Acura RDX vs Acura MDX: which is more reliable?
The Acura RDX and the Acura MDX are level on the federal record — 65/100 against 66/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Acura RDX
- 15 model years scored
- 2,016 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 37 recall campaigns, 34 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (92/100) · worst 2020 (32/100)
Acura MDX
- 14 model years scored
- 1,916 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 70 recall campaigns, 36 safety-critical
- best year 2011 (95/100) · worst 2025 (39/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: RDX against MDX
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
| Year | RDX | MDX | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 58 CAUTION | 39 AVOID | +19 |
| 2024 | 84 BUY | 79 BUY | +5 |
| 2023 | 84 BUY | 85 BUY | -1 |
| 2022 | 83 BUY | 59 CAUTION | +24 |
| 2021 | 51 CAUTION | — | — |
| 2020 | 32 AVOID | 47 AVOID | -15 |
| 2019 | 32 AVOID | 59 CAUTION | -27 |
| 2018 | 84 BUY | 66 CAUTION | +18 |
| 2017 | 88 BUY | 58 CAUTION | +30 |
| 2016 | 89 BUY | 49 AVOID | +40 |
| 2015 | 39 AVOID | 80 BUY | -41 |
| 2014 | 50 CAUTION | 77 BUY | -27 |
| 2013 | 72 BUY | 94 BUY | -22 |
| 2012 | 92 BUY | 92 BUY | +0 |
| 2011 | 92 BUY | 95 BUY | -3 |
What owners actually complain about
Acura RDX
- Exterior Lighting — 592 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 331 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 231 complaints
Acura MDX
- Engine — 553 complaints
- Power Train — 388 complaints
- Electrical System — 334 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the RDX's complaints concentrate in Exterior Lighting, the MDX's in Engine. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Acura RDX — avoid: 2015, 2019, 2020.
Acura MDX — avoid: 2016, 2020, 2025.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Acura RDX prices at about $55,100 and a Acura MDX at about $55,100 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Acura RDX or the Acura MDX more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Acura MDX scores 66/100 against the Acura RDX's 65/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Acura RDX and Acura MDX years should I avoid?
Acura RDX: 2015, 2019, 2020. Acura MDX: 2016, 2020, 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Acura RDX and the Acura MDX?
The largest complaint group on the Acura RDX is Exterior Lighting (592 complaints); on the Acura MDX it is Engine (553).
Is the Acura RDX or the Acura MDX cheaper to own?
A recent used Acura RDX prices at about $55,100 and a Acura MDX at about $55,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.