Kia Maintenance Schedule & Costs
By CarWhere Research · Updated
Kia maintenance costs about $1,746–$1,769 a year across the 3 models we price (AAA's 2025 per-mile benchmarks for each model's vehicle category, 15,000 miles a year), against a $1,656 all-vehicle average. No complimentary scheduled maintenance program was confirmed on Kia's U.S. site. Kia's published oil-change interval: 8,000 miles or 12 months.
Est. per year
$1,746–$1,769
vs $1,656 average
Brand rank
#12 of 25
cost, then complaints
Free maintenance
None confirmed
Models covered
3
3 priced
Kia maintenance schedule
Intervals and items from Kia's own maintenance guides and owner's manuals, linked row by row. Your engine and driving conditions can change them; the manual for your car wins.
| Interval | Service items | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Every 8,000 miles or 12 months |
| 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| Every 16,000 miles or 24 months |
| 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| Every 24,000 miles or 36 months |
| 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| Every 40,000 miles or 48 months (AWD) |
| 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| Every 48,000 miles or 48 months |
| 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| Spark plugs |
| 2026 Kia Sorento Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| 120,000 miles or 120 months (first) |
| 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) |
| Automatic transmission fluid |
| 2025 Kia Telluride Owner's Manual — Scheduled maintenance service (ownersmanual.kia.com) |
| Severe (AWD) |
| 2025 Kia Telluride Owner's Manual — Scheduled maintenance service (ownersmanual.kia.com) |
Oil-change interval
Normal service: 8,000 miles or 12 months
Severe or special conditions: 5,000 miles or 6 months (salted/corrosive roads or very cold weather, towing or roof loads, commercial/patrol/taxi use)
Oil: Full synthetic, API SN PLUS/SP: SAE 0W-20 for the 2.5 GDi (Sportage, Sorento) and SAE 0W-30 for the Sorento 2.5 T-GDi. The Telluride oil spec was not captured from the pages opened.
With an oil that doesn't meet the recommended spec, follow the severe schedule.
Free / included maintenance
No complimentary scheduled maintenance confirmed for new Kia vehicles. Kia US has no complimentary maintenance program on the pages opened. The Kia Maintenance Plan is an optional prepaid plan: 1–6 years, 2 services per year, buyable at sale or within 12 months and transferable with the vehicle. Pricing comes from dealers.
Kia maintenance cost by model
Per-year figures use AAA's 2025 benchmark for each model's vehicle category at 15,000 miles a year; they include repairs and tires. Models in the same category share a benchmark, so compare complaint rates too.
Which Kia has the least problems?
NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (2015–2022 U.S. sales), graded against every model in the same segment. Lower is better.
| Model | Segment | Complaints / 1,000 | Grade | Years flagged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forte | sedans | 0.368 | Average | 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017 |
| Sportage | suvs | 0.508 | Above average | 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2023 |
| Optima | sedans | 1.0 | Worst | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 |
| Sorento | suvs | 1.29 | Worst | 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
Kia vs other brands
Kia ranks #12 of 25. Priced brands are ordered by the average of their models' estimates; brands that don't publish service prices follow, ordered by complaint rate.
| # | Brand | Est. per year | Median complaints / 1,000 | Included maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | $1,511 | — | None confirmed |
| 2 | Toyota | $1,463–$1,769 | 0.182 (5 models) | ToyotaCare: 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first, for model years 2026 and earlier |
| 3 | Mazda | $1,535–$1,746 | 0.317 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 4 | Volkswagen | $1,535–$1,769 | 0.337 (2 models) | Carefree Maintenance (part of Carefree Coverage): 2 years — covers the 10,000- and 20,000-mile scheduled services, or scheduled services for two years, whichever occurs first |
| 5 | GMC | $1,704 | 0.867 (2 models) | GMC First Service Visit: First scheduled service visit for new GMC owners |
| 6 | Ram | $1,704 | 0.968 (1 model) | None confirmed |
| 7 | Hyundai | $1,535–$1,769 | 0.759 (4 models) | Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance (HCM): 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 8 | Subaru | $1,619–$1,769 | 0.405 (2 models) | None confirmed |
| 9 | Honda | $1,535–$1,787 | 0.497 (5 models) | Honda Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles on 2026 models |
| 10 | Chevrolet | $1,704–$1,769 | 0.517 (3 models) | Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit: One visit within the first 12 months of ownership |
| 11 | Ford | $1,704–$1,769 | 0.672 (2 models) | None confirmed |
| 12 | Kia | $1,746–$1,769 | 0.756 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 13 | Jeep | $1,746–$1,769 | 1.19 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 14 | Nissan | $1,746–$1,787 | 0.355 (6 models) | Nissan Maintenance Care: Up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 15 | Porsche | $1,824–$2,168 | — | Included First Service: First scheduled service at 1 year/10,000 miles on new internal-combustion Porsches |
| 16 | Lexus | Not priced | 0.202 (1 model) | LexusCare complimentary maintenance: First two scheduled services: 6 months/5,000 miles and 12 months/10,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 17 | Acura | Not priced | 0.874 (2 models) | Acura Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles |
| 18 | Audi | Not priced | — | Audi Signature Care Scheduled Maintenance: Included with every new model-year 2026 Audi: scheduled services in the first 3 years/30,000 miles, whichever occurs first |
| 19 | BMW | Not priced | — | BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance: 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date |
| 20 | Cadillac | Not priced | — | Cadillac First Maintenance Visit: First service visit at a participating dealer within the first year of vehicle delivery |
| 21 | Genesis | Not priced | — | Genesis Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance (with Service Valet): 3 years / 36,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 22 | Land Rover | Not priced | — | None confirmed |
| 23 | Lincoln | Not priced | — | Lincoln complimentary scheduled maintenance: 4 years / 50,000 miles |
| 24 | Mercedes-Benz | Not priced | — | None confirmed |
| 25 | Volvo | Not priced | — | Volvo Complimentary Factory Scheduled Maintenance: MY2026 gas mild-hybrid/plug-in hybrid: first two scheduled services |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kia expensive to maintain?
Kia maintenance costs about $1,746–$1,769 a year across the 3 models we price (AAA's 2025 per-mile benchmarks for each model's vehicle category, 15,000 miles a year), against a $1,656 all-vehicle average. No complimentary scheduled maintenance program was confirmed on Kia's U.S. site. Kia's published oil-change interval: 8,000 miles or 12 months.
What is the cheapest Kia to maintain?
Of the 3 Kia models we cover, the Sportage has the lowest estimated maintenance cost: about $1,746 a year (AAA 2025 compact SUV (FWD) benchmark).
Which Kia has the least problems?
The Kia Forte has the fewest problems of the 4 Kia models in our NHTSA study: 0.368 owner complaints per 1,000 sold (2015–2022 sales), against Sportage 0.508, Optima 1.0, Sorento 1.29. Lower is better.
Is Kia a reliable brand?
On owner complaints, Kia is weaker than most: of the 4 Kia models in our sales-adjusted NHTSA study, 1 grades above average for its segment and 2 below. Fewest complaints: the Forte (0.368 per 1,000 sold).
How often does a Kia need an oil change?
Kia's published oil-change interval: 8,000 miles or 12 months.
Does Kia include free maintenance?
Not as standard. Kia US has no complimentary maintenance program on the pages opened.
Related
Sources and method
Schedules, oil intervals and included maintenance come from Kia's own documents. Dollar estimates are AAA category benchmarks (or, for Porsche, Porsche's plan prices), never invented per-model prices. Complaint rates: NHTSA complaints ÷ published U.S. sales (CarWhere analysis).
- Your Driving Costs 2025 (brochure: cost per mile by vehicle category) — AAA (maintenance cents per mile by category)
- Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (methodology) — AAA (what the maintenance line includes)
- NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (complaints per 1,000 sold is a CarWhere calculation)
- 2025 Kia Telluride Owner's Manual — Scheduled maintenance service (ownersmanual.kia.com) — Kia (opened 2026-11-06)
- 2026 Kia Sorento Owner's Manual (full PDF) — Kia (opened 2026-11-06)
- 2026 Kia Sportage Owner's Manual (full PDF) — Kia (opened 2026-11-06)
- Kia Maintenance Plan (owners.kia.com) — Kia (opened 2026-11-06)