Hyundai Tucson vs Honda HR-V: which is more reliable?
The Honda HR-V is ahead of the Hyundai Tucson on the federal record, 70/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Tucson
- 8 model years scored
- 4,101 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 20 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (89/100) · worst 2016 (37/100)
Honda HR-V
- 10 model years scored
- 1,810 owner complaints on record
- about 46 complaints per year on the road
- 32 recall campaigns, 21 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (92/100) · worst 2023 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Tucson against HR-V
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 Tucson
- Engine — 1,759 complaints
- Power Train — 999 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 536 complaints
Honda HR-V
- Unknown Or Other — 399 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 333 complaints
- Electrical System — 304 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Tucson's complaints concentrate in Engine, the HR-V's in Unknown Or Other. 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 Tucson — avoid: 2016, 2017.
Honda HR-V — avoid: 2023, 2024.
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 Tucson prices at about $21,900 and a Honda HR-V at about $30,500 — the Hyundai Tucson is roughly $8,600 less, and they return 23.0 against 27.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Tucson or the Honda HR-V more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Honda HR-V scores 70/100 against the Hyundai Tucson's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Tucson and Honda HR-V years should I avoid?
Hyundai Tucson: 2016, 2017. Honda HR-V: 2023, 2024. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Tucson and the Honda HR-V?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Tucson is Engine (1,759 complaints); on the Honda HR-V it is Unknown Or Other (399).
Is the Hyundai Tucson or the Honda HR-V cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Tucson prices at about $21,900 and a Honda HR-V at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.