Nissan Altima vs Kia Optima: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Altima and the Kia Optima are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 67/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Nissan Altima
- 15 model years scored
- 6,792 owner complaints on record
- about 46 complaints per year on the road
- 62 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (95/100) · worst 2013 (23/100)
Kia Optima
- 10 model years scored
- 6,077 owner complaints on record
- about 54 complaints per year on the road
- 41 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (91/100) · worst 2013 (26/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Altima against Optima
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 | Altima | Optima | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 86 BUY | — | — |
| 2024 | 86 BUY | — | — |
| 2023 | 93 BUY | — | — |
| 2022 | 95 BUY | — | — |
| 2021 | 88 BUY | — | — |
| 2020 | 76 BUY | 91 BUY | -15 |
| 2019 | 68 CAUTION | 89 BUY | -21 |
| 2018 | 83 BUY | 89 BUY | -6 |
| 2017 | 69 CAUTION | 86 BUY | -17 |
| 2016 | 55 CAUTION | 53 CAUTION | +2 |
| 2015 | 27 AVOID | 42 AVOID | -15 |
| 2014 | 29 AVOID | 61 CAUTION | -32 |
| 2013 | 23 AVOID | 26 AVOID | -3 |
| 2012 | 73 BUY | 58 CAUTION | +15 |
| 2011 | 91 BUY | 73 BUY | +18 |
What owners actually complain about
Nissan Altima
- Power Train — 1,484 complaints
- Air Bags — 1,159 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 1,053 complaints
Kia Optima
- Engine — 3,075 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 787 complaints
- Electrical System — 722 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Altima's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Optima's in Engine. 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
Nissan Altima — avoid: 2013, 2014, 2015.
Kia Optima — avoid: 2013, 2015.
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 Nissan Altima prices at about $28,100 and a Kia Optima at about $18,400 — the Kia Optima is roughly $9,700 less, and they return 31.0 against 31.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Altima or the Kia Optima more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Altima scores 68/100 against the Kia Optima's 67/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Altima and Kia Optima years should I avoid?
Nissan Altima: 2013, 2014, 2015. Kia Optima: 2013, 2015. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Altima and the Kia Optima?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Altima is Power Train (1,484 complaints); on the Kia Optima it is Engine (3,075).
Is the Nissan Altima or the Kia Optima cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Altima prices at about $28,100 and a Kia Optima at about $18,400, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.