Is Hyundai Sonata Reliable?

Hyundai Sonata Reliability

There’s no need to paint words here; Hyundai Sonata is a reliable car. They have high safety and reliability ratings and low repair and maintenance costs. You get low severity and frequency of damages, enough space for passengers and your cargo, and an easy-to-use infotainment system.

There are no doubts that you are getting a smooth ride, great gas mileage, and an amazing interior. The truth is, the Hyundai Sonata is not the best car in its segment, but it is an amazing choice as long as you are ready to maintain them. Nice gas mileage, bold designs, a blend of sportiness, and integration of technology that’s what the Hyundai Sonata offers.

The Hyundai Sonata depicts a race-inspired midsize car with great power and amazing handling; you have enough energy to get in and take off. Hyundai Sonata took modern sophistication to a whole new level with quad exhaust outlets, sports seats, remote smart packing assist, amazing safety features, and driver assistance systems.

Here are all you need to know about Hyundai Sonata’s reliability and why they are reliable.

Is Hyundai Sonata Reliable?

Hyundai Sonata are super reliable cars. These cars have great build quality, nice tech offerings, awesome infotainment, enough room for everyone, clean space, comfort, and convenience; it has never been this better.

There’s a 12.3-inch full-digital instrument cluster. This is bigger and better than what is available on Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

For easy maintenance, Hyundai offers you a 3-year/36,000 miles complimentary maintenance. There’s amazing warranty coverage to reduce your expenses on damages and repairs. You have different trim levels to choose from; SE, SEL. SEL Plus, N Line, Limited.

Hyundai Sonata has many safety awards and five-star ratings from IIHS and NHTSA. This gives you a high safety assurance that you can rely on the car to keep you safe to and fro your journey.

There are drive mode selections, enhanced tech systems for safety, well-designed interiors, and software support to improve your steering feel.

You get an amazing level of durability from Hyundai Sonata. This is greatly dependent on your maintenance and repair culture.

Hyundai Elantra is not what we can easily describe as a luxury car. They are not expensive, but their styling and design give you a luxurious ride. It has an amazing build quality. You will have to look out for some production years with engine failures.

Why Hyundai Sonata is Considered Reliable

1. Safety and Technology

Hyundai Sonata is an extremely safe car. These cars have many awards from IIHS and NHTSA tied to their name. From 2014 – 2022, the Hyundai Sonata hasn’t skipped a year without earning the IIHS top safety pick (+) award. NHTSA couldn’t fail to give the Hyundai Sonata a five-star safety rating, ratings well deserved.

The impressive safety ratings of the Hyundai Sonata are because of the advanced technology and design principles guiding the production of the car.

Hyundai Sonata has great ratings for crashworthiness, crash avoidance, and mitigation and an amazing front crash prevention system with improved vehicle and pedestrian protection systems. There are acceptable supports for seatbelts, LATCH systems, and reminders.

Here's a rundown of Hyundai’s safety features (Smartsense):

  • Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection
  • Safe Exit Warning
  • Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist
  • Rear Occupant Alert
  • Remote Smart Parking Assist
  • Highway Driving Assist
  • High Beam Assist
  • Safe Exit Warning
  • Driver Attention Warning
  • Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist
  • Smart Cruise control with stop and go
  • Lane Following Assist
  • Lane Keeping Assist

2. Engine, Performance, and Gas Mileage

Hyundai Sonata has dual options of a 2.5MPi Gasoline and 2.0 MPi Gasoline engine. This generates up to 6000 rpm at 180ps and a max torque of 23.7kg/m at 4,000 rpm. For the 2.0 MPi Gasoline, you get up to 6,200 rpm and a max torque of 19.6kg/m at 4000 rpm.

The level of performance that you get from the Hyundai Sonata depends on your preferred engine choice and the trim. The 2.5L 4-cylinder engine delivers up to 191 horsepower, but this is for the SE trim level. The 2.5L turbo 4-cylinder engine on the N-line delivers 290hp.

Achieving a better performance on the Hyundai Sonata depends on your choice. The Hyundai Sonata SE returns fuel economy of 28/38 mpg, while Hyundai Sonata Limited returns 27/37 mpg, city and highway, respectively. The 2021 model features a 1.6L 4-cylinder engine. This is similar to the fuel economy of all Hyundai Sonata.

The compression ratio on all engines differs; 10:5:1 for the 1.6L 4-cylinder engine and 13:1 for the 2.5L 4-cylinder engine. However, there are upgrades on the 2023 Hyundai Sonata as it launches with a 290hp engine. Hyundai is good on gas, handling, and power, but this greatly depends on the trim and year you choose.

3. Design and Durability

The Hyundai Sonata respects boldness and aggressiveness with a blend of sportiness. Its overall structure is formed to sustain its sporty looks without compromising safety, comfort, and technology.

You get a black mesh grille, 19-inch wheels, and a quad exhaust outlet that gives a turbocharged roar when racing down the road. The seats are fitted with microfiber inserts, nice stitching, and piping to depict sportiness. Provisions for heated front seats, connection systems, and tech integration levels vary on the trim levels offered.

It is important to mention that Hyundai Sonata has great build quality, and you should expect the car to last up to 250,000 miles.

4. Repair and Maintenance Cost

It is cheap to maintain a Hyundai Sonata. The Hyundai Sonata has an average maintenance cost of $458. This is cheaper than the average $651 on other vehicles.

The severity and frequency of major and minor repairs and maintenance on the Hyundai Sonata are also low. You have a frequency score of 0.81 on the Hyundai Sonata for three years.

Verdict

Hyundai Sonata are good cars. It would be best to look out for the years you’re buying, like the 2011, 2012, and 2013 models. These years have models battling engine issues, cracked dashboards, bad infotainment, and control issues. Their build quality is bad, and you wouldn’t want to deal with the engine problems.

Aside from these, you can confirm if the trim you are choosing matches your needs, then you are good to go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a used Hyundai Sonata a good car?

Yes. Hyundai Sonata are great cars, and there is no chance that a used Hyundai Sonata will be anything less than good.

Do Sonatas hold their value?

Yes. Hyundai Sonata holds its value pretty well. They have a low depreciation value, close to 35% - 50% after five years. This gives you enough resale value after so many years of using them.

Does Hyundai Sonata last long?

Yes. Hyundai Sonata lasts long. Sonatas can last up to 200,000 – 250,000 miles, with an average lifespan of 10 – 13 years. This is dependent on how good you are with repairs and maintenance. There are chances that your Hyundai Sonata will last up to 300,000 miles if you watch the amount of pressure you mount on them and your driving conditions.

Why did Hyundai discontinue Sonata?

There are many speculations concerning why Hyundai discontinued the Sonata. This includes sales drop and the need to favor EV cars.