Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Hyundai Santa Fe drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 420 per 100,000 against 615 for the Kia Sorento, or 32% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2019 and 2021 for the Santa Fe and 2018 and 2020 for the Sorento.
Hyundai Santa Fe
Kia Sorento
By age group
| Model years | Santa Fe | Sorento | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 559 | 817 | Santa Fe |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 544 | 722 | Santa Fe |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 199 | 251 | Santa Fe |
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 | Santa Fe | Sorento |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 500 | 736 |
| 2013 | 908 | 930 |
| 2014 | 610 | 990 |
| 2015 | 287 | 649 |
| 2016 | 236 | 1,100 |
| 2017 | 998 | 813 |
| 2018 | 373 | 236 |
| 2019 | 181 | 454 |
| 2020 | 215 | 187 |
| 2021 | 170 | 57 |
| 2022 | 232 | 264 |
| 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.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the Santa Fe or Sorento more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Hyundai Santa Fe drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 420 per 100,000 against 615 for the Kia Sorento, or 32% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2019 and 2021 for the Santa Fe and 2018 and 2020 for the Sorento.
Which Santa Fe and Sorento years should I avoid?
For the Santa Fe: 2013, 2017. For the Sorento: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.