Kia Sorento vs GMC Acadia: which is more reliable?
The Kia Sorento is ahead of the GMC Acadia on the federal record, 75/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Kia Sorento
- 15 model years scored
- 8,384 owner complaints on record
- about 56 complaints per year on the road
- 63 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (90/100) · worst 2016 (44/100)
GMC Acadia
- 15 model years scored
- 4,249 owner complaints on record
- about 39 complaints per year on the road
- 50 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (87/100) · worst 2017 (36/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sorento against Acadia
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 | Sorento | Acadia | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72 BUY | 56 CAUTION | +16 |
| 2024 | 86 BUY | 81 BUY | +5 |
| 2023 | 85 BUY | 87 BUY | -2 |
| 2022 | 80 BUY | 86 BUY | -6 |
| 2021 | 87 BUY | 75 BUY | +12 |
| 2020 | 90 BUY | 81 BUY | +9 |
| 2019 | 81 BUY | 49 AVOID | +32 |
| 2018 | 83 BUY | 53 CAUTION | +30 |
| 2017 | 65 CAUTION | 36 AVOID | +29 |
| 2016 | 44 AVOID | 77 BUY | -33 |
| 2015 | 71 BUY | 74 BUY | -3 |
| 2014 | 60 CAUTION | 51 CAUTION | +9 |
| 2013 | 68 CAUTION | 84 BUY | -16 |
| 2012 | 73 BUY | 76 BUY | -3 |
| 2011 | 49 AVOID | 79 BUY | -30 |
What owners actually complain about
Kia Sorento
- Engine — 3,488 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,180 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,115 complaints
GMC Acadia
- Power Train — 1,017 complaints
- Electrical System — 949 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 759 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sorento's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Acadia'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
Kia Sorento — avoid: 2011, 2016.
GMC Acadia — avoid: 2017, 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 Kia Sorento prices at about $40,800 and a GMC Acadia at about $40,800 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Kia Sorento or the GMC Acadia more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Sorento scores 75/100 against the GMC Acadia's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Kia Sorento and GMC Acadia years should I avoid?
Kia Sorento: 2011, 2016. GMC Acadia: 2017, 2019. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Kia Sorento and the GMC Acadia?
The largest complaint group on the Kia Sorento is Engine (3,488 complaints); on the GMC Acadia it is Power Train (1,017).
Is the Kia Sorento or the GMC Acadia cheaper to own?
A recent used Kia Sorento prices at about $40,800 and a GMC Acadia at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.