Kia Optima Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2012 and 2013 At least twice the 53 complaints of a typical Optima year. Most described: engine failure (2012), stalling (2013).
Best years: No year stands out Only the 2020 drew under three quarters of the 44 complaints of a typical Optima year since 2016, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 11, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 42 mpg combined, arrived in 2017. Includes the Optima Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. Kia replaced the Optima with the K5 for 2021.

Optima problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Optima year drew 53 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (44). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (44), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2013 Optima Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	148	1,444	10
2012 Optima Avoid Most described: engine failure or replacement	112	1,032	6
2014 Optima Most described: engine failure or replacement	86	622	7
2015 Optima Most described: engine failure or replacement	81	1,023	4
2011 Optima Most described: engine failure or replacement	73	628	6
2016 Optima Most described: excessive oil consumption	53	766	5
2018 Optima Most described: excessive oil consumption	46	244	3
2017 Optima Most described: engine failure or replacement	44	308	4
2019 Optima Most described: excessive oil consumption	41	215	1
2020 Optima Most described: excessive oil consumption	25	155	0
2010 Optima Most described: jerking, lurching or harsh shifting	12	75	1

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Optima for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	0	155
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	41 mpg Hybrid	1	215
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	3	244
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	4	308
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	5	766
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	4	1,023
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	7	622
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	10	1,444
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	6	1,032
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	6	628
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	1	75	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2013: 1,444 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Kia Optima
Model year	Complaints
2010	75
2011	628
2012	1,032
2013	1,444
2014	622
2015	1,023
2016	766
2017	308
2018	244
2019	215
2020	155

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 25 to 31 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2020); 31 since 2016. Hybrid: 36 to 42 mpg (2011 to 2020); highest in 2017.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2020: gas 31 mpg · hybrid 42 mpg

Show as a table

Kia Optima best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	25	–
2011	27	36
2012	27	36
2013	27	37
2014	26	37
2015	26	37
2016	31	37
2017	31	42
2018	31	42
2019	31	41
2020	31	42

Every Optima year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Kia Optima years should you avoid?

The 2012 and 2013 Optima are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 53 owner complaints of a typical Optima year in its first three years. Owners of the 2013 most often describe stalling. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Kia Optima years?

No year stands out as best. Only the 2020 drew under three quarters of the 44 complaints of a typical Optima year since 2016, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less.

Which Kia Optima years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2013 (148) drew the most, then the 2012 (112). Owners of the 2013 most often describe stalling or shutting off.

Which Kia Optima years have the most recalls?

The 2013 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (10), then the 2014 (7). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Three recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 20V-519 (2013 to 2015 models), NHTSA 21V-331 (2013 to 2015 models), and NHTSA 23V-652 (2011 to 2015 models).

What are the most common Kia Optima problems?

In the 6,512 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2020 models, owners most often describe engine failure or replacement (1,143 complaints); stalling or shutting off (960 complaints, most of them for the 2012, 2013, and 2015); and loss of power or limp mode (590 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Kia Optima year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 42 mpg combined, first reached by the 2017 hybrid version. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 41 mpg on gas alone and 103 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.