Hyundai Tucson vs Kia Sportage

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.

Last updated: June 28, 2026

Side by side	Tucson	Sportage
Body type	SUV	SUV
Years sampled	2016, 2020, 2024	2016, 2020, 2024
Owner complaints	265fewer	355
Recall campaigns	9	7fewer
NHTSA investigations	5fewer	10
Overall safety (NHTSA, US)	5/5	5/5
Combined economy (EPA, US)	9.4 L/100km	9.4 L/100km

Body type

Tucson: SUV
Sportage: SUV

Years sampled

Tucson: 2016, 2020, 2024
Sportage: 2016, 2020, 2024

Owner complaints

Tucson: 265fewer
Sportage: 355

Recall campaigns

Tucson: 9
Sportage: 7fewer

NHTSA investigations

Tucson: 5fewer
Sportage: 10

Overall safety (NHTSA, US)

Tucson: 5/5
Sportage: 5/5

Combined economy (EPA, US)

Tucson: 9.4 L/100km
Sportage: 9.4 L/100km

The quick read

Over the sampled model years, the Hyundai Tucson has 265 complaints and 9 recalls, and the Kia Sportage has 355 complaints and 7 recalls. Lower numbers point to fewer reported issues, but always confirm the exact car with a VIN check.

Check a Tucson VIN Check a Sportage VIN

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.