Best Kia Years to Buy by Model
The best Kia years to buy: the 2009 Sorento, 2010 Optima, 2010 Sportage, 2019 Soul, 2022 Forte, 2011 Rio and 2025 Telluride — the cleanest federal complaint records for each model. Years to skip include the 2013 Optima and 2016 Sorento. Based on 26,115 NHTSA owner complaints across 7 Kia models, rated model year by model year.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints, recall campaigns & service bulletins · Updated 2026-11-07 · By CarWhere Research · How we rate model years
Best Kia years, model by model
| Model | Best years | Years to skip | Years on record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Sorento | 20092020 | 2011201220132014201520162017 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Kia Optima | 20092010 | 201120122013201420152016 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Kia Sportage | 2010 | 201220132017201820202023 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Kia Soul | 2019 | 2012201320142015201620202021 | 16 (2010–2025) |
| Kia Forte | 20202022 | 2012201420152017 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Kia Rio | 20102011 | 2013201420152016 | 18 (2008–2025) |
| Kia Telluride | 20242025 | 202020212022 | 8 (2020–2027) |
Verdicts are each model’s own, rated against that model’s history; counts behind them are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume.
The cleanest year for each Kia model
2009 Kia Sorento: 55 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2009 and 2020 · Best Sorento years →
2010 Kia Optima: 75 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2009 and 2010 · Best Optima years →
2010 Kia Sportage: 20 NHTSA owner complaints on record · Best Sportage years →
2019 Kia Soul: 131 NHTSA owner complaints on record · Best Soul years →
2022 Kia Forte: 25 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2020 and 2022 · Best Forte years →
2011 Kia Rio: 24 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2010 and 2011 · Best Rio years →
2025 Kia Telluride: 0 NHTSA owner complaints on record · all best-rated years: 2024 and 2025 · Best Telluride years →
Years to skip, in detail
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Kia years to buy?
By model: Sorento 2009 and 2020; Optima 2009 and 2010; Sportage 2010; Soul 2019; Forte 2020 and 2022; Rio 2010 and 2011; Telluride 2024 and 2025. Each matches that model's own best-years page, built from NHTSA owner-complaint and recall records.
Which Kia years should I skip?
By model: Sorento 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017; Optima 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016; Sportage 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2023; Soul 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2021; Forte 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017; Rio 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016; Telluride 2020, 2021 and 2022. The full breakdown is on the Kia years-to-avoid page.
How are the best Kia years chosen?
Each model year's NHTSA owner complaints are weighted for severity, converted to a rate per year on the road and compared with the rest of that model's own history; the lowest rates among years with enough road time earn "best". Models not yet scored that way are ranked by combined NHTSA complaint and manufacturer service-bulletin volume. Full method at /research/years-to-avoid/methodology.