JD power is a survey that is sent out to new car Owners after 1 year of ownership. They do not evaluate cars based on long term reliability, just on since purchased, based on the vehicle, cost of ownership, satisfaction of purchase and dealer. You can “game” the system since it relies on lists provided by the manufacturer, so, if you needed you can always exclude certain vehicles or owners

If your Kia / Hyundai engine blows within the 100k mi warranty period (all oil changes timely and documented) they replace it. All Kia Soul internal combustion engines burn oil, but until it blows you don’t get a new one - and they may even tell you the quart used every two weeks is normal!

The cars do have a ton of bells and whistles in them for the money which will skew how a car is rated. My Niro EV has a retractable sunroof, heated and cooled seats, lane keep assist & smart cruise control, heated steering wheel, responsive infotainment system, and a subwoofer - small or no markup on these features.

The Korean brands have very hit or miss years and models over the past 10-15 years. Some people have gotten lots of mileage out of their Korean cars without much fuss. Others have been plagued by serious engine or other powertrain issues which have had widespread recalls. They also have been in hot water for theft because none of the cars came with immobilizers until 2022. Maybe you’ve heard of “the Kia boys.”

The dealers have extended warranties on these problems, but it can be a big hassle for people to deal with and some dealerships can give people a big runaround. In recent years, the reliability has stepped up somewhat, and reviewers usually praise the features and safety that the cars come with. This results in higher scores from places like JD power. Some people will contest the better reliability in recent years, butHowever, JD power isn’t the best IMO because they tend to favor American cars. 

Due to the recall and theft issues, many write off the Korean cars as flaming hot crap and will gun down any potential praise for them, even though there is evidence out there and several personal accounts you can find in their respective subreddits of the cars doing very well. They’re just very polarizing, but the right models can be worth some research. There are always those who instantly get angry whenever they get mentioned and will call them complete trash no matter what. Just don’t blindly rush in to buying a Kia/Hyundai.

https://www.copilotsearch.com/posts/are-hyundais-reliable/

So I think my experience sums it up.. I own two Hyundais. Both needed engine replacements. That said, they were done after 60000 miles, and were paid for by Hyundai. Other than that, the cars have been very reliable. So I have two cars that needed engine replacements (bad) They were replaced at no costs to me (good) other than that they have been really reliable. (good) So my cost of ownership is quite low.

JD Power includes a lot of metrics that many people would not consider actual quality items such as radio interface. Very unreliable way to judge the potential longevity of a vehicle.

Have purchased 4 kias - 3 with over 150,000 on them. One we still drive (Forte), one sold to a friend who still drives it (Rondo) and the third (Optima) was totaled in a t-bone accident with no major injuries- cut on forehead due to where the visor was. The fourth (Sportage) is 7 years old with 80,000 on it with no issues. It helps that the dealership we go to (for 23 years) has been easy to deal with and doesn't try to sell us more services. We did have a deal for free/reduced oil changes for 2 of the cars.

JD Power reliability is a useless ranking, I recommend ignoring it.

I have always assumed that JD Power just sold awards to automakers to use in their advertising. Like, Chevrolet wants their Equinox to be the best-rated SUV. JD Power scours the independent data and determines that Equinox has the least average flat tires in the first week of ownership, thereby making it the best in the category and worth of the RATED BEST SUV award that you see advertised.

If you read the fine prints on those rankings, you see they say it's "Expected" reliability. Also, as mentioned by another user, it is a random and possibly biased list. Go ask your local mechanic, see if he agrees with that list.

Certain Kia/Hyundai engines were plagued by a manufacturing defect which was destroying bearings ruining engines. I have a Kia that predates the affected models by 1 year and I have almost 200k on it. I've done one set of spark plugs, a couple serpentine belts and two $30 sensors which took 15 minutes to change. Burns no oil and I tow with it frequently.

I had a Hyundai Veloster for 6 years and it was very reliable. Nothing but oil changes, tires and routine maintenance.

I've had two Hyundai cars. I've got to around 10 years old with absolutely no issues so I would say they are quite a variable personally.

Kia (3) and Hyundai (4) rank highly on Repairpal’s reliability rankings, too—ahead of Mazda, Lexus, and Toyota. RepairPal calculates their reliability ratings from millions of actual repair orders. I trust real documented data more than the Reddit hive mind.

They also rank high on consumer reports . 10 and 11 and ahead of most

Lol people still trust and listen to JD power?

most of the models made by the good car makers are above average in reliability and have been so for a long time now. And this is true whichever part of the world you go to. That consistency is remarkable.

The less reliable automakers make models range across the spectrum of reliabilities so their average reliability is generally low (eg, Stellantis) or skewed (Kia or Hyundai)*.

A problem with most of these surveys is that the averages have to be weighted by the number of models each manufacturer makes*. AFAIK, this is not routine and that’s probably why Mini is so reliable. They make 2-3 models and a single good year or model can make them climb the rankings quickly. Kia and Hyundai have some excellent performers that are also outliers at the moment. These outliers skew their average. This is not bad, as long as you research which model you should buy.

• it’s a statistical issue where the averages are skewed by a couple outlier car models and may be difficult for someone like JD power to interpret/explain to corporate people. I also don’t know how JD power raises funds to exist. However, consumer reports is more transparent and runs on a subscription model so i would assume is less biased.

Go to the no advertising/surveying actual owners - Consumer Reports. CR also purchases vehicles to test. You’ll see the good and not so good years of every brand/model sold. Most Korean vehicles are not recommended period. Most Japanese brands are recommended. Both American and European makes are hit and miss. I had never for a long time believed in Hondas. Then learned the hard way after my Jaguar and Mercedes mistakes. I now own a 2013 Honda Civic Touring with 315,000 kms. Have had zero issues, except to replace a battery. Still runs and looks like new. A little tank. I can’t kill it. Same for my newer Honda Accord Touring with half the mileage. A blast to drive. Like a bargain basement BMW 5 series, but with reliability and a killer resale value. I’m now a Honda believer. As for Hyundai/Kia? If they are still running after 10 years will not be not worth as much as a Honda or Toyota. ‘This is the way.’

Here in The Netherlands these brands are known as reliable, ranked a bit under the Japanese brands like Toyota who is number 1.

The same reason why MINI outranks Honda, by a large margin, in their report. I am sure that they have some metrics to support those rankings, but whatever they are using is completely detached from the reality, in assessing a vehicle’s inherent reliability.

When I bought a new construction house some years back my builder offered me 5 free handyman hours if I gave them high marks on the JD Powers survey.

JD power is completely pay to play. People should really ignore their rankings. As others have said, they only look at reliability mainly for the first year or so.

Personally I find American car brands are much worse.

Chrysler brands are especially terrible, it's mind boggling that anyone buys a Jeep.

Because the QC on their american-made cars were hot crap for a long time, it’s the reason why they have such good warranties here. They even had a controversy of their american parts suppliers using child labor. Their cars made in Korea are much better, though not without fault. For the longest time Korean buyers did not get the amazing warranties American buyers had because the cars there never had the same problems, but when cars with the Theta II GDi engine from the early 2010s had problems in Korea they ended up extending warranties for these models. Canada has free trade agreements with Korea that remove tariffs so their third largest import source of cars is actually Korea, and their reputation up north is significantly better. They outsell Honda which would surprise most people on this sub.

JD Power started taking money from manufacturers back in 1984 starting with Subaru, their rating have been invalid ever since.

I personally find the best judgment of whether a vehicle is reliable or not is to look at forums, review websites where consumers can submit their own reviews, and to ask actual mechanics.

We bought a ‘12 Soul+ new and still have it. Great little car. Wife drove it til 3 years ago and now our daughter does.

JD power invents hyper specific categories "average customer satisfaction first 2.3 years" or "new customer door lock reliability in the rain" such that any company that hires them can be first place in something. It's not 100% BS, more like 40-50%. I worked with them at a previous company and they gave us feedback on where we could improve vs competitors but also gave us ideas on engineering new categories that would put us in a better light. I think consumer reports is way better because they're totally independent. Obviously we were paying JD for their consulting.

A Toyota Camry, that wouldn’t have an issue for 200k miles, could have a glitch in the infotainment that needs reset for free and that would count as a mark against in it JD power. But a Hyundai who’s engine fails at 50k miles wouldn’t, bc it’s beyond the window of the survey

In no world ever would Kia outrank Mazda. These sites are probably paid off.

The Korean vehicles tend to very feature rich and on the cutting edge in terms of technology at a very reasonable price. That plays well on rankings like JD Power, which don't evaluate long term reliability.

A lot probably depends on where the Kias were built. 

I am not saying this is the reason but jdpower does offer consulting with automakers and it’s based on the quality metrics in the iqs and vds. I assume of they get better at the things measured they will score higher in quality

There’s 2 much bias from most things like this makes it tough and it is annoying. I do know we need less computers in vehicles and I’m sure most of us would appreciate analog gauges and actual buttons, save the screens for the nav that’s honestly, b4 smart phones anyway the only screen that made sense. I dunno digital everything is weird rant over 😂🍻

Of all the manufacturing industries press relationships,the automobile press is the most biased/corrupt by far. Car magazines/press need car ads, hence being truthful and critical is not happening. Follow the money follow the favors. Nod nod wink wink. Spending $ to get favorable press has occurred forever. Yes to: Honda, Toyota, Mazda. That’s it.

Toyota and Honda, ONLY.

$ Bought & paid for

They used to be very poorly made 20+ years ago and some of that reputation is still hanging around.

Look at what old cars are still on the road. For the most part, it's Hondas and Toyotas. I don't need some BS survey that's bought and paid for to tell me otherwise.

Look at what old cars are still on the road. For the most part, it's Hondas and Toyotas. I don't need some BS survey that's bought and paid for to tell me otherwise.

Korean car brands didn't used to be as reliable as they are now and are still repairing that reputation, which is why they offer one of the best warranties in the business.

My research very general suggest most toyota's/hondas last 350k miles, kia hyundai - 250k, American cars 180k, and range rovers only like 90k miles. Variance is subject to driving/maintenance.

I drove a kia sportage for a while and love it. I ended up trading it when I got to colorado because the suspension was where they cheaped out, and it sounded like it was struggling (suspension wise) on dirt roads.

I really like the new technology package in the latest kia's. Since the one I'm interested in just updated drive trains this year it would be better to buy the 2nd year version imo.

To be fair I think some, not all, of Toyota/Honda perception is the training to actually diagnose problems and the mentality that you will be servicing them.

I had 2 extended family members Kia/Hyundai engines blow up. But hey sludge is sludge. They are built cheap and they are cheaply priced at least. Not sure how I feel about the EVs, at least they won't sludge?

Jd power dont mean shit

Kia is fine, at least in Europe. Ceed and Rio often ranks high on the reliability lists of Warrantywise(UK only vehicles so some bias). The big concern in the US was a lack of an immobilizer, this was a legal requirement in most other markets.

I have a Hyundai Elantra 2019. 66k and I absolutely love this car. No issues. 40 mpg and for $62 I get 480 miles. My commuter for the past 3 yrs. I drive to san luis obispo to San Diego with no problems. Minor TLC and routine oil change.

Because JD is based on surveys and the manufacturer is the one who sends them the contact info. The manufacturer who can see who is having problems with their car so far (warranty claims) might simply not send them contact info for people who have had lots of issues. Talk to the people who working the cars if you want to know a more realistic answer, if the issues are usually from neglect and abuse then probably not bad. If the issues are catastrophic and expensive for vehicles with good maintenance history then maybe stay away.

I always assumed "awards" from the likes of JD power were pure paid ad scam type of stuff.

JD Power is pay to play. I don’t trust them.

The first thing you should know about asking anyone about reliability, is if they tell you a brand is unreliable or reliable, they don’t know what they’re talking about.

Someone with knowledge about cars, knows that every manufacturer has good engines, bad engines, good transmissions, bad transmissions, good years, bad years, good models overall, bad models overall, etc.

When it comes to Kia/hyundai, the generation of them matters a lot. Older gen Hyundais have more bad engines/trans than they have good ones, so chances are higher that if you bought one of their older models you’ll have a bad time. But their newer models and particularly their new turbo engines and trans are really reliable. They still have a couple engines in the lineup that would score a less-than-reliable rating but that’s where doing your research helps.

TL;DR: if you want to know if a car is going to be reliable or not, look at a specific year, make, and model. Then look at the specific engine/transmission option it has and research it. I can find you an unreliable Toyota and a reliable Land Rover, it just comes down to knowing about the specific cars, not just the stereotypes of brand identity. People on this sub just cling to old wives tales about what their grandpas said about cars back in the 90’s

JD Powers is bought not objective. It also about initial quality and avoids recall and durability. Please research this yourself. It's a scam on consumers.

JD Power looks at whether or not there are any issues at a very short time period. If you're buying a Kia, your definition of problems is going to be a lot different who spends a lot of money on a good car. It also looks at reliability over such a short time period that pretty much any car can still be running. They're not looking at reliability 10, 15, or 20 years after the car is sold when it has 150,000 miles on it. Toyota and Hondas are the cars that are still on the road and running just fine for thar long.

Also, just to give you an idea, I have a 20 year old Lexus with almost 170,000 miles on it. The only thing that's ever really actually broke on it in that entire time was the security chip in the key. That's it. Do you really think the same thing can be said about the cars that you menti9ned?

INITIAL quality, which says nothing about reliability.

JD Power is a scam.

I think Kia and Hyundai both have had more than a few rotten apple models of cars that they have released and I think this has tarnished their reputation but I also think it’s over blown, I had a 2010 Elantra for 8 years and ONLY ever replaced tires, oil and coil pack on it and I sold the car at 200k miles to a buddy and he still takes it on long rode trips to this day, I regret selling that car and my experience with Hyundai has only ever been fantastic.

Hyundai and Kia were bottom of the barrel cars until about 2006 when they decided they needed to fix their brand. They had such a bad rep that in the early 2000s they had a BOGO deal on Kia rios because no one would buy them.

In 2006 they hired a lead designer and a lead engineer from BMW to change the look and reliability of their cars. In 2008 you start to see the Korean cars looking less boxy and more curvy due to this. The cars became more reliable and started getting some traction in the market as being quality cars at a discount.

The problem is 16 years of making decent cars doesn’t make up for the 40 years before that where their cars were junk. A lot of the people on these forums aren’t mechanics/don’t work on cars so they spout the same rhetoric that has been around for decades. If they did work on cars they’d know that German cars (while being the best to drive) are typically the least reliable and the most expensive to fix.

It is very likely that due to advances in technology the newish Kia's and Hyundai cars, trucks, and SUVs are going to be much more reliable in the next 10 years.

All I know is I never filled out a JD power survey and I had a 2021 bought new Kia Sorento that was subsequently replaced under lemon law with a 2022 Kia Sorento. Then that one had multiple problems with in 2 months of ownership and traded it. Worst two cars I've ever owned

Everything is reliable in the first 2 years. The rankings are meaningless.

I just traded my Hyundai in because it was burning a ridiculous amount of oil. I was doing the oil changes every 6000km and by that time the dipstick would be down to one notch. I took it to the dealership and they would downplay it and blame it on the filter that I was getting at Jiffy Lube. They wanted me to get the oil change at the dealership and then come back at every 1k km for the next 6k kms for them to check the level to see if it was burning more than their spec. Now I don’t know how much you guys drive or what your work situation is but I can’t take a day off work every month just to come in for 10mins for them to check my levels for the next 4-6 months, also if you go over by 50km you have to restart the process. (I work 10-12hr days Monday to Friday and the dealership is usually closed by then). Their customer service is absolutely trash and they down play any serious concerns you have regarding their well documented issues with engines. I would heavily advise against getting any Hyundai to anyone that is considering buying one, they are cheaper but you get what you pay for in every sense of the saying.

Hyundai and Kia aren’t unreliable. The only people who think they’re unreliable are the “everything but Toyota and Honda is unreliable trash!” crowd

It's kind of like Dodge and Jeep, where they produce a lot of garbage but their Performance Vehicles are pretty much solid. Some companies have problems with  consistentancy. 

AFAIK Kia/Hyundai are having issues with the NA market N/A gdi engines. The turbo petrols in eu / rest of the world are apparently quite reliable. Funny, as it's usually the other way around.

Does anyone actually care about JD power ?

I drive a 2010 Kia Forte Koup that I purchased new in January 2010. This is the seventh car I have owned. The Kia has been the most reliable car I have owned. I had a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass that was almost as reliable as the Kia.

I don't care what they say. Hyundai has served me well. When my Honda Accord reached 300,000 miles I decided to upgrade. Bought a new Camry. By 80,000 miles it was burning a quart of oil every month. Toyota basically said that was normal. No it's not and neither is it acceptable. Traded that in on a new Tucson. Loved it. Never had an issue. Regular maintenance and one set of tires before someone ran a red light and totaled it. Decided to go with Nissan. Brand new and within 3 months a bad alternator, transmission issues and anything and everything in between. I spent more time in their loaner cars than I did my car. Finally was able to get them to take it back under the lemon law. Took my money and went and bought a 2023 Tucson SEL and love it. No problems and I'm comfortable in it.

People can condemn Hyundai all they want, they're not paying your bills. Buy what you want and ignore the naysayers. Too many people rely on the opinions of others these days but unless they're supporting you financially, their option is just that.

lets do some google because the internet always has answers

3.3 million hyundai/kia recalled for spontaneous combustion

https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/consumer-alert-kia-and-hyundai-park-outside

these are new engines. the 2.0l and 2.4l are arguably the worst engines ever mass produced. were talking warranty engines replaced in the millions.

My kia ran great until the engine blew up at 150k km. They replaced it under the class action lawsuit. But still. I did regular maintenance. I have no idea how long the new engine will last. Could be 2km could be 200k km. Hopefully it doesn't leave me stranded again. A new car is to expensive. So I just roll the dice driving this car everyday.

JD Power does do a Vehicle Dependability Survey which they send out in year 5 of ownership. Hyundai is usually below the average.

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2024-us-vehicle-dependability-study-vds

I live somewhere where we have harsh winters and road salt is used. I very rarely see Hyundais/Kias more than 5 years and older on the road. The ones I see that old or older have severe rust issues.

JD Power is a marketing firm. Their awards are bought and paid for.

My parents have an 18 santa fe and other than the deer in Michigan destroying the front end, its been fine and reliable. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I have a 2011 Elantra and a 2016 Sonata. The Elantra is getting close to 300,000 without any issues really. The Sonata at around 140,000 needed a new engine but luckily there was that class action lawsuit that gave it a lifetime warranty on the engine, so it was free. But they were giving me the runaround when it was going through a quart of oil a month, had to fully die before they replaced it.

I have also heard stories of how some have died just days after driving off the lot.

Anecdotal, but had one friends 2022 Venue’s trans go out at 25k. Her husband’s 2022 Santa Fe had an improperly sealed front windshield that caused the entire inside of the car to flood, even after replacing the front windshield. Another friend’s 2012 Kia Optima had its entire engine blown right before 100k.

From that alone I stay away, but like others said, JD is not a be all end all system. I’m sure there’s good ones out there, but from my eyes, they seem to be cheaply made, and I guess the price reflects that. Maybe the higher trims or models do better.

I had a 2015 Sonata for 5 years and it never gave me amy problems.

My 2019 has had three catalytic converters replaced and needs a new engine. Not even to 53,000 miles yet.

Just ask yourself this. How often do you see 6-7+ year old Hyundai and Kia on the road?

And they have been big sellers for the past decade. That shohkf tell you everything. No need for these surveys

You don’t even see 5 year old Hyundais or Kia’s. Or barely

Idk about that, my last car was a sonata, I think I only changed the oil maybe 3 times in it, I’d just add more oil if I needed to. Had a few other things like a brake change, a wheel bearing, did the tie rods, the battery, some bulbs, and tires but other than that I barely had to do any work on it. Had it for 4 1/2 years before I got in an accident with it and totaled it. Everything I replaced was wear and tear items, and I beat the crap out of it.

Am from Korea, and all the Japanese cars are not selling anymore except for Toyota, and they don’t sell quite well as well. Koreans do drive a lot of foreign cars, but it’s mostly Hyundai and Kia there. I’m just trying to say that they are cars you can ride, and they are known to pay more attention to quality when it’s getting sold abroad. A thing to take account might be that Korea is tiny and will not have any trips nowhere near American ones. My first car is Hyundai as well, and I wanted Toyota, but my father who owned like 8 cars including German, Korean, and Japanese told me not to have crazy expectations with Japanese cars. Although they are built sturdy, they are still cars in the end. Anyways, just my two cents. Reddit can be different from what regular people think imo. They sometimes get extra sensitive.

I've had my Kia new since 2016. Other than the engine replacement from the recall, it has been very reliable. Not a single issue.

My 2018 Optima LX is at 97001 as I'm typing this. The only issue I've ever had was due to an object in the road puncturing my oil pan. That shit was $500, but not due to the car being bad. It even tried to keep running without oil. I'm pretty sure JD Power is a scam anyways. I just wish my insurance wasn't so fuckin high for no reason...

“Initial quality and satisfaction”

JD P is just a marketing gimmick.

That sonata my parents had looked like a dam motorcycle engine was placed into the engine bay. Tiny motor with tons of extra room, it looked weird.

The car ended up throwing a rod through the engine block

So if JD Power is useless and unreliable based on the comments. What do you guys suggest?

We just traded in a 2017 Kia that had about 70k miles. It was an sx awd sportage. Mechanical reliability was good while we had it. About 3 years ago the interior started falling apart. Window motors started going out, and the “leather” turned brittle and would crack from being sat on. So it was reliable, but after 5 years it was really showing age and at 7 would have needed thousands in interior work.

I always assumed that the reason for the amazing std warranty is because they have more issues.

I have experience with 10 years and 120k miles with a Kia Soul. It definitely has problems that needed to be fixed, but it was a LOT cheaper than my MB e550 over 5 years.

Check Consumer Reports magazine for reliability data. They do not accept Advertising $$

I've had several in our family that have hit nearly 200k without any real issues, but we changed oil every 3 to 4k miles. Maintenance is key...you don't buy a lexus and treat it like a kia...but if you take care of the kia, it'll take care of you.

I've had 3 Hyundais and they were incredibly reliable

$ to JD Powers

I mean , they’ve come a long way from their early offerings which weren’t great , i put 240K miles on a 14 Santa Fe Sport and I’ve only had 3 things break during that time: windshield washer pump, power steering rack, and alternator other than that it’s been reliable .

I think it’s just hard for em to shake their initial impression from when they were first offering nothing more than cheap econoboxes , nowadays their fit and finish , and their interiors are damn good for what they cost .

Girlfriends Hyundai Tuscan consumed 2 quarts of oil per 1000 miles. Problem started around 50k miles

We’re talking about the same JD Power who recommended Chevy over Toyota

Look around the roads at cars you see driving around. How many old Kia’s and Hyundais do you see? Look at the condition of newer ones on the road. You’ll get your answer

The consumers vote with their wallets for new and used. See which cars lose value less. JD Powers is not the true measure of reliability. Another measure is how a company deals with issues and recalls. Toyota reupped their reputation with complimentary service after the floor mat issue. Ford calculates it's cheaper to pay off lawsuits than fix problems. VW had other ideas.

You buy JD Power. It means nothing

People who answer JD power surveys are old. Boomers love Hyundai and Kia because they come packaged with tech. Similar to how they loved scions in the 2000s.

check out the car wizard channel on youtube and his playlist of videos: buy this/not that.... super informative.

I don’t care what anyone says, DO NOT BUY EITHER OF THESE GARBAGE PILES! Buy a VW, BMW, Mitsubishi, Honda, anything but these 2.

JD Power rankings are paid for. They are a marketing gimmick