Chevrolet Cruze vs Hyundai Veloster: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Cruze and the Hyundai Veloster are level on the federal record — 77/100 against 76/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Cruze
- 9 model years scored
- 3,958 owner complaints on record
- about 31 complaints per year on the road
- 44 recall campaigns, 31 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (92/100) · worst 2014 (54/100)
Hyundai Veloster
- 8 model years scored
- 1,274 owner complaints on record
- about 13 complaints per year on the road
- 17 recall campaigns, 10 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (94/100) · worst 2013 (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: Cruze against Veloster
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
Chevrolet Cruze
- Engine — 1,356 complaints
- Electrical System — 816 complaints
- Power Train — 707 complaints
Hyundai Veloster
- Engine — 525 complaints
- Electrical System — 206 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 177 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
Chevrolet Cruze: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.
Hyundai Veloster — avoid: 2012, 2013.
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 Chevrolet Cruze prices at about $14,300 and a Hyundai Veloster at about $15,700 — the Chevrolet Cruze is roughly $1,400 less, and they return 32.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chevrolet Cruze or the Hyundai Veloster more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Cruze scores 77/100 against the Hyundai Veloster'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 Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Veloster years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Cruze: no year scores below 45. Hyundai Veloster: 2012, 2013. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Cruze and the Hyundai Veloster?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Cruze is Engine (1,356 complaints); on the Hyundai Veloster it is Engine (525).
Is the Chevrolet Cruze or the Hyundai Veloster cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Cruze prices at about $14,300 and a Hyundai Veloster at about $15,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.