Hyundai vs Kia which is better quality?

I'd say six for one of them and half a dozen for the other.

I've been looking at a few 5-8 year old Kias as a teen's car and I'm surprised at how solid they are.

 

I rented a lot of cars for work and other purposes at Avis . Some Kia's some Hyudais and many others. I like them both, and like them more than some other brands. Some folks complain about all the plastic inside the cabin of the Kia saying it feels "cheap". Whatever. It is functional and comfortable for me.

 

Over the last several years, I've personally owned 2 Hyundais (my current 2019 Sonata and 2021 Ioniq EV) and one Kia (an early model 2016 Kia Sorrento, bought summer 2015). My brother, parents, and two good friends currently own Hyundais and one close friend recently gave his to his daughter. My brother's Accent is about 10 years old, my dad's Elantra GT is 8, my best friend's Genesis is 6 or 7 years old. The friend who gave his to his daughter, his Elantra was about 5 years old when his daughter totaled it in a crash (no injuries). I also read Consumer Reports (yes, take with a grain of salt).

First, as I'm sure you know, Hyundai owns a large chunk of Kia. Kia and Hyundai use the same powertrains and much of the same electronics in their cars. So basic reliability should be similar. However, they are built in different factories, which can impact build quality, which can impact reliability.

First, generally CR does rate Hyundai higher than an equivalent Kia model, but not always.

From my personal experience, I see little difference in build quality and workmanship. My Ioniq is only about 3 1/2 months old with a hair over 7500 miles. So of course, I've had no trouble. My Sonata, with 40K miles, had a steering "worm gear" go bad causing the steering to make all kinds of noises. I noticed it around 36K miles or so. It was covered under warranty, and I've had no other issues. From what the dealer told me (and I later found online), this is a common issue with this car. My Sorrento had issues with the AC dying every year. Finally, the figured out it was an electrical issue. Some junction box was burned out. They claimed it was due to the trailer hitch and wiring I had my RV dealer install, claiming they wired it wrong (since these things use pre-manufactured wiring harnesses, I doubt it). I couldn't prove they were wrong, and what probably should have been a warranty repair ended up costing me $8K. Obviously, it hasn't soured me on Kia/Hyundai products since I've bought two since (it was a pretty fluke thing), but I learned they will do all they can to get out of any warranty repair (no more aftermarket anything until out of warranty, use the dealer for maintenance or keep all records for things like oil changes and tires that I may do elsewhere for convenience).

All cars can have issues, and all have trouble areas. Their trouble areas seem to be drivetrain (both issues with the ICE engines, and with the EV motors). On any given car, the chances of an issue aren't very high, but if you have one it can be a major problem (as opposed to annoyance issues on Hondas where the infotainment system seems to be a weak spot).

Hyundai and Kia make good cars overall. They are often priced a little lower than the competition, or offer other value enhancements (similar cost, but higher trim at the price vs. the competition). They are still the value leaders IMO. Along with Honda and Toyota, whenever I shop for a vehicle category they make, they will be on my list of vehicles to consider. That said, they are not at Honda quality, and thus, much lower than Toyota. However, I'd rate them higher than most of the rest of the car market in overall quality. Between Hyundai and Kia, I think the Hyundai is marginally better, but not enough to put it over the top. Between the two, my choice would be whichever one's particular look and equipment list appeals to you, and if you can't decide (or it is close enough), whichever dealer gives you the better deal.

My brother will soon be in the market for a new car (he is getting a new job with a 30-45min/25-30mi commute each way) and I'm heavily recommending the Ioniq hybrid or PHEV to him. I'll be selling my Sonata soon (crazy used prices right now mean I can sell it for more than I paid new two years ago, and I don't really need two cars right now). When I replace it long term with another gas/trip car (short term will be an older used car until prices return to normal), there will be a lot of options, but a new Sonata hybrid, Santa Fe hybrid or PHEV, Tucson hybrid or PHEV, Ioniq Hybrid or PHEV, Kia Niro hybrid or PHEV, and Elantra hybrid will all be possibilities. The Kia versions aren't on my list (other than the Niro), but only because I like the look or features of the Hyundai versions better.