Buick Regal vs Kia Stinger: which is more reliable?
The Buick Regal is ahead of the Kia Stinger on the federal record, 82/100 against 76/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Buick Regal
- 10 model years scored
- 633 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 28 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (92/100) · worst 2011 (42/100)
Kia Stinger
- 6 model years scored
- 166 owner complaints on record
- about 4 complaints per year on the road
- 20 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (91/100) · worst 2018 (57/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Regal against Stinger
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 Regal
- Engine — 169 complaints
- Electrical System — 159 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 127 complaints
Kia Stinger
- Engine — 47 complaints
- Electrical System — 35 complaints
- Service Brakes — 30 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Buick Regal — avoid: 2011.
Kia Stinger: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.
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 Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Kia Stinger at about $23,800 — the Buick Regal is roughly $4,000 less, and they return 26.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Buick Regal or the Kia Stinger more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Buick Regal scores 82/100 against the Kia Stinger's 76/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Buick Regal and Kia Stinger years should I avoid?
Buick Regal: 2011. Kia Stinger: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Buick Regal and the Kia Stinger?
The largest complaint group on the Buick Regal is Engine (169 complaints); on the Kia Stinger it is Engine (47).
Is the Buick Regal or the Kia Stinger cheaper to own?
A recent used Buick Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Kia Stinger at about $23,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.