Birmingham

Birmingham is the second-most popular city in the UK, located in the Midlands with a population of over 4.3million.

Originally a market town in the medieval period, Birmingham is now an international commercial centre and an important transport, retail, events and conference hub.

A centre for culture, Birmingham is home to the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Birmingham has also played its part in sporting history; home to Aston Villa FC and Birmingham City FC, it was Birmingham resident and Aston Villa director William McGregor who founded the Football League.

Birmingham will also be the host city for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, expected to take place in July and August 2022.

The most popular cars in Birmingham

Possibly due to the rise in industry and commerce, and its handy functionality in city traffic, the Mercedes A-Class is estimated to be the most popular car in Birmingham, according to data provided between 2012 to 2018 by ownership and postcode.

Close on its heels—and in order of popularity—are the Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Golf, Nissan Qashqai and the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Vehicle numbers in Birmingham

There are approximately 3 million licensed vehicles in the Birmingham area, with some of the most popular models including the Mini, Kia Sportage and the Ford Focus.

Fixter garages in Birmingham

There are a total of 49 Fixter garages in the Birmingham area, all ready and waiting to provide you with a fantastic quote for your car service, MOT and a wide range of vehicle repairs.

Fixter garages service the following postcodes and more, in and around the Birmingham area:

• B1, B2, B3 & B4: City Centre, Birmingham
• B6: Aston & Witton, Birmingham
• B10: Small Heath, Birmingham
• B15: Edgbaston, Birmingham
• B8: Washwood Heath, Birmingham

- B13: Moseley, Birmingham

Kia

Kia Motors Corporation (widely known as Kia Motors) is South Korea’s second-largest automobile manufacturer, behind their parent company, the Hyundai Motor Company.

They were initially established in December 1944, over 70 years ago, as a steel tubing and bicycle parts manufacturer who started building cars in the 1970s.

Coming from a background of building cars under licence for the likes of Fiat, Mazda and Peugeot, it wasn’t until the 1980s when Kia started to produce vehicles under their own brand name, and only more recently were they to become minority owned by Hyundai, who currently holds a 33.88% stake in the company, in 2015.

How popular is Kia in the United Kingdom?

From the mid-1990s, the amount of Kia cars on UK roads has seen a steady increase to the current number of around 800k today.

Given their reliability, value for money and market-leading 7-year, 100k mile warranty, Kia is a marque that is heading for further popularity, greater sales and added respect.

Superb value for money

With an extensive range of models to choose from, Kia cars offer excellent value. From their city car Picanto starting at under £10k, through to their luxury spec SUV Sorento at £30k, Kia cars compete with more established mainstream brands, offering not only strong price-points but with advanced levels of technology and the extended benefits you’d expect from a car of a higher price.

Kia Sportage: The 10th best selling car in the UK

Given the rise in growth of the Korean car brand, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to see its best selling model sneak into the top 10 best selling cars of 2018. This great value and practical SUV is ideal for family motoring; not only is it rugged and good looking, but it’s also backed with Kia’s impressive reliability and extensive warranty.

Kia’s reliability and reputation

Kia ranked joint 4th out of 30 car brands in the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2018. When buying a new car, reliability should be a key consideration, and with such an impressive set of statistics to back this brand, Kia is setting standards that the better-known marques will have to work hard to match.

Recent Kia recalls and reliability issues

Various recalls have been made on Kia models throughout their motoring history. The following are a list of the most recent in the UK and Europe.

25/05/2019 – Kia Niro (2016–2018)

The main relay with the power relay assembly may have inadequate connections between contacts

05/03/2019 – Kia Stinger (2017–2018)

There is a rough edge in the left fender body panel

14/12/2018 – Kia Soul (2013–2014)

The connection between the steering rod and the steering bod may come loose

10/08/2018 – Kia Niro (2017)

Oil might leak on the power electrode inside the hydraulic clutch actuator

11/05/2018 – Kia Rio (2017)

The cable length of the rear door lock assemblies may be incorrect

23/03/2018 – Kia Sorento (2011)

A faulty fuel line may lead to fuel loss in the engine compartment

30/03/2016 – Kia Sorento (2015–2016)

The brake light of a trailer attached to the vehicle is not activated when slowing down through cruise control, due to a software problem

15/04/2016 – Kia Soul (2014–2015)

A fault with the steering gear box could lead to the driver not being able to steer the vehicle properly

All recall information sourced from gov.co.uk data.