Where each one leads
Kia Spectra
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Toyota Corolla
- Against cars of the same year, the Toyota Corolla comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 6% less often than average) than the Kia Spectra (fails 53% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Toyota Corolla uses 6.7 l/100 km, the 2009 Kia Spectra 8.8.
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
| Kia Spectra | Toyota Corolla | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1998–2009 | 1981–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 604,655 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 154,285 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 78,090 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 107,955 |
| Generations on record | — | 5 |
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
| Kia Spectra | Toyota Corolla | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 71% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 3.7% | 1.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | +53% | −6% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 2.6% |
| US owner complaints | 906 | 11,746 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Air bags |
| Model year with most complaints | 2007 (152) | 2009 (1,459) |
| US recall campaigns | 2 | 53 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 213 | 5,686 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 8 | 58 |
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
| Kia Spectra | Toyota Corolla | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2025) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Kia Spectra | Toyota Corolla | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.8 l/100 km (2009) | 6.7 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 5.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 6.8 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 112 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 83 kW (111 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,436 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €27,800 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 212,000 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).