Audi Q3 vs Kia Sorento
Which used car has the cleaner record?
We line up what owners actually reported to NHTSA — complaints and recall campaigns — for both cars, so you can compare their paper trail before you buy.
| Side by side | Q3 | Sorento |
|---|---|---|
| Body type | SUV | SUV |
| Years sampled | 2016, 2020, 2024 | 2016, 2020, 2024 |
| Owner complaints | 107fewer | 1393 |
| Recall campaigns | 7fewer | 10 |
| NHTSA investigations | 0fewer | 10 |
| Overall safety (NHTSA, US) | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Combined economy (EPA, US) | 9.4 L/100km | 10.2 L/100km |
The quick read
Over the sampled model years, the Audi Q3 has 107 complaints and 7 recalls, and the Kia Sorento has 1393 complaints and 10 recalls. Lower numbers point to fewer reported issues, but always confirm the exact car with a VIN check.
Deeper analysis
Based on US NHTSA data, the Audi Q3 logged 107 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns across the 2016, 2020, and 2024 model years, while the Kia Sorento recorded a substantially higher 1,393 complaints and 10 recalls over the same model years. The Sorento's complaint volume is roughly 13 times greater than the Q3's, which is a notable difference worth considering, though complaint counts can reflect ownership popularity and reporting habits as much as actual fault rates. Both figures come from US data and serve only as a rough reliability signal rather than a definitive judgment on any individual European example.
NHTSA (US) owner-complaint and recall counts over recent model years. A reliability signal, not a check of any one car. Always run the VIN.