Honda Civic vs Hyundai Veloster: which is more reliable?
The Honda Civic is ahead of the Hyundai Veloster on the federal record, 80/100 against 76/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Honda Civic
- 5 model years scored
- 1,613 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 15 recall campaigns, 11 safety-critical
- best year 2013 (84/100) · worst 2012 (68/100)
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: Civic 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
Honda Civic
- Air Bags — 429 complaints
- Power Train — 323 complaints
- Electrical System — 178 complaints
Hyundai Veloster
- Engine — 525 complaints
- Electrical System — 206 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 177 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Civic's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Veloster'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
Honda Civic: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015.
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 Honda Civic prices at about $10,000 and a Hyundai Veloster at about $15,700 — the Honda Civic is roughly $5,700 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 Honda Civic or the Hyundai Veloster more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda Civic scores 80/100 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 Honda Civic and Hyundai Veloster years should I avoid?
Honda Civic: 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 Honda Civic and the Hyundai Veloster?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Civic is Air Bags (429 complaints); on the Hyundai Veloster it is Engine (525).
Is the Honda Civic or the Hyundai Veloster cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Civic prices at about $10,000 and a Hyundai Veloster at about $15,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.