Dodge Dart vs Kia Forte: which is more reliable?
The Kia Forte is ahead of the Dodge Dart on the federal record, 76/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Dodge Dart
- 4 model years scored
- 2,315 owner complaints on record
- about 48 complaints per year on the road
- 16 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (84/100) · worst 2013 (47/100)
Kia Forte
- 14 model years scored
- 2,183 owner complaints on record
- about 18 complaints per year on the road
- 31 recall campaigns, 17 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (93/100) · worst 2014 (43/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Dart against Forte
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
Dodge Dart
- Power Train — 907 complaints
- Engine — 483 complaints
- Service Brakes — 446 complaints
Kia Forte
- Engine — 984 complaints
- Electrical System — 280 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 242 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Dart's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Forte's in Engine. 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
Dodge Dart — avoid: 2013.
Kia Forte — avoid: 2014.
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 Dodge Dart prices at about $10,800 and a Kia Forte at about $22,100 — the Dodge Dart is roughly $11,300 less, and they return 30.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Dart or the Kia Forte more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Forte scores 76/100 against the Dodge Dart's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Dodge Dart and Kia Forte years should I avoid?
Dodge Dart: 2013. Kia Forte: 2014. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Dart and the Kia Forte?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Dart is Power Train (907 complaints); on the Kia Forte it is Engine (984).
Is the Dodge Dart or the Kia Forte cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Dart prices at about $10,800 and a Kia Forte at about $22,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.