Chevrolet Colorado vs Ford Ranger: which is more reliable?
The Ford Ranger is ahead of the Chevrolet Colorado on the federal record, 71/100 against 67/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Colorado
- 10 model years scored
- 1,207 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 23 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (92/100) · worst 2015 (29/100)
Ford Ranger
- 7 model years scored
- 625 owner complaints on record
- about 10 complaints per year on the road
- 59 recall campaigns, 25 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (84/100) · worst 2019 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Colorado against Ranger
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
Chevrolet Colorado
- Steering — 414 complaints
- Electrical System — 217 complaints
- Power Train — 172 complaints
Ford Ranger
- Air Bags — 196 complaints
- Power Train — 143 complaints
- Electrical System — 56 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Colorado's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Ranger's in Air Bags. 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
Chevrolet Colorado — avoid: 2015, 2023, 2024.
Ford Ranger — avoid: 2019.
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 Chevrolet Colorado prices at about $51,700 and a Ford Ranger at about $51,700 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 20.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chevrolet Colorado or the Ford Ranger more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Ford Ranger scores 71/100 against the Chevrolet Colorado's 67/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Colorado: 2015, 2023, 2024. Ford Ranger: 2019. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Colorado and the Ford Ranger?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Colorado is Steering (414 complaints); on the Ford Ranger it is Air Bags (196).
Is the Chevrolet Colorado or the Ford Ranger cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Colorado prices at about $51,700 and a Ford Ranger at about $51,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.