Hyundai Sonata vs Toyota Camry: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Sonata and the Toyota Camry are level on the federal record — 70/100 against 73/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Sonata
- 15 model years scored
- 11,292 owner complaints on record
- about 53 complaints per year on the road
- 69 recall campaigns, 42 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (91/100) · worst 2011 (24/100)
Toyota Camry
- 14 model years scored
- 3,930 owner complaints on record
- about 31 complaints per year on the road
- 40 recall campaigns, 22 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (93/100) · worst 2018 (27/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sonata against Camry
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 | Sonata | Camry | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90 BUY | — | — |
| 2024 | 88 BUY | 83 BUY | +5 |
| 2023 | 87 BUY | 85 BUY | +2 |
| 2022 | 84 BUY | 89 BUY | -5 |
| 2021 | 83 BUY | 75 BUY | +8 |
| 2020 | 82 BUY | 56 CAUTION | +26 |
| 2019 | 91 BUY | 37 AVOID | +54 |
| 2018 | 82 BUY | 27 AVOID | +55 |
| 2017 | 56 CAUTION | 87 BUY | -31 |
| 2016 | 54 CAUTION | 86 BUY | -32 |
| 2015 | 28 AVOID | 81 BUY | -53 |
| 2014 | 59 CAUTION | 93 BUY | -34 |
| 2013 | 25 AVOID | 82 BUY | -57 |
| 2012 | 28 AVOID | 55 CAUTION | -27 |
| 2011 | 24 AVOID | 59 CAUTION | -35 |
What owners actually complain about
Hyundai Sonata
- Engine — 4,437 complaints
- Steering — 2,050 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,562 complaints
Toyota Camry
- Power Train — 622 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 609 complaints
- Air Bags — 390 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sonata's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Camry'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 Sonata — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015.
Toyota Camry — avoid: 2018, 2019.
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 Sonata prices at about $28,100 and a Toyota Camry at about $25,800 — the Toyota Camry is roughly $2,300 less, and they return 28.0 against 26.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Sonata or the Toyota Camry more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Camry scores 73/100 against the Hyundai Sonata's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry years should I avoid?
Hyundai Sonata: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015. Toyota Camry: 2018, 2019. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Sonata and the Toyota Camry?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Sonata is Engine (4,437 complaints); on the Toyota Camry it is Power Train (622).
Is the Hyundai Sonata or the Toyota Camry cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Sonata prices at about $28,100 and a Toyota Camry at about $25,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.