Hyundai Kona vs Hyundai Tucson Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Kona is ahead of the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid on the federal record, 83/100 against 75/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Kona
- 8 model years scored
- 769 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 10 recall campaigns, 4 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (93/100) · worst 2024 (74/100)
Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
- 4 model years scored
- 320 owner complaints on record
- about 48 complaints per year on the road
- 3 recall campaigns, 2 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (93/100) · worst 2025 (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: Kona against Tucson Hybrid
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 Kona
- Engine — 396 complaints
- Electrical System — 135 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 133 complaints
Hyundai Tucson Hybrid
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 91 complaints
- Electrical System — 85 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 74 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Kona's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Tucson Hybrid's in Forward Collision Avoidance. 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 Kona: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023….
Hyundai Tucson Hybrid — avoid: 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 Hyundai Kona prices at about $30,500 and a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 27.0 against 35.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Kona or the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Hyundai Kona scores 83/100 against the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid's 75/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Kona and Hyundai Tucson Hybrid years should I avoid?
Hyundai Kona: no year scores below 45. Hyundai Tucson Hybrid: 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Kona and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Kona is Engine (396 complaints); on the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid it is Forward Collision Avoidance (91).
Is the Hyundai Kona or the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Kona prices at about $30,500 and a Hyundai Tucson Hybrid at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.