Kia Seltos

598 complaints across 1 scored model years and 4 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Kia Seltos Full report

Grade 2021–2021

2021 vs model median 1.0×

Model median3× median

Engine 168

Drivetrain 44

Electrical 36

Weakest

2021

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Kia Seltos
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2021	1.00×	338	B
2022 P	0.33×	99	A
2023 P	0.20×	78	A
2024 P	0.20×	63	A
2025 P	0.05×	20	A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	29
City / Highway	27 / 31
Engine	2L, 4 cyl
Drive	All-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,100

Recalls

4 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V259000	ENGINE	2021	147,249
25V099000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL	2021–2023	137,256
23V531000 Park it	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP	2023, 2024	39,765
23V830000	AIR BAGS	2024	2,967

Others in Subcompact SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Alfa Romeo Stelvio	2018	C
Audi E-Tron	none flagged	C
Audi Q3	20202021	C
BMW X1	2014	C
Buick Encore	2015	C
Buick Encore GX	none flagged	B
Cadillac XT4	none flagged	B
Chevrolet Captiva	none flagged	B

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Seltos

Complaints in window: 338
Severity-weighted: 573.5
Model median (weighted): 574
vs model median: 1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 2
Open investigations: 0

Score 70 B