The Lemon IndexKia Seltos reliability.
Is it reliable? Not really. 1.4× the average car's complaints.
Worse than average · 2021–2022
What owners say on YouTube
2021–2025 Seltos · 199 most-watched videos
Owners praise
Owners complain about
Nothing stands out.
Fixes owners look up most
Before you buy, watch
Praise and complaints: the share of each generation's most-watched videos that mention a topic with a praise or trouble word next to it, in the title or what's said. YouTube rank: how positive owners and reviewers sound, compared with every car of the same model year. It measures tone, not failure rates. Videos belong to their creators; we link to them.
Looking at a 2023 or newer? Those are too new for a full complaint score (any score shown is partial, in gray), but YouTube owners like the 2024 best.
Fewest complaints
2022.
Only 2 Kia Seltos years have enough complaints and sales to score, too few for best and worst lists. 2022 drew about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car.
Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.
Newest year first. Red = worse than average, gray = about average, too new (2023+: a partial score, marked “partial”) or too few complaints to score. #1, #2… = that year's YouTube rank among the 4 Kia Seltos years with enough videos (#1 = the year owners and reviewers talk about most positively). It is not a reliability rank.
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<iframe src="https://lemonindex.com/embed/cars/kia-seltos/" title="Kia Seltos reliability by model year (The Lemon Index)" width="100%" height="307" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe><p style="font-size:13px;margin:4px 0 0">Data: <a href="https://lemonindex.com/cars/kia-seltos/">Lemon Index</a> (Kia Seltos reliability by year)</p>YouTube rank: we read 198 YouTube videos about the Kia Seltos, 2021 to 2025, and ranked every year by how much they praise it vs. how much they talk about problems. YouTube's favorite: 2024. Old cars rank lower partly because most of their videos are repair and restoration videos. A gray dot means not enough data yet: under 10 videos, or a new year with no owner complaints to compare.
Compare the Kia Seltos.
Opens the compare tool with both cars, every year side by side. Compare with any car →
Quick answers.
Is the Kia Seltos reliable?
Not really. It draws 1.4× the average car's complaints, and YouTube owners rate it about average for its age. Fewest complaints: 2022.
Is the Kia Seltos a good car?
Not overall: it draws more complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2021-2022: Lemon Index 139; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: 2022 drew the fewest complaints and 2021 the most.
What are the best Kia Seltos years to buy?
Only 2 Kia Seltos years have enough data to score, so we don't list best years. 2022 drew the fewest complaints (about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car).
What Kia Seltos years should you stay away from?
Only 2 Kia Seltos years have enough data to score, too few to single out years to avoid.
How many recalls does the Kia Seltos have?
7 safety recalls across the 5 model years we track. Most: 2021 (2), 2023 (2), 2024 (2). Each year's page lists them.
What are the most common Kia Seltos problems?
Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name engine, electrical and transmission & drivetrain most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.
Every year in one table
| Year | Index | Compared with average | Complaints | Top complaint | Recalls | Crash test | MPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 164 | about one and a half times the average car's complaints | 155 | engine (55%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 27–31 |
| 2022 | 74 | about three-quarters as many complaints as the average car | 56 | engine (45%) | 1 | ★★★★☆ | 27–31 |
| 2023 | 66 | about two-thirds as many complaints as the average car | 47 | engine (38%) | 2 | ★★★★☆ | 27–31 |
| 2024 | 91 | about average | 47 | electrical (38%) | 2 | ★★★★★ | 26–31 |
| 2025 | – | too few complaints to score | 13 | automatic emergency braking (31%) | 0 | ★★★★★ | 25–31 |
The Lemon Index counts owner complaints filed with the U.S. government (NHTSA) in a car's first 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model years (100 = average, lower is better). It measures complaints, not crash safety. U.S. sales source: en.wikipedia.org. How it works
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Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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