Kia UK Limited has been named ‘Carmaker of the Year’ at the Motor Trader Industry Awards 2023.

• The award was announced at a ceremony on 22 November 2023 hosting around 1,000 people from across the automotive industry, at the iconic Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

  The award was judged by Motor Trader’s expert panel of judges, with Kia chosen as the winner for its leadership in electrification with a strong and varied product line-up, business planning with customers and dealerships in mind alike, and the company’s future vision.

  John Kirwan, Editor of Motor Trader, said: “Kia won the ‘Carmaker of the Year’ award for its positive relationship with its dealer network, highly successful sales strategy, quality of its vehicle line-up and its strong and consistent performance in successive dealer surveys. It is also pushing ahead with the roll-out of its well-received, new-look dealerships across the 190-strong network.”

  Collecting the award, Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK commented: “This award is a fantastic recognition of the hard work, dedication and belief our staff and dealer partners put into our brand. Our product range is one of the broadest in the market, increasingly offering electric and electrified options. Heading into 2024, there will be new challenges faced by the industry, but we’re confident that Kia will continue its momentum backed by a solid network and quality products.”

  2023 has been a landmark year for Kia, following on from the successes of 2022 that saw the brand achieve more than 100,000 annual sales in the UK for the first time.

  The latest two National Franchised Dealer Association (NFDA) surveys saw Kia UK ranked as the highest overall manufacturer. Kia has now achieved a top three ranking in the last 15 successive NFDA surveys, clearly underlining the strength of partnership the brand has with its dealers.

  The year also saw the introduction of the fully electric EV9, which toured the country visiting almost all of Kia’s 191 dealerships in the UK. These EV9 Electric Experience events have already led to over 800 pre-orders for the EV9, before anybody has been able to even drive the vehicle.

  The awards also celebrated TMS Leicester Kia, which won ‘Most Improved Dealership of the Year’.