Hyundai Elantra vs Kia Forte: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Forte are level on the federal record — 73/100 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
Hyundai Elantra
- 15 model years scored
- 6,464 owner complaints on record
- about 40 complaints per year on the road
- 46 recall campaigns, 29 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (88/100) · worst 2013 (34/100)
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: Elantra 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.
| Year | Elantra | Forte | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 88 BUY | — | — |
| 2024 | 86 BUY | 88 BUY | -2 |
| 2023 | 79 BUY | 75 BUY | +4 |
| 2022 | 76 BUY | 91 BUY | -15 |
| 2021 | 76 BUY | 82 BUY | -6 |
| 2020 | 73 BUY | 90 BUY | -17 |
| 2019 | 80 BUY | 76 BUY | +4 |
| 2018 | 81 BUY | 79 BUY | +2 |
| 2017 | 35 AVOID | 52 CAUTION | -17 |
| 2016 | 82 BUY | 93 BUY | -11 |
| 2015 | 84 BUY | 72 BUY | +12 |
| 2014 | 78 BUY | 43 AVOID | +35 |
| 2013 | 34 AVOID | 74 BUY | -40 |
| 2012 | 35 AVOID | 67 CAUTION | -32 |
| 2011 | 42 AVOID | 86 BUY | -44 |
What owners actually complain about
Hyundai Elantra
- Engine — 1,787 complaints
- Electrical System — 911 complaints
- Steering — 752 complaints
Kia Forte
- Engine — 984 complaints
- Electrical System — 280 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 242 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
Hyundai Elantra — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017.
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 Hyundai Elantra prices at about $24,100 and a Kia Forte at about $22,100 — the Kia Forte is roughly $2,000 less, and they return 31.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Elantra or the Kia Forte more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Forte scores 76/100 against the Hyundai Elantra's 73/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte years should I avoid?
Hyundai Elantra: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2017. 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 Hyundai Elantra and the Kia Forte?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Elantra is Engine (1,787 complaints); on the Kia Forte it is Engine (984).
Is the Hyundai Elantra or the Kia Forte cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Elantra prices at about $24,100 and a Kia Forte at about $22,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.