Are Kia And Hyundai The Same Company?

Kia and Hyundai. Both of these companies began as modest South Korean imports that have gone on to grow massively in popularity in the last couple of decades. They are now two of the fastest-growing mainstream automobile manufacturers in the US, consistently topping the charts by various metrics. Since these brands share many components and are marketed at similar levels and price points, you might think that they are essentially the same brand. Here’s what is actually going on.

The Short Answer

Kia and Hyundai are indeed two separate automakers; however, they are both affiliates of Hyundai Motor Group. The latter is made up of Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, and the Genesis luxury subbrand. An ownership arrangement links these companies together. Essentially, at the marketing level, both Kia and Hyundai are two independent companies that coexist, share resources, and achieve mutual success through the benefits of both brands. Buying a Kia means there are differences from a Hyundai, but ultimately, two equivalent models from each brand will share many components and design.

How Kia And Hyundai Are Connected

Hyundai Group – which contains the Hyundai Motor Group – is comparable to a conglomerate, comprising numerous manufacturing and engineering companies that operate under its umbrella. Most of these companies bear the Hyundai name, for example, Hyundai Steel. The main automobile side is Hyundai Motor Company, which owns a roughly 33% share in Kia Corporation. This means that although the majority of Kia’s shares are split between institutions and individual investors, it works closely with Hyundai. Both brands make up the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group.

Here are some of the main areas in which the automotive companies share resources. It’s worth noting that the brands generally do not manufacture their cars side by side in the same factories, and some models do feature individual components unique to the brands.

• Platforms (see later): a few shared platforms underpin the majority of Hyundai and Kia models. For example, the E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) is used by various EVs from both brands.
• Engines and powertrains: the brands share some engines, transmissions, drivetrains, and also electric powertrains. Various engines are shared between models across both brands, but powertrains are not universally carried over between equivalent models.
• Infotainment and driver assistance technology are shared between the brands, with some differences, such as the design of the infotainment displays
• Miscellaneous components and technology, parts suppliers
• Research and development are done at the Namyang R&D Center in Korea, and benefit both brands

A Brief History Of Kia And Hyundai

Hyundai

South Korean entrepreneur Chung Ju-yung founded the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in the late 40s. Following this, the Hyundai Motor Company was founded in the 60s, and it became part of the Hyundai Group. Initially, the brand collaborated with Ford and other companies to build its cars. At first, the Hyundai brand was not sold in the North American market, but it eventually arrived in 1985 with the Hyundai Excel. It was lauded for its affordability.

Kia followed later and came to the US market in 1992 with the Kia Sephia. This brand came from modest beginnings in the mid-40s as Kyungsung Precision Industry, a producer of bicycle parts and steel tubing. It later expanded into the production of bicycles, cars, and trucks. Its name would change to Kia Industries, and today it is known as Kia Corporation.

At the end of the 90s, Kia nearly collapsed and went bankrupt during the Asian financial crisis. Hyundai acquired a controlling stake in its rival of 51%, although as of 2025, Hyundai Motor Company owns a roughly 34% stake in Kia.

Do Kia And Hyundai Cars Share The Same Parts?

Kia

In order to share innovation and reduce costs overall, both companies share various aspects of their cars’ engineering, which extends to many areas. Firstly, the brands share some platforms. A platform is the underlying structure of a vehicle that is used across multiple models in an automaker’s lineup in order to reduce costs, since each vehicle can be adapted from an existing platform. Below are examples of the platforms used by Hyundai and Kia currently:

K3 Platform: shared by both brands, including the Hyundai Elantra and Kona, as well as the Kia K3, K4, and Niro.

K2 Platform: models from Hyundai, including the Venue and Tucson crossovers, while models from Kia include the Seltos and Sportage.

Although models such as the Hyundai Elantra and Kia K4 are equivalent to each other in a broad sense, indeed based on the same platform, the styling between the two brands varies. Styling and branding are where most of the differences lie, and this helps the two brands maintain independence for marketing. The same is true for other modes such as the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. Differences between the models extend to features and powertrains, too. Some equivalent models share more features than others.

Hyundai 

Here is a good example of the differences between the Hyundai Elantra and Kia K4, which both share the same platform and a range of components.

Hyundai and Kia’s Smartstream engine is a range of engines that vary in displacement, fuel types, and outputs. The two brands’ Elantra and K4, despite sharing a platform and many components, use similar Smartstream engines with different outputs. Both lineups feature a basic 1.6-liter engine with 147 horsepower, but the turbocharged range-topping units make 201 horsepower for the Elantra and 190 horsepower for the K4. Currently, the Elantra’s available full-hybrid powertrain is not available for the Kia K4, but is planned for 2026 according to many sources. Many other models from both brands share powertrains, but there is not a 100% crossover of available engines and outputs.

Notably, the Elantra’s turbocharged model also features a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, whereas the Kia K4’s turbo option comes with a conventional eight-speed automatic.

When it comes to sharing technology, both brands use the same 800-volt charging architecture for their electric vehicles. The onboard technology, such as infotainment, is also shared to minimize costs and facilitate manufacturing; both use essentially the same operating system with interfaces that may vary graphically. Safety suites are also shared; the Hyundai “SmartSense” and Kia “Drive Wise” vehicle safety packages offer the same group of safety technology.

Kia Vs. Hyundai Brand Positioning Today

Kia

Both brands are South Korean, both sit under the Hyundai umbrella, which allows for the sharing of resources, and both produce vehicles on shared platforms. While both brands are also in the economy or premium economy marketing bracket, they are positioned slightly differently.

Hyundai is a mainstream brand, focused on refinement, features, economy, and with an upscale feel. In contrast, Kia shares some of these characteristics in its brand image and execution but leans towards a younger market, with a focus on bold or sporty styling and with value-led trims that offer a generous amount of equipment as standard. Genesis is a luxury subbrand of the Hyundai Motor Company that is similar to brands such as Honda’s Acura, Nissan’s Infiniti, Ford’s Lincoln, or Toyota’s Lexus. It offers a level of luxury above that of Hyundai at a higher price point, with a design aimed to appeal to the luxury market.

Performance Models

Kia

While Kia features a slightly sportier image, both brands offer performance-focused trims or sub-brands. For example, Hyundai’s ‘N’ brand spawned the Veloster N, Elantra N, and IONIQ 5 N. Kia offers the GT and GT-Line branded models, such as the K5 GT, with the Stinger now departed. The latter was a model that took Kia into new territory since it was a rear-wheel drive sedan with an optional 368-horsepower V6 and performance that went far beyond typical Kia or Hyundai models.

What This Means For Buyers

Hyundai

When it comes to discussing what the similarities and differences mean for buyers, the good news is that both brands are united by a similar set of qualities – pricing, reliability, features, and refinement. Warranties for Hyundai and Kia are roughly the same, both industry-leading warranties, which include a 10-year / 100,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty​​​​​​, as well as a 5-year / 60,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. There is also a 10-year / 100,000-mile EV and hybrid powertrain warranty for both brands.

Features such as infotainment, safety, and a large majority of powertrains are shared, meaning that design and pricing are more crucial in choosing between Hyundai and Kia for some models. Another way to see how they stack up is with resources such as J.D. Power. If we compare the 2025 Hyundai Elantra with the 2025 Kia K4, we can see that the four main rating criteria are split like this:

J.D. Power Ratings Comparison

This comparison is a brief snapshot of how two models stack up, but scores will vary depending on the model chosen and the year, which can also have a big effect on the score.

Final Verdict: Same Company Or Different?

Craig Cole | TopSpeed

Hyundai and Kia are sister brands under the Hyundai Motor Group umbrella — related, but not identical. They receive shared R&D, technology, platforms, powertrains, and are marketed broadly at the same level. Warranties are mostly identical (with a few small differences). This makes it fairly reasonable to say that it comes down to taste, but as we’ve seen, the brands are more different than we think on closer inspection.

Pricing, although in a similar ballpark, is not the same for both brands for equivalent models. Some models, such as the Tucson and Sportage, both start at around $29,000, but trims are also independent of each other. Between both brands, powertrains and outputs vary, and sometimes major components, such as transmissions or hybrid technology, are different or simply not offered for equivalent cars. Arguably, styling is one of the most important differences between the brands, and some customers will choose one brand over the other for a preference for one design.

We can think of Hyundai and Kia as separate brands but with similar qualities, since they are designed, developed, and engineered with a generous overlap of resources. Thanks to their similarities, we can expect a similar, if not identical, experience. Perhaps the most striking thing about the journey of Hyundai is that the brand, along with its ally, Kia, has both come a long way, and it looks like they have no intention of stopping soon.