It’s unbelievable to think that Kia Motors started out manufacturing steel tubing and bicycle parts nearly 76 years ago. Many generations and countless hurdles later, Kia Motors accomplished what even Toyota couldn’t. Today, people are rethinking what a quality automobile looks and feels like; they’re also rethinking what makes cars and trucks luxurious. We should credit a lot of this change in perception to the Korean automaker Kia Motors.

Though its rise to popularity has been a shaky one, Kia managed to drastically turn things around over the past few years or so. In 2016, the Kia Optima SXL stole J.D. Power’s top spot for Initial Quality. For these reasons, if you’re in the market for a Certified Pre-Owned car, Kia is the way to go.

What exactly are the IntelliChoice Awards and why they matter

According to MotorTrend, IntelliChoice is one of the longest standing automotive data analysis groups in the United States. IntelliChoice boasts a little over 30 years of experience conducting automotive research and data analytics. Companies such as CARFAX, Incorporated gather their Certified Pre-Owned car data from IntelliChoice.

IntelliChoice is up there with entities like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and J.D. Power and Associates. Additionally, it’s a part of the Motor Trends Group which has been around since 1949. So, if you were wondering why the IntelliChoice Awards is such a big deal, there’s your answer.

According to IntelliChoice, it’s the only one in the industry issuing an “independent report card comparing Certified Pre-Owned programs.” CPO programs are rated according to nine specific criteria singled out by auto buyers as being most critical to choosing a pre-owned car.

How Kia managed to dominate the IntelliChoice CPO program awards

Kia won these three Certified Pre-Owned programs in 2020: Best Certified Pre-Owned, Best Popular CPO Warranty, and Best Popular Brand Used Ownership Costs. Cadillac won two for Best Premium CPO Program and Best Premium Brand Used Ownership Costs. The 2020 Best Premium CPO Warranty went to Acura as well.

Considering the decades of combined auto manufacturing experience of both Cadillac (GMC) and Acura (Honda), Kia deserves the praise. However, it may be a good idea to break down each Certified Pre-Owned category Kia won.

The Best Certified Pre-Owned Program Award

First, Kia won the Best CPO Program Award in the “Popular” category. This program category doesn’t include luxury vehicles. Vehicles eligible to win the Best CPO Program Award must not exceed a median MSRP of $42,000. Since most of Kia’s vehicles fall within this range, it was able to win this award in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020.

The Best Certified Pre-Owned Warranty Program

The 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty and 1-year/12,000-mile platinum coverage offered by Kia resulted in the Best CPO Warranty Program Award. Winners of this category also demonstrate a strong used car brand value and CPO sales market penetration.

Along with Cadillac, Kia won in the Popular and Premium categories in this program. And while Cadillac has won three consecutive years in a row, this is Kia’s first time. IntelliChoice named the Soul and Forte as the standouts that helped Kia win the Best CPO Warranty program.

The Best Used Cost of Ownership

Kia won the Best Used Cost of Ownership Award in the “Popular” category as well. IntelliChoice awards this to manufacturers or brands that have reliable used vehicle brand value. Having a strong CPO sales market penetration is also a significant factor. Once again, IntelliChoice identified the Kia Soul and Kia Forte as standouts in this category.