Kia's Approved Used Car Scheme has been recognised as the best in the industry having been crowned Used Car Scheme of the Year in the Auto Express Used Car Awards 2011.

The magazine praised Kia for going above and beyond normal approved used programmes with a number of customer benefits including its industry-leading seven year warranty that is fully transferable to subsequent owners.

Approved Used Kias don't just get the balance of their manufacturer warranty. Instead, the warranty is topped back up to the full seven years meaning that an Approved Used Kia gets the same warranty as a brand new Kia.

Commenting on the award, John Hargreaves, Head of Vehicle Remarketing, Kia Motors said: "When we launched our Approved Used Car Scheme we set out to ensure it really did represent the best possible deal for customers so we're obviously very proud that this been recognised by Auto Express with this award.

"Resetting our pioneering seven year warranty back to new when you buy an Approved Used Kia really differentiates us from other schemes - it means that a Kia could be under warranty for some eight and a half years in total. We believe this shows that our high level of confidence in the product isn't just limited to when a car is new.

"The strength of our Approved Used Car Scheme is also a key factor in the strong residual values we're achieving across our range" added Hargreaves.