HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 vs KIA EV6

The HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 (2022–2026, 5 model years) carries 1,608 NHTSA consumer complaints and 18 safety recalls, while the KIA EV6 (2022–2025, 4 model years) carries 628 complaints and 8 recalls. Severity indicators for the pair split as follows: 44 vs 35 crashes, 2 vs 2 fires, and 0 vs 3 reported fatalities.

Raw complaint counts favor whichever nameplate has fewer vehicles on the road, so the cleaner lens is components: which specific part families concentrate each model's filings? For the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5, the leading complaint category is electrical system (712 filings), followed by fuel/propulsion system and power train. For the KIA EV6, it is electrical system (287), ahead of power train and fuel/propulsion system. When the two vehicles cluster around the same component, the problem is likely a shared supplier or a shared federal standard under stress; when they diverge, each nameplate has its own defect signature independent of the other.

NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gives the HYUNDAI IONIQ 5 an average 2.5/5 crash-test rating versus 3.8/5 for the KIA EV6, aggregated across all model years with published scores. Use the side-by-side table below as your scorecard, but do not treat it as a verdict. Recall counts tell you how many defects the manufacturer has already been compelled to remedy; complaint counts tell you what owners are still flagging today; and safety ratings tell you how the vehicle performs in standardized barrier tests — three different lenses on the same underlying question. The "also compare" links at the bottom of this page let you triangulate against neighboring nameplates in each model's competitive set.