Top 10 best cars for exterior styling

• Covering: Overall exterior styling, the quality of the paint finish and the materials used
• Winner: Kia Sorento Mk4
• Score: 97.20%

Last year’s winner in the exterior category was the Kia XCeed crossover, and in 2022 the Kia Rio Mk4 also slipped into the top 10 at eighth. This year, the Korean brand has surpassed that effort by taking all three places on the podium, with the Sorento Mk4 in the top spot, the XCeed second and the Ceed Mk3 hatch ranking third. The Rio Mk4, meanwhile, drops back to 23rd in the rundown.

Doing well in the exterior category isn’t just about the styling. Owners must also rate the quality of the exterior finish and materials, and the Kia trio performs superbly on both counts. The Sorento – which finishes second overall in this year’s survey – comes in fourth for exterior styling, but first for quality and finish. 

The XCeed takes second overall for styling and 10th for quality and finish, while the Ceed ranks eighth for style and seventh for quality and finish. Those category positions here are reversed in the full survey, where the Ceed takes 10th position to the XCeed’s 12th.

Your view

“Kia is getting better and better, and this one is a real stunner. The quality is up there with Land Rover and BMW now.”

Exterior top 10

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