Kia Soul vs Hyundai Tucson: which is more reliable?
The Kia Soul 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
Kia Soul
- 15 model years scored
- 5,388 owner complaints on record
- about 41 complaints per year on the road
- 31 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (91/100) · worst 2014 (38/100)
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)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Soul against Tucson
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
Kia Soul
- Engine — 3,094 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 626 complaints
- Electrical System — 496 complaints
Hyundai Tucson
- Engine — 1,759 complaints
- Power Train — 999 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 536 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
Kia Soul — avoid: 2014, 2015, 2016.
Hyundai Tucson — avoid: 2016, 2017.
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 Soul prices at about $30,500 and a Hyundai Tucson at about $21,900 — the Hyundai Tucson is roughly $8,600 less, and they return 30.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Kia Soul or the Hyundai Tucson more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Kia Soul 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 Kia Soul and Hyundai Tucson years should I avoid?
Kia Soul: 2014, 2015, 2016. Hyundai Tucson: 2016, 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Kia Soul and the Hyundai Tucson?
The largest complaint group on the Kia Soul is Engine (3,094 complaints); on the Hyundai Tucson it is Engine (1,759).
Is the Kia Soul or the Hyundai Tucson cheaper to own?
A recent used Kia Soul prices at about $30,500 and a Hyundai Tucson at about $21,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.