Buick Regal vs Nissan Juke: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Juke is ahead of the Buick Regal on the federal record, 88/100 against 82/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Buick Regal
- 10 model years scored
- 633 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 28 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (92/100) · worst 2011 (42/100)
Nissan Juke
- 4 model years scored
- 313 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 10 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (93/100) · worst 2011 (62/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Regal against Juke
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.
What owners actually complain about
Buick Regal
- Engine — 169 complaints
- Electrical System — 159 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 127 complaints
Nissan Juke
- Engine — 118 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 54 complaints
- Electrical System — 48 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Buick Regal — avoid: 2011.
Nissan Juke: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2014, 2017.
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 Buick Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Nissan Juke at about $13,900 — the Nissan Juke is roughly $5,900 less, and they return 26.0 against 29.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Buick Regal or the Nissan Juke more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Juke scores 88/100 against the Buick Regal's 82/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Buick Regal and Nissan Juke years should I avoid?
Buick Regal: 2011. Nissan Juke: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Buick Regal and the Nissan Juke?
The largest complaint group on the Buick Regal is Engine (169 complaints); on the Nissan Juke it is Engine (118).
Is the Buick Regal or the Nissan Juke cheaper to own?
A recent used Buick Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Nissan Juke at about $13,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.