Kia has been awarded with the best manufacturer title from the Which? 2012 survey which reviews customer satisfaction and reliability.

It is the first time Kia has made the Which? shortlist and it came away with the title.

Peter Vicary-Smith, Which? chief executive, said: “This is the first time Kia has made the short-list and to walk off with the title is a significant achievement.”

Kia beat competition from BMW, Hyundai, Skoda and Toyota to take the prize.

Which? said in its commendation: “Kia’s new Rio, Sorento and Picanto have all impressed in our test lab, while the new Cee’d and Optima get the thumbs-up from our initial road tests. Compared to where it was just five years ago, we feel that Kia is the most improved car brand around.”

Michael Cole, Kia Motors (UK) managing director, said: “We are absolutely delighted to win this award – especially at the first attempt.

“It marks the culmination of several years of hard work by our designers, engineers and by our dealers who are as committed as we are to give our customers an outstanding buying and ownership experience. We see this as a great honour as Which? has a long history of championing the consumer and being remarkably thorough in its testing process.”