Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV (2020-2021) reliability & safety

An excellent warranty provides reassurance for Ceed SW owners, but you need the optional safety pack for the highest crash-test rating

Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV (2020-2021)
Overall rating

3.5 out of 5

Reliability & safety rating

3.5 out of 5

Price
£40,545 - £45,745
Fuel Type:
Hybrid Petrol
Euro NCAPAdult protectionChild protectionSafety assist
4 stars (2019)*88%85%73%

* 5 stars with optional ADAP (Advanced Driver Assistance Pack)

Kia has become a byword for dependability and peace of mind among UK car buyers thanks to its seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, which is still not matched by any other brand, many years after being introduced. Its results in customer-satisfaction surveys are good; the only slight cause for concern with the Ceed in particular is a less-than-perfect crash-test rating. However, this can be boosted with the addition of an optional safety equipment package.

Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV hybrid reliability & problems

The Kia Ceed (incorporating hatchback and estate, petrol and diesel variants) ranked a strong 18th out of the 75 models that featured in the 2020 Driver Power car owner satisfaction survey, with an overall score of 90.98%. The fault rate was about average, though, with just over 15% of owners who responded saying they'd experienced a problem.

As an overall brand, Kia did extremely well in the same 2020 survey, finishing second behind Lexus with a satisfaction rating of 90.84%. This positive customer feedback is bolstered by Kia's confidence-inspiring seven-year/100,000-mile warranty, so when it comes to peace of mind for owners, Kia is among the best.

Safety

The Kia Ceed Sportswagon PHEV gets a plethora of safety equipment as standard. In addition to the mandatory airbags and electronic stability control system, there's lane-keeping assistance, automatic high beams, driver attention warnings, hill-start assistance and a collision-avoidance emergency braking setup that can detect both other vehicles and pedestrians. 

Despite all this the standard version of the Ceed only managed four out of a possible five stars in Euro NCAP crash-testing in 2019. The shortfall was mainly down to the absence of some active driver-assistance systems from the standard equipment list, such as adaptive cruise control, lane-following assistance and cyclist detection for the emergency braking system. The good news is these can be added to the Ceed Sportswagon PHEV by specifying the £750 Advanced Driver Assistance Pack (ADAP) at the time of purchase. With this option fitted, the Ceed is elevated to a five-star car in the eyes of Euro NCAP.

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