia Ceed hatchback - Reliability & safety

The Ceed should be an easy purchase based on the remote chances of it going wrong and a pretty strong safety record. Reassuring performances in our Driver Power owner satisfaction survey and a seven-year warranty mean you’re unlikely to be left stranded, or reaching into your wallet unexpectedly.

Kia Ceed reliability

While this Ceed is an all-new model, built on new underpinnings and with several new engines, we’d be shocked if it's a reliability disaster. Kia has staked its reputation on dependability in recent years and the brand came an impressive second out of 30 manufacturers in our Driver Power survey, three spots ahead of customer favourite Skoda. Of all the respondents, 13.3% told us their Kia had developed a fault within the first year of ownership.

The Kia Ceed came 17th out of 75 models in 2021, putting it well ahead of the Ford Focus in 72nd place. Drivers particularly praised its reliability and build quality, practicality, infotainment system and running costs.

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Safety

Euro NCAP has crash-tested the third-generation Ceed, and it scores four stars as standard. Both its predecessors scored five stars on less stringent tests, and this new car offers the maximum five-star rating if you choose the optional safety pack.

For this new model, more safety kit has been added, with driving assistance technology including driver attention warnings, lane-keeping assistance, auto-dipping headlights and autonomous emergency braking fitted as standard.

The Ceed is also the first Kia to get lane-following assistance, which not only matches the speed of the vehicle ahead on the motorway, but also detects road markings to help you stay in the middle of the lane.