How many miles can a Hyundai Sonata last? When you’re in the market for a new or second-hand Sonata, that’s, of course, a very reasonable question to ask. After all, you’re probably looking to get the most bang for your buck. In this blog, we’ll look at the most popular models but first, let’s start with a quick answer:
On average, a Hyundai Sonata lasts between 200,000 – 240,000 miles. A Hyundai Sonata needs to go to the garage for unscheduled repairs about 0.27 times per year with an 11% chance of a severe problem. Furthermore, Hyundai Sonata owners spend an average of $458 per year on repair costs.
Having said that, we’re certainly not done. Below we’ll first explain in more detail how many miles a Hyundai Sonata can last. After that, we’ll compare the Sonata to its main competitors in terms of potential mileage and compare the Sonata to other Hyundai’s. Furthermore, we also discuss the common problems that a Hyundai Sonata can have, how much maintenance will cost per year and how to maintain a Sonata. Read on!
Want to save money on gasoline? earn up to $0.25/gallon every time you fill up? GetUpside is a free-to-use cashback app for US gas stations. Use coupon code “THEDRIVERADVISER25” and earn an additional $0.25/gallon the first time! Click here to download the app for Android or iOS.
How Many Miles Can A Hyundai Sonata Last?
To determine how many miles an American-made Hyundai Sonata can last, we retrieved some data from autotrader.com. Here, we selected all Hyundai Sonatas for sale in the United States (24,172 in total). Then, we divided the Sonatas up into groups depending on the mileage they had driven.
What we saw is that most of them are currently still very low mileage. The majority of the Sonatas hasn’t even reached the 45,000 miles mark. This is because many of them have been sold in recent years, which means they haven’t had time to reach higher mileages.
However, we can say that a bit more than 10% has reached a mileage of 100,000 or higher. That means that around 2,400 Sonatas did break this mark, indicating that the Sonata is fairly reliable in reaching a higher mileage.
| Amount Of Miles | Percentage Of Cars |
| Cars With 150.000+ | 2.06% |
| Cars With 100.000 – 149.000 | 8.17% |
| Cars With 45.000 – 99.999 | 18.50% |
| Cars With 0 – 44.999 | 71.26% |
However, this, of course, doesn’t tell the complete story. Therefore, we also looked at the Sonata with the highest recorded mileage. The reason for this is that this gives us a feeling for what the Sonata is capable of when pushed to its limits.
We found that the Sonata has quite a few examples of cars getting close or passing, the 300,000 miles mark. The highest recorded mileage was 310,000 miles. This seems to indicate that the Sonata can reach very high mileage if the car is maintained well.
Also read: What’s The Towing Capacity Of A Hyundai Sonata?
How Reliable Is A Hyundai Sonata Compared To It’s Competitors?
However, having said that, it’s also necessary to compare the Sonata to its competitors to see how reliable the car actually is in its class. In this case, we compared the Sonata to the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and the Volkswagen Passat.
We found that the Sonata does seem to slightly underperform in terms of the percentage of cars that have reached or passed the 150,000 miles mark. The 2.06% of the Sonata is the lowest recorded percentage and significantly below the 5.63% of the Camry.
| Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
| Hyundai Sonata | 24,172 | 497 | 2.06% | 310,000 |
| Honda Accord | 39231 | 1649 | 4.20% | 350,000 |
| Toyota Camry | 32110 | 1808 | 5.63% | 320,000 |
| Volkswagen Passat | 6160 | 138 | 2.24% | 240,000 |
However, the car does seem to hold up in terms of the highest recorded mileage. The 310,000 miles of the Sonata is significantly better than the 240,000 of the Passat, and it’s only slightly below the Camry. However, the Accord does seem to be the best in this category.
However, we would still say the Sonata does seem to be a reliable car and that there’s no reason to believe the car wouldn’t easily be able to pass the 200,000 miles mark.
How Reliable Is A Hyundai Sonata Compared To Other Hyundai’s?
Besides comparing Sonata to its competitors, it’s also important to compare it to other Hyundai’s. The reason for this is that this gives you a better image of what kind of quality standard Hyundai has and what you can expect from the brand.
What becomes clear in the table below is that the Sonata does seem to perform in the middle of the pack in terms of the percentage of cars that reach the 150,000 miles mark. The 2.06% is better than most cars but underperforms the Accent and the Genesis (although most Genesis cars are a bit older and had more time on the road).
However, in terms of the highest recorded mileage, the Sonata is significantly better dan the other Hyundai’s by quite some margin. Therefore, it does seem that the Hyundai Sonata is a good pick in terms of the highest potential mileage compared to the other Hyundai’s.
| Model | Sample Size | Cars With 150.000+ Miles | % Percentage Of Cars With 150.000+ | Highest Mileage |
| Hyundai Elantra | 22,574 | 331 | 1.47% | 260,000 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 24,172 | 497 | 2.06% | 310,000 |
| Hyundai Santa Fe | 18,059 | 418 | 2.31% | 270,000 |
| Hyundai Tucson | 15,448 | 175 | 1.13% | 240,000 |
| Hyundai Accent | 2,677 | 85 | 3.18% | 250,000 |
| Hyundai Genesis | 814 | 43 | 5.28% | 240,000 |
How Much Does Maintenance Cost?
Besides knowing how many miles a Hyundai Sonata can reach, it’s also important to know how much the annual maintenance of the car will cost you. After all, there’s no point in having a car that can do higher mileage if the maintenance is an extraordinary amount.
Using data from repairpal.com, we’ve outlined the annual maintenance cost of a Hyundai Sonata in the table below. For each production year, we’ve stated how much this car currently costs in annual maintenance. E.g., a 2016 Sonata currently costs $379 in maintenance per year.
We found that the Sonata seems to be very reasonable when it comes to maintenance costs. 2018, 2017, and 2016 models all have costs that are below the $400 mark. That’s very affordable for a mid-sized car like the Sonata. Furthermore, there’s not a single model year for which you would have to pay more than $500 a year in maintenance.
Given that the Sonata has been in production for a long time already, this is a very encouraging sign. It most likely also shows that the Sonata doesn’t have any major production issues that make owning it less appealing.
| Year Of Manufacturing | Hyundai Sonata Maintenance Cost |
| 2018 | $ 351 |
| 2017 | $ 328 |
| 2016 | $ 379 |
| 2015 | $ 428 |
| 2014 | $ 450 |
| 2013 | $ 486 |
| 2012 | $ 482 |
| 2011 | $ 490 |
| 2010 | $ 446 |
| 2009 | $ 410 |
| 2008 | $ 368 |
| 2007 | $ 343 |
Also read: The Complete Cost Of Maintaining A Hyundai
Hyundai Sonata Common Problems
Let’s continue by diving deeper into the most common problems that the Hyundai Sonata has. Below we’ve outlined the six most common problems that you can encounter when finding your next car. Given the low yearly maintenance cost of the Sonata, we think it’s safe to conclude that some of the major problems that are listed below don’t occur that often. However, it’s still worth keeping an eye out for.
NOTE: Before buying a used car, I always like to make sure the vehicle isn´t having any problems that you should be aware of. The easiest way to do this is by buying an OBD2 scanner. These scanners can easily be plugged into any car you’re interested in, and they’ll give you a rundown of potential problems.
Also read: Types Of Gas A Hyundai Sonata Takes (Explained)
Parking Lights Don’t Turn Off
One of the most common problems with the pre-2016 Sonata is that the parking lights won’t turn off. This is almost always caused by a problem with the cabin fuse box, which needs to be replaced. Expect to pay between $80 – $150 for this service.
Failing Timing Chain Tensioner
In pre-2018 models, there may be excessive noise when starting the engine. If this happens, it’s important to check if the oil levels are correct. If these are indeed sufficient, the problem is most likely caused by a failing timing chain tensioner that needs to be replaced. This is the most expensive job on the list and can cost between $1,000 and $1,500.
Failing Speed Sensor
If the check engine light illuminates and the automatic transmission does not shift properly, the problem is most likely that the speed sensor is failing. This needs to be replaced and will cost you between $300 – $350.
Problematic Shifting
In general, the shifting of the Sonata is not its strongest point. Sometimes it just shifts rough, and general maintenance needs to be done to fix this problem. This includes changing the automatic transmission fluid and updating the computer that controls the shifting. For changing the automatic transmission fluid, you can expect to pay around $150.
Also read: Hyundai Sonata Transmission: Overview, Problems, Fluids
Unstable Idling
The 2.4L 4 cylinders and the 2.7L V6 may have idling issues caused by a faulty EGR valve that doesn’t open and close properly. Replacing the EGR valve will cost between $250 – $300.
Problematic Accelerator Pedal Position Switch
A faulty accelerator pedal position switch may cause the check engine light to illuminate. Replacing this switch will cost between $150 – $200.
Also read: 8 Common Problems Of A Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Is A Hyundai Sonata A Smart Buy?
Finally, it’s a good thing to consider whether the Hyundai Sonata is actually a smart buy or not. For this, we have to take everything into account: how many miles the car can do, how reliable it is, and how much value you get for your money.
In terms of mileage, we have to conclude that the Sonata seems to live up to its reliable car standard. Compared to its competitors, it does seem to be capable of reaching the same number of miles. However, we also have to conclude that many Sonatas are still very young, and it’s difficult to make hard statements about their reliability.
Looking at the cost of the Sonata, we think it’s safe to say that these are very reasonable and that major issues do not seem to impact the Sonata model.
Furthermore, it’s important to consider whether or not the Sonata delivers good value for your money. Using data from caredge.com, we can see that a 5-year-old Sonata has depreciated 53%. Assuming a 5-year-old Sonata has driven 75,000 miles, the car still has 75% of its lifespan left for 47% of its original price. Depreciation also slows after the 5-year mark, so we advise you to look for a Sonata that has reached this sweet spot.
Hyundai Sonata Maintenance Schedule
Finally, it’s important to know what kind of maintenance a Hyundai Sonata needs to reach higher mileages. Below we’ve outlined the necessary steps that Hyundai recommends for the Sonata to reach its maximum life span.
- Change the oil every 7,500 miles
- Rotate the tires every 7,500 miles
- Replace the cabin air filter every 15,000 miles
- Replace the air filter every 30,000 miles
- Flush and replace the coolant every 30,000 miles
- Replace the spark plugs every 105,000 miles
Sources
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!