Kia Seltos: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Kia Seltos: 5 model years scored from 534 NHTSA owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns. Worst year 2021, best year 2023.
Kia Seltos: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Kia Seltos ranges from 45/100 in 2021 to 88/100 in 2025 — a 43-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Seltos at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (220 of them).
Avoid: 2021 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2023 (score 86). Worst: 2021 (score 45, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 88 | BUY | $2,858 | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 | 78 | BUY | $3,169 | 42 | 2 |
| 2023 | 86 | BUY | $3,395 | 45 | 2 |
| 2022 | 84 | BUY | $3,592 | 72 | 1 |
| 2021 | 45 | AVOID | $4,769 | 363 | 2 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Seltos, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Kia Seltos
Across every Seltos model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine278 complaints across all Seltos years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other89 complaints across all Seltos years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System88 complaints across all Seltos years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train84 complaints across all Seltos years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine And Engine Cooling52 complaints across all Seltos years · typical job: Water pump, thermostat and coolant service$600–$1,040
- Fuel/Propulsion System24 complaints across all Seltos years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Kia Seltos years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2021 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2021 is the weakest at 45/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Kia Seltos years to buy?
2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2025 at 88/100, on 12 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Kia Seltos problem?
278 of the complaints filed against the Seltos across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04