Hyundai Tucson vs Kia Sportage: which is more reliable?
The Kia Sportage is ahead of the Hyundai Tucson on the federal record, 73/100 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)
Kia Sportage
- 15 model years scored
- 2,540 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 45 recall campaigns, 26 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (91/100) · worst 2023 (33/100)
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 Sportage
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
Kia Sportage
- Engine — 1,428 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 368 complaints
- Electrical System — 336 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 Tucson — avoid: 2016, 2017.
Kia Sportage — avoid: 2017, 2023.
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 Kia Sportage at about $30,500 — the Hyundai Tucson is roughly $8,600 less, and they return 23.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Tucson or the Kia Sportage more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Sportage scores 73/100 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 Kia Sportage years should I avoid?
Hyundai Tucson: 2016, 2017. Kia Sportage: 2017, 2023. 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 Kia Sportage?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Tucson is Engine (1,759 complaints); on the Kia Sportage it is Engine (1,428).
Is the Hyundai Tucson or the Kia Sportage cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Tucson prices at about $21,900 and a Kia Sportage at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.