Hyundai Accent vs Chevrolet Spark: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Accent is ahead of the Chevrolet Spark on the federal record, 80/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Accent
- 10 model years scored
- 657 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 15 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (94/100) · worst 2012 (59/100)
Chevrolet Spark
- 9 model years scored
- 524 owner complaints on record
- about 5 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (94/100) · worst 2014 (38/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Accent against Spark
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
Hyundai Accent
- Engine — 189 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
- Air Bags — 104 complaints
Chevrolet Spark
- Power Train — 127 complaints
- Engine — 109 complaints
- Electrical System — 99 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Accent's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Spark's in Power Train. 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
Hyundai Accent: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019….
Chevrolet Spark — avoid: 2013, 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 Hyundai Accent prices at about $12,000 and a Chevrolet Spark at about $12,000 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 36.0 against 33.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Accent or the Chevrolet Spark more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Accent scores 80/100 against the Chevrolet Spark's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Accent and Chevrolet Spark years should I avoid?
Hyundai Accent: no year scores below 45. Chevrolet Spark: 2013, 2014. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Accent and the Chevrolet Spark?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Accent is Engine (189 complaints); on the Chevrolet Spark it is Power Train (127).
Is the Hyundai Accent or the Chevrolet Spark cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Accent prices at about $12,000 and a Chevrolet Spark at about $12,000, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.