Kia XCeed hatchback - Reliability & safety

Kia has a solid reputation for reliability and customers love the brand, so while the XCeed is a fairly recent model, generally positive customer feedback and a seven-year/100,000 mile warranty should be very reassuring. Safety is also impressive but some kit only arrives as you move up the trim levels.

Kia XCeed reliability

The Ceed platform on which the XCeed is based is new for the latest model, with several new engines, but we'd be very surprised if any major reliability issues were to arise. Kia came third out of 29 manufacturers in our 2022 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, ahead of Skoda in fifth position. Less than a quarter – 20.4% of respondents – told us they had experienced a fault with their cars in the first 12 months.

Even more impressively, the pre-facelift Kia XCeed came first in our 2022 Driver Power survey for individual models. Owners love everything about it; the XCeed was ranked top or very highly in every section, be it practicality, build quality, comfort, infotainment or value. Kia XCeed owners are a happy bunch, while six other Kias finished in the top 20 in our list of the best 75 cars to own.

Safety

Euro NCAP has crash-tested the Kia Ceed but it's not yet known if the XCeed will be tested separately. The Ceed scored four stars in standard guise, increasing to the top five stars when an optional safety pack was fitted.

The '2' model is fitted with standard lane keep assist and autonomous emergency braking so long as a manual gearbox is fitted. An Advanced Driving Assistance Pack adds functionality, including pedestrian detection, but this is standard for the five-star Ford Focus. The '3' trim adds pedestrian detection (optional for automatic versions), while the First Edition brings 'smart' cruise control, blind spot warnings, speed limit warnings and a display for tyre pressures.