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Hyundai vs Nissan Reliability

Hyundai leads on our inspections: 68/100 average condition vs 62/100 for Nissan, from 506 real pre-purchase inspections. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
HyundaiNissan
Cars inspected234272
Average condition68/10062/100
In good shape (60+/100)70%56%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~143k mi~122k mi
Repainted or replaced panel71%78%
Structural repair found5%7%
Fault codes recently cleared22%24%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Hyundai
Excellent 32% Good 38% Mediocre 22% Poor 9%
Nissan
Excellent 21% Good 35% Mediocre 27% Poor 17%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Hyundai▬ Nissan▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Hyundai, 0–20k mi: 99%, drawn from the nearby bands (14 cars in this band)Hyundai, 20–40k mi: 94% in good shape (36 cars)Hyundai, 40–60k mi: 55% in good shape (31 cars)Hyundai, 60–80k mi: 87% in good shape (31 cars)Hyundai, 80–100k mi: 71% in good shape (35 cars)Hyundai, 100–120k mi: 68% in good shape (37 cars)Hyundai, 120–140k mi: 40% in good shape (20 cars)Hyundai, 140–160k mi: 36%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band)Hyundai, 160–180k mi: 43%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band) Nissan, 0–20k mi: 98%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band)Nissan, 20–40k mi: 90% in good shape (21 cars)Nissan, 40–60k mi: 80% in good shape (35 cars)Nissan, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (43 cars)Nissan, 80–100k mi: 71% in good shape (42 cars)Nissan, 100–120k mi: 36% in good shape (36 cars)Nissan, 120–140k mi: 37% in good shape (35 cars)Nissan, 140–160k mi: 24%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars in this band)Nissan, 160–180k mi: 21%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars in this band)Nissan, 180–200k mi: 17%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Hyundai▬ Nissan▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Hyundai, 1 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Hyundai, 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Hyundai, 3 years old: 92%, drawn from the nearby bands (18 cars this age)Hyundai, 4 years old: 90% in good shape (21 cars)Hyundai, 5 years old: 80% in good shape (20 cars)Hyundai, 6 years old: 68% in good shape (25 cars)Hyundai, 7 years old: 70%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Hyundai, 8 years old: 54% in good shape (26 cars)Hyundai, 9 years old: 68% in good shape (25 cars)Hyundai, 10 years old: 55% in good shape (11 cars)Hyundai, 11 years old: 36%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars this age)Hyundai, 12 years old: 26%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age)Hyundai, 13 years old: 11%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age) Nissan, 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Nissan, 2 years old: 93%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Nissan, 3 years old: 83%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Nissan, 4 years old: 52% in good shape (23 cars)Nissan, 5 years old: 68%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Nissan, 6 years old: 71% in good shape (24 cars)Nissan, 7 years old: 66% in good shape (29 cars)Nissan, 8 years old: 46% in good shape (26 cars)Nissan, 9 years old: 46% in good shape (28 cars)Nissan, 10 years old: 52%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Nissan, 11 years old: 45%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age)Nissan, 12 years old: 35%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Nissan, 13 years old: 18% in good shape (11 cars)Nissan, 14 years old: 15%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Nissan, 15 years old: 17%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Hyundai
Oil leaks · Engine
48%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
39%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
18%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
18%
Nissan
Oil leaks · Engine
48%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
37%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
31%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
24%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
17%
Trajectory by generation
Hyundai ▲ Newer Hyundais are holding up better 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 56% in good shape (age-adjusted; 33 cars, raw 55%) 56 2015–17: 79% in good shape (age-adjusted; 44 cars, raw 77%) 79 2018–20: 67% in good shape (age-adjusted; 32 cars, raw 72%) 67 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+
Nissan ↘↗ Dipped in the mid-2010s — the newest generation recovered 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 60% in good shape (age-adjusted; 29 cars, raw 55%) 60 2015–17: 48% in good shape (age-adjusted; 49 cars, raw 47%) 48 2018–20: 71% in good shape (age-adjusted; 47 cars, raw 77%) 71 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Hyundai or Nissan?
Hyundai leads on our inspections: 68/100 average condition vs 62/100 for Nissan, from 506 real pre-purchase inspections.
?
What are the most common problems with used Hyundais and Nissans?
On Hyundais we flag oil leaks (48%), fuel trim out of range (39%), tires condition & wear (36%). On Nissans: oil leaks (48%), tires condition & wear (37%), active error codes (31%).
?
How many Hyundai and Nissan vehicles have you inspected?
234 Hyundais and 272 Nissans — 506 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
How long do Hyundais and Nissans stay in good shape?
In our data, the average Hyundai dips below “decent” around ~143k mi; Nissan around ~122k mi. Individual cars vary — get the one you’re buying inspected.
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Based on 506 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026