February 28, 2021 by Anne Kelley

How to Use the Cargo Cover Accessory

Choosing a Telluride, Sorento, or Sportage means more power, space, and seating for all the excitement you can have in an SUV. However, there is one drawback to the SUV body style that a lot of people don’t consider when they make the purchase: you’ve got a serious lack of privacy for your cargo. Even with tinted windows, it’s not that difficult for someone to peek in the back window and find out just what kind of booty you’re hauling.

This is why Kia offers the Kia Cargo Cover accessory with these SUV models. After all, how better to protect your valuables than by keeping them out of sight? For some, the Kia Cargo Cover has become a point of frustration, though, and that’s what this blog is meant to address.

How Does the Kia Cargo Cover Work?

When installed properly, with any third-row seats folded away, the Kia Cargo Cover completely covers the contents in the cargo area without blocking the driver’s view. Although it doesn’t create a seal at the passenger side of the cover area, it does inhibit the view of your belongings by anyone who would be walking by. The second-row seating provides an adequate visual blockade against anyone who would be peering into your car, either deliberately or accidentally.

The installation is easy. The Cargo Cover slips into appointed slots above the third-row seating (this is why it must be folded down for the Cargo Cover to be installed), then the cover material unrolls and clips into place near the liftgate. It’s super simple and you can leave it installed all the time, provided you’re willing to sacrifice the third-row seating. Slip groceries, coolers, and other valuables underneath from either front or back, and you’re ready to go.

What About Removal and Storage?

Many Kia owners have voiced concerns about dealing with the Cargo Cover when it’s not in use. Because simply retracting the cover still leaves you with inaccessible third row seating, you must remove the cover entirely if you’ll be hauling extra people or tall cargo. But where do you put the Cargo Cover Accessory unit when it’s not in use?

Rather than just tossing it in the remaining cargo area, using up valuable space and creating a risk that you’ll damage the accessory, Kia created a storage space for the Cargo Cover. If you remove the cover over the rear cargo compartment, you’ll notice a depression that could be used to hold things like tools or emergency supplies. There’s a box to the left with a lid that comes off. Remove that lid, then push the square door between the two compartments down to create an opening.

Now you can slot your Cargo Cover accessory into the square opening on the right side of the rear cargo compartment, then slip the other end into the opening you just created on the right. Put the lid back on the little box and the cover on the rear cargo area – your Cargo Cover accessory is tucked away from danger and out of your way until you’re ready to use it again!

Considerations for the Kia Cargo Cover Accessory

Although it’s hard to argue whether having your gear and goods covered when you’re not in your vehicle is a marvelous idea, the Cargo Cover accessory isn’t necessarily the solution for all Kia owners. There are several situations where the Cargo Cover accessory might be a less than ideal solution.

1. You generally need third row seating. Whether you have a big family or just a lot of friends, sometimes that third row seating comes in extra handy. Since you can’t have both the third row and the Cargo Cover accessory, you will have to choose – and typically human cargo wins over grocery bags.
2. You need room for taller cargo. Although it can be unsafe to haul cargo so tall that it’s in the driver’s view, the fact is that you may try it at some point. If you regularly have tall cargo or a lot of cargo, you may find installing and uninstalling the Cargo Cover accessory to be a nuisance. Since the cover material can’t hold weight, you’ll need to remove it even if you just have small items to stack above the level of the cover.
3. You mainly haul pets in your cargo area. While it can be nice to have a cover over your dogs while you’re taking them on some kind of adventure, the Cargo Cover can make it hard to know what’s going on in the back of your vehicle. With any living cargo, it’s very important to be able to get a visual check at any given moment, even if your pets are crated for travel.

The Kia Cargo Cover: Yet Another Safety Feature from Kia

The Kia Cargo Cover accessory is a nice little addition to your security plan for your Kia SUV, especially if you can leave it in place most of the time. Even if you can’t, there’s a handy place to store it within the rear cargo compartment for those times when you’d rather use your third-row seating than cover your cargo. It’s nice to have a way to keep prying eyes out of the back of your car, so it’s definitely worth considering the upgrade.

Posted in: How to Guides, Kia Features
Tagged: cargo cover accessory, Kia

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