GMC Terrain vs Kia Telluride: which is more reliable?
The GMC Terrain is ahead of the Kia Telluride on the federal record, 83/100 against 76/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
GMC Terrain
- 15 model years scored
- 2,848 owner complaints on record
- about 21 complaints per year on the road
- 36 recall campaigns, 10 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (92/100) · worst 2018 (71/100)
Kia Telluride
- 5 model years scored
- 1,624 owner complaints on record
- about 95 complaints per year on the road
- 26 recall campaigns, 5 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (82/100) · worst 2020 (66/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Terrain against Telluride
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
GMC Terrain
- Engine — 1,094 complaints
- Power Train — 417 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 346 complaints
Kia Telluride
- Unknown Or Other — 376 complaints
- Engine — 273 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 270 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Terrain's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Telluride's in Unknown Or Other. 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
GMC Terrain: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016….
Kia Telluride: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025.
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 GMC Terrain prices at about $40,800 and a Kia Telluride at about $63,100 — the GMC Terrain is roughly $22,300 less, and they return 25.0 against 20.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the GMC Terrain or the Kia Telluride more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the GMC Terrain scores 83/100 against the Kia Telluride'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 GMC Terrain and Kia Telluride years should I avoid?
GMC Terrain: no year scores below 45. Kia Telluride: 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 GMC Terrain and the Kia Telluride?
The largest complaint group on the GMC Terrain is Engine (1,094 complaints); on the Kia Telluride it is Unknown Or Other (376).
Is the GMC Terrain or the Kia Telluride cheaper to own?
A recent used GMC Terrain prices at about $40,800 and a Kia Telluride at about $63,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.