2018 Hyundai Kona: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
74 NHTSA owner complaints · 0 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
The Hyundai Kona has no year to avoid: every one of its eight model years is a BUY, from a score of 93 on the 2018 car to 74 on the 2024. The strongest years are the 2018, with 74 complaints and no recalls, and the 2021 to 2023 cars at 85, 85 and 86; the weakest are the 2019 and 2020, at 187 and 156 complaints and 81 each. Read the full note on the model page. 2018 specifically: a year the record favours — 74 complaints, score 93/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Hyundai Kona, Genesis and Santa Fe Sport: what the record says, including 2018 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 74 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 9.25
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
I purchased a 2018 Hyundai Kona, and it has had one major issue after another. It burns an excessive amount of oil, the engine misfires, and now the turbocharger is failing. I’ve already spent approximately $2,300 repairing the air conditioner and engine, and I can’t afford thousands more in repairs.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Kona. The contact stated that while driving it began to smoke, a noise was hear, put in neutral to coast down a hill and had to pull the parking break to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with defective piston oil rings, and the engine was rebuilt. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was.98,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Koa. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving the vehicle began to sputter and jerk before stalling. During the failure the oil warning light flashed off and on. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed due to carbon buildup. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manuf…
Recalls: 0 campaigns
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
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What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a compact SUV of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 27 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,300
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Engine41 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other25 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Power Train11 complaints · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair (7.0 h labour + parts)$1,290–$4,040
- Electrical System8 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Fuel/Propulsion System4 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Vehicle Speed Control3 complaints · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$520–$1,150
Other Hyundai Kona years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2018 Hyundai Kona?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (41 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2018 Hyundai Kona a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 93/100, computed from 74 NHTSA complaints and 0 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2018 Hyundai Kona's most common problem?
41 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2018 Hyundai Kona sit in the Engine group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is cooling-system or timing-drive repair: about 6.0 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $1,040–$2,220 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2018 Hyundai Kona cost to run per year?
About $4,265 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $21,328 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Compare with
Other compact suvs of about the same age.
What will a 2018 Hyundai Kona really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Moderate evidence — 74 complaints, 0 recalls on record
- 74 NHTSA complaints on record (9.2/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (24.5/yr)
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 touching safety-critical systems