Which has fewer complaints, the Altima or the Elantra?

Across 21 and 21 model years respectively, NHTSA has 12,123 complaints on file for the Nissan Altima (about 577 per model year) and 6,792 for the Hyundai Elantra (about 323 per model year). NHTSA publishes no sales data, so these totals are not adjusted for how many of each were sold.

What is the best year for the Altima and the Elantra?

The 2022 Nissan Altima has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years. The 2024 Hyundai Elantra has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years.

Which gets better gas mileage, the Altima or the Elantra?

Averaged across model years, EPA combined MPG is 27.0 for the Nissan Altima and 29.7 for the Hyundai Elantra. Individual years and hybrid variants differ; see each year page.

Nissan Altima vs Hyundai Elantra: Which Years to Avoid

Nissan Altima: years to avoid 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, and 2015, best years 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (12,123 NHTSA complaints, 43 recalls). Hyundai Elantra: years to avoid 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2020, best years 2022, 2024, and 2025 (6,792 complaints, 38 recalls). Counts are not normalized for sales volume, so compare patterns within each model rather than totals across them.

Head to head

Nissan Altima

Model years: 2005–2025 (21)
NHTSA complaints: 12,123
Per model year: 577
Recall campaigns: 43
Years to avoid: 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015
Best years: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Top problem area: Electrical System
Avg. EPA combined MPG: 27.0
Avg. NHTSA overall rating: 4.9 ★

Hyundai Elantra

Model years: 2005–2025 (21)
NHTSA complaints: 6,792
Per model year: 323
Recall campaigns: 38
Years to avoid: 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020
Best years: 2022, 2024, 2025
Top problem area: Engine
Avg. EPA combined MPG: 29.7
Avg. NHTSA overall rating: 4.7 ★

Year by year

Complaint Index is relative within each model (0 = that model’s best year, 100 = its worst). Complaints and recalls are raw counts.

Year	Altima				Elantra
Year	Verdict	Complaints	Recalls	MPG	Verdict	Complaints	Recalls	MPG
2005	Avoid	1,091	1	21	Good	137	4	25
2006	Caution	824	3	21	Good	155	1	24
2007	Good	471	3	24	Good	267	6	27.5
2008	Avoid	1,028	4	24	Caution	314	7	27.5
2009	Avoid	1,547	4	24	Caution	253	4	27.5
2010	Caution	380	3	23	Avoid	379	3	29
2011	Good	241	1	24.5	Caution	432	5	32
2012	Caution	426	4	24.5	Avoid	652	4	32
2013	Avoid	2,312	12	26	Avoid	1,313	4	32
2014	Avoid	1,114	8	28	Avoid	382	2	29
2015	Avoid	953	10	28.5	Caution	262	3	28
2016	Caution	553	4	30	Caution	292	2	30
2017	Caution	391	3	30	Avoid	767	4	30.5
2018	Good	225	2	30	Good	282	0	30.5
2019	Good	232	7	30	Good	250	1	30.5
2020	Good	158	6	30	Avoid	250	3	34
2021	Best	70	2	30	Good	130	6	33
2022	Best	30	0	30.5	Best	101	5	29.5
2023	Best	29	0	29.5	Caution	98	2	31
2024	Best	41	1	29.5	Best	54	1	31
2025	Best	7	2	30	Best	22	0	31

Complaint Index by year

Frequently asked questions

Which has fewer complaints, the Altima or the Elantra?: Across 21 and 21 model years respectively, NHTSA has 12,123 complaints on file for the Nissan Altima (about 577 per model year) and 6,792 for the Hyundai Elantra (about 323 per model year). NHTSA publishes no sales data, so these totals are not adjusted for how many of each were sold.
What is the best year for the Altima and the Elantra?: The 2022 Nissan Altima has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years. The 2024 Hyundai Elantra has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years.
Which gets better gas mileage, the Altima or the Elantra?: Averaged across model years, EPA combined MPG is 27.0 for the Nissan Altima and 29.7 for the Hyundai Elantra. Individual years and hybrid variants differ; see each year page.