• by Tanya Gazdik , August 8, 2021

Kia America is launching its Kia@Home test drive program four years after sister company Hyundai Motor America first began offering the service. 

Kia will initially only offer access to the Carnival multipurpose vehicle and all-electric Niro EV in selected cities through Oct. 3. The automaker doesn’t specify what will happen after that time frame.

Hyundai now offers a Hyundai Drive app that allows customers to choose any of its models to be delivered for a test drive from anywhere “within a reasonable distance” of a dealership. The automaker originally launched the remote test drives in October 2017 as part of its Hyundai Shopper Assurance program.

To book a Kia@Home appointment, consumers can visit Kia.com and select between a Carnival or Niro model of interest and schedule delivery. The hour-long experience includes a detailed vehicle walk-around from a Kia@Home Drive Specialist. Ultimately, customers interested in buying a vehicle will work with a local Kia dealer to purchase a vehicle.

Both the Carnival and Niro will be available in Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington D.C. The Carnival will also be available in Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Indianapolis, Orlando, Phoenix and Tampa.

Cadillac also offers an at-home 24-hour test drive. Select dealers from other automakers, including Honda and Stellantis, began offering at-home test drives early in the pandemic in response to limitations on opening up dealerships to visitors.