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Hyundai vs Kia

Hyundai or Kia — what we actually found

Side by side from 203 Hyundais and 133 Kias buyers asked us to inspect before purchase. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
HyundaiKia
Cars inspected203133
Average condition67/10069/100
In good shape (60+/100)69%69%
Holds up to (avg dips below decent)~135k mi~121k mi
Repainted or replaced panel71%68%
Structural repair found5%1%
Fault codes recently cleared22%20%

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 30% Good 39% Mediocre 21% Poor 10%
Kia
Excellent 43% Good 26% Mediocre 20% Poor 11%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Hyundai▬ Kia▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Hyundai, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (12 cars)Hyundai, 20–40k mi: 97% in good shape (31 cars)Hyundai, 40–60k mi: 53% in good shape (30 cars)Hyundai, 60–80k mi: 84% in good shape (25 cars)Hyundai, 80–100k mi: 74% in good shape (31 cars)Hyundai, 100–120k mi: 70% in good shape (30 cars)Hyundai, 120–140k mi: 33% in good shape (18 cars)Hyundai, 140–160k mi: 43% in good shape (14 cars)Hyundai, 160–180k mi: 40% in good shape (5 cars) Kia, 0–20k mi: 100% in good shape (11 cars)Kia, 20–40k mi: 88% in good shape (25 cars)Kia, 40–60k mi: 100% in good shape (12 cars)Kia, 60–80k mi: 71% in good shape (24 cars)Kia, 80–100k mi: 59% in good shape (22 cars)Kia, 100–120k mi: 50% in good shape (16 cars)Kia, 120–140k mi: 40% in good shape (5 cars)Kia, 140–160k mi: 22% in good shape (9 cars)Kia, 160–180k mi: 50% in good shape (6 cars) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
▬ Hyundai▬ Kia▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Hyundai, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (9 cars)Hyundai, 2 years old: 93% in good shape (15 cars)Hyundai, 3 years old: 87% in good shape (15 cars)Hyundai, 4 years old: 89% in good shape (18 cars)Hyundai, 5 years old: 80% in good shape (15 cars)Hyundai, 6 years old: 70% in good shape (23 cars)Hyundai, 7 years old: 88% in good shape (17 cars)Hyundai, 8 years old: 52% in good shape (25 cars)Hyundai, 9 years old: 64% in good shape (22 cars)Hyundai, 10 years old: 55% in good shape (11 cars)Hyundai, 11 years old: 23% in good shape (13 cars)Hyundai, 12 years old: 33% in good shape (6 cars) Kia, 1 years old: 100% in good shape (10 cars)Kia, 2 years old: 93% in good shape (14 cars)Kia, 3 years old: 90% in good shape (20 cars)Kia, 4 years old: 78% in good shape (9 cars)Kia, 5 years old: 60% in good shape (10 cars)Kia, 6 years old: 67% in good shape (12 cars)Kia, 7 years old: 56% in good shape (16 cars)Kia, 8 years old: 36% in good shape (14 cars)Kia, 9 years old: 78% in good shape (9 cars)Kia, 10 years old: 80% in good shape (5 cars)Kia, 11 years old: 20% in good shape (5 cars) 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; 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
38%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
20%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
18%
Kia
Oil leaks · Engine
46%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
32%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
23%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
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: 77% in good shape (age-adjusted; 41 cars, raw 76%) 77 2018+: 66% in good shape (age-adjusted; 30 cars, raw 73%) 66 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018+
Kia

Not enough Kias at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

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 →

Whichever badge wins on paper, the car in front of you is its own story. Get it inspected before you pay.
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Based on 336 inspections · updated Aug 22, 2026