Toyota Sienna vs Kia Sedona: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Sienna is ahead of the Kia Sedona on the federal record, 73/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Toyota Sienna
- 10 model years scored
- 1,815 owner complaints on record
- about 12 complaints per year on the road
- 70 recall campaigns, 43 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (88/100) · worst 2011 (28/100)
Kia Sedona
- 5 model years scored
- 641 owner complaints on record
- about 15 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 7 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (95/100) · worst 2016 (42/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sienna against Sedona
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
Toyota Sienna
- Structure — 424 complaints
- Air Bags — 340 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 256 complaints
Kia Sedona
- Engine — 233 complaints
- Electrical System — 139 complaints
- Structure — 75 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sienna's complaints concentrate in Structure, the Sedona'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
Toyota Sienna — avoid: 2011.
Kia Sedona — avoid: 2016.
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 Toyota Sienna prices at about $23,000 and a Kia Sedona at about $15,700 — the Kia Sedona is roughly $7,300 less, and they return 21.0 against 20.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota Sienna or the Kia Sedona more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Sienna scores 73/100 against the Kia Sedona'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 Toyota Sienna and Kia Sedona years should I avoid?
Toyota Sienna: 2011. Kia Sedona: 2016. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Sienna and the Kia Sedona?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota Sienna is Structure (424 complaints); on the Kia Sedona it is Engine (233).
Is the Toyota Sienna or the Kia Sedona cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota Sienna prices at about $23,000 and a Kia Sedona at about $15,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.