Kia Sorento vs Toyota Highlander: which is more reliable?
The Kia Sorento is ahead of the Toyota Highlander on the federal record, 75/100 against 65/100 — 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)
Toyota Highlander
- 11 model years scored
- 2,349 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 24 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (86/100) · worst 2020 (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: Sorento against Highlander
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 | Highlander | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 72 BUY | 82 BUY | -10 |
| 2024 | 86 BUY | — | — |
| 2023 | 85 BUY | — | — |
| 2022 | 80 BUY | — | — |
| 2021 | 87 BUY | — | — |
| 2020 | 90 BUY | 37 AVOID | +53 |
| 2019 | 81 BUY | 40 AVOID | +41 |
| 2018 | 83 BUY | 45 AVOID | +38 |
| 2017 | 65 CAUTION | 56 CAUTION | +9 |
| 2016 | 44 AVOID | 86 BUY | -42 |
| 2015 | 71 BUY | 78 BUY | -7 |
| 2014 | 60 CAUTION | 79 BUY | -19 |
| 2013 | 68 CAUTION | 80 BUY | -12 |
| 2012 | 73 BUY | 85 BUY | -12 |
| 2011 | 49 AVOID | 84 BUY | -35 |
What owners actually complain about
Kia Sorento
- Engine — 3,488 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,180 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,115 complaints
Toyota Highlander
- Power Train — 461 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 363 complaints
- Electrical System — 306 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sorento's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Highlander'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.
Toyota Highlander — avoid: 2018, 2019, 2020.
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 Toyota Highlander 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 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Kia Sorento or the Toyota Highlander more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Sorento scores 75/100 against the Toyota Highlander's 65/100, 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 Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?
Kia Sorento: 2011, 2016. Toyota Highlander: 2018, 2019, 2020. 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 Toyota Highlander?
The largest complaint group on the Kia Sorento is Engine (3,488 complaints); on the Toyota Highlander it is Power Train (461).
Is the Kia Sorento or the Toyota Highlander cheaper to own?
A recent used Kia Sorento prices at about $40,800 and a Toyota Highlander at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.