Sibling Rivalry Reliability Showdown: Kia vs. Hyundai

If you take a look at any list of the most reliable vehicles, you’ll find Lexus ranking ahead of Toyota time and again, so you can’t assume that a shared parent company makes two different automakers interchangeable. Of course, in the case of Lexus and Toyota, it’s not hard to guess that the luxury cars are going to be built to a somewhat higher standard. But what about Kia and Hyundai, two brands that largely occupy the same market space?

• Kia

  Kia is a South Korean automaker headquartered in Seoul. It was originally founded in 1944 as a bicycle manufacturer which later built small motorcycles, and Mazda-licensed trucks and cars. After building an assembly plant in th early 70s, the company also produced the Bisa range of cars until 1981 before coming to a half due to the political situation at the time. Production kicked off again in 1986 in partnership with Ford, and in 1992 the company started sellling cars in North America. Today it is the second-largest automaker in South Korea, right behind Hyundai.

  Founded

  June 9, 1944 (as Kyungsung Precision Industry)

  Founder

  Kim Cheol-ho

  Headquarters

  Seoul, South Korea

  Owned By

  Hyundai Motor Group

  Current CEO

  Ho Sung Song

• 

  Hyundai

  Hyundai Motor Company was founded in 1967 by Chung Ju-yung, 20 years after the birth of the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company. The automotive marque’s first model was the Cortina, birthed with the help of Ford in 1968, while its first self-developed car arrived the year after as the Pony. Since then, the company has found success with affordable cars and has consistently become known for reliability and value. Nowadays, its ventures vary from combustion, hybrid, all-electric, and hydrogen mobility solutions to robotics.

  Founded

  29 December 1967

  Founder

  Chung Ju-yung

  Headquarters

  Seoul, South Korea

  Owned By

  Hyundai Motor Group

  Current CEO

  Jae-Hoon Chang

According to J.D. Power’s latest rankings, Kia places in third, several positions above Hyundai, in eighth, in terms of average problems per 100 vehicles, at 152 to 170. But that’s just one metric. We also want to compare individual reliability ratings, and we want to know exactly what problems drivers are reporting. Let’s start with a look at each brand’s most reliable models.

Kia’s Top Three Vs. Hyundai’s Top Three

The Kia Sportage, Kia K5/Optima, and the Kia Forte have all been singled out for special notice by J.D. Power, earning the top spots in their respective segments. For comparison, we’ve gathered up the three Hyundais we’ve identified to have the most impressive quality and reliability ratings for 2025 and 2024: the Tucson, the Elantra, and the Santa Cruz. From there, we’ll tally up the averages and see who comes out on top for the last five years.

Average Quality & Reliability Ratings For Top Three Models From 2021-2025

• Kia: 85/100
• Hyundai: 83/100

Rounding up to the nearest whole numbers, these Quality & Reliability ratings put Kia two points ahead of Hyundai if we’re just looking at the top three models from both brands over the last five years. Hyundai’s scores are skewed upwards by the Santa Cruz, in particular. Kia won’t have a pickup truck of its own until the Tasman gets here – if it gets here at all – and even when it does, it won’t compete in the same segment as the Santa Cruz does.

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Does A Kia Or A Hyundai Have More Problems Under The Hood?

When comparing a brand like Lexus to a brand like Toyota, Lexus (the plural of Lexus is Lexus) are more expensive to maintain, despite being more reliable, because of their status as luxury cars. It simply costs more to maintain a more expensive car. It’s not so cut-and-dry when it’s Kia vs. Hyundai, though. So let’s start with average repair costs, courtesy of RepairPal (one-year maintenance data) and CarEdge (ten-year maintenance data).

Unfortunately, taking a look at what you can expect to spend on maintenance over one or ten years tells us almost nothing in terms of which brand is more reliable. Hyundais cost about six bucks less to keep running each year, and a little under a hundred less after a decade. That’s a marginal difference at best. So, what do these expenses actually cover?

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Most Expensive Common Repairs By Brand

Kia

• Radiator fan assembly replacement: $589 – $626
• Wheel hub assembly replacement: $416 – $450
• Radiator hose replacement: $398 – $407

Hyundai

• Wheel replacement – $724 – $735
• Backup warning system sensor replacement $562 – $592
• Starter replacement – $208 – $564

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According to CarComplaints, the worst Kias you can buy are slightly older Sorentos, particularly from the 2013-2016 model years, with engine failure just before the first 100,000 miles being the worst problem. As for Hyundai, CarComplaints would have you staying away from the 2011, 2013, and 2015 Sonata, with the worst problem being a seized engine reported in a 2011 model at just 96,000 miles. Excessive oil consumption in the 2015 model is a problem, as well.

What Does The NHTSA Have To Say About Kia And Hyundai?

Comparing recent model years for those top three Kias and Hyundais, here’s what we could turn up with the NHTSA:

• The 2023 Kia Forte has been recalled three times for issues with the suspension and steering.
• The 2023 Kia K5 was included in a recall for 188,912 units with faulty airbags, and one for 69,038 units that could randomly lose drive power.
• The 2023 Kia Sportage has been recalled six times, with the most worrying being for 39,765 units with faulty oil pumps, resulting in a still-active fire risk warning.
• The 2023-2024 Hyundai Tucson is included in a 52,109-unit recall for electric oil pump failure, resulting in a fire risk warning, the same as with the Kia Sportage.
• The 2023 Hyundai Elantra has generated 22 electrical complaints, and it is included in the same oil pump recall as the Tucson.
• The 2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz is included in a recall for 584,784 units with tow hitch harnesses that could potentially short circuit and catch fire while the truck is in park.

While both brands have their share of recalls and complaints on file, it’s worrying that all three of Hyundai’s most reliable models have an active fire risk warning in effect. Of course, this shouldn’t be a problem if you get the recalls taken care of, but it’s notable that this keeps happening.

Speaking of recalls, the two brands have a combined 448 recalls in the USA, but it’s far from an even split. Hyundai owns 59% percent of these with 263 recalls to Kia’s 185.

Kia Is The More Reliable Korean Automaker

Kia’s quality and reliability ratings are a bit higher than Hyundai’s, and while Hyundais are a hair cheaper to maintain, Kia’s recalls and NHTSA complaints are less concerning than Hyundai’s. All of that being said, Kia wins by a pretty narrow margin. Both of these automakers rank in J.D. Power’s top ten, and both have reliability ratings and repair costs that are the envy of the entire auto industry.

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The difference in reliability is just broad enough to serve as a handy tie-breaker. If you can’t decide between a Hyundai Elantra and a Kia Forte, for instance, the Kia Forte is a little more reliable than a Hyundai Elantra, and a little cheaper to maintain, with the Elantra typically costing around $497 a year to keep running, and the Forte just $451. But, it’s not so broad as to be a key deciding factor in which brand you buy.

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That is to say, if you like the Hyundai Palisade more than you like the Telluride, then don’t sweat the reliability ratings. Just drive what you like. You’re getting one of the most dependable cars on the market no matter which brand you go with.

Sources:
J.D. Power
,
NHTSA
,
RepairPal
,
CarEdge
,
CarComplaints