Buick Enclave vs Hyundai Genesis: which is more reliable?
The Buick Enclave and the Hyundai Genesis are level on the federal record — 73/100 against 70/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Buick Enclave
- 15 model years scored
- 1,457 owner complaints on record
- about 12 complaints per year on the road
- 45 recall campaigns, 32 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (92/100) · worst 2014 (30/100)
Hyundai Genesis
- 6 model years scored
- 1,039 owner complaints on record
- about 14 complaints per year on the road
- 26 recall campaigns, 23 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (97/100) · worst 2015 (39/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Enclave against Genesis
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Buick Enclave
- Air Bags — 634 complaints
- Engine — 164 complaints
- Electrical System — 157 complaints
Hyundai Genesis
- Electrical System — 245 complaints
- Engine — 232 complaints
- Service Brakes — 190 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Enclave's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Genesis's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Buick Enclave — avoid: 2014, 2025.
Hyundai Genesis — avoid: 2015.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Buick Enclave prices at about $44,100 and a Hyundai Genesis at about $28,200 — the Hyundai Genesis is roughly $15,900 less, and they return 21.0 against 19.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Buick Enclave or the Hyundai Genesis more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Buick Enclave scores 73/100 against the Hyundai Genesis's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Buick Enclave and Hyundai Genesis years should I avoid?
Buick Enclave: 2014, 2025. Hyundai Genesis: 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Buick Enclave and the Hyundai Genesis?
The largest complaint group on the Buick Enclave is Air Bags (634 complaints); on the Hyundai Genesis it is Electrical System (245).
Is the Buick Enclave or the Hyundai Genesis cheaper to own?
A recent used Buick Enclave prices at about $44,100 and a Hyundai Genesis at about $28,200, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.