Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Nissan Kicks drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 151 per 100,000 against 189 for the Hyundai Kona, or 20% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2021 and 2022 for the Kicks and 2021 and 2022 for the Kona.
Nissan Kicks
By age group
| Model years | Kicks | Kona | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | n/a | n/a | About even |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 373 | 159 | Kona |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 131 | 194 | Kicks |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | Kicks | Kona |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | n/a | n/a |
| 2013 | n/a | n/a |
| 2014 | n/a | n/a |
| 2015 | n/a | n/a |
| 2016 | n/a | n/a |
| 2017 | n/a | n/a |
| 2018 | 373 | 159 |
| 2019 | 230 | 270 |
| 2020 | 167 | 212 |
| 2021 | 94 | 133 |
| 2022 | 44 | 170 |
| 2023 | Too new | Too new |
| 2024 | Too new | Too new |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Questions
Is the Kicks or Kona more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Nissan Kicks drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 151 per 100,000 against 189 for the Hyundai Kona, or 20% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2021 and 2022 for the Kicks and 2021 and 2022 for the Kona.
Which Kicks and Kona years should I avoid?
For the Kicks: 2018. For the Kona: none stand out.