Where each one leads
Hyundai Tucson
- Against cars of the same year, the Hyundai Tucson comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 10% less often than average) than the Kia Niro (fails 51% more often than average).
- NHTSA rates the 2026 Hyundai Tucson at 5 of 5 stars, the 2026 Kia Niro at 4.
Kia Niro
- Fewer Kia Niro cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.3% against 1.9%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Kia Niro uses 4.4 l/100 km, the 2026 Hyundai Tucson 8.8.
- New Kia Niro cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 42 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 117 for the Hyundai Tucson in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Kia Niro uses 5.1 l/100 km on the road, the Hyundai Tucson 7.2.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Hyundai Tucson | Kia Niro | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2004–2026 | 2017–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 944,582 (2010–2022) | 330,361 (2016–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 256,427 | 133,566 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 43,046 | 88,523 |
| In traffic in Finland | 4,499 | 10,532 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Hyundai Tucson | Kia Niro | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 82% | 88% |
| … against cars of the same age | +1% | +2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.0% | 1.5% |
| … against cars of the same year | −10% | +51% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.9% | 1.3% |
| US owner complaints | 6,316 | 350 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2016 (1,625) | 2017 (82) |
| US recall campaigns | 36 | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,755 | 403 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 26 | 5 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Hyundai Tucson | Kia Niro | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2026) | 4★ (2026) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Hyundai Tucson | Kia Niro | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2026) | 4.4 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.2 l/100 km | 5.1 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.6 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 5.2 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.2 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 117 g/km | 42 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 121 kW (162 hp) | 97 kW (131 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,663 kg | 1,645 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €31,434 | €38,705 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 142,000 km | 94,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).