Chevrolet Equinox vs Subaru Forester: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Equinox is ahead of the Subaru Forester on the federal record, 76/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Equinox
- 15 model years scored
- 5,754 owner complaints on record
- about 56 complaints per year on the road
- 38 recall campaigns, 15 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (90/100) · worst 2025 (46/100)
Subaru Forester
- 15 model years scored
- 4,756 owner complaints on record
- about 52 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 44 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (90/100) · worst 2019 (41/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Equinox against Forester
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 | Equinox | Forester | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 AVOID | 56 CAUTION | -10 |
| 2024 | 85 BUY | 90 BUY | -5 |
| 2023 | 84 BUY | 90 BUY | -6 |
| 2022 | 78 BUY | 90 BUY | -12 |
| 2021 | 84 BUY | 83 BUY | +1 |
| 2020 | 72 BUY | 46 AVOID | +26 |
| 2019 | 76 BUY | 41 AVOID | +35 |
| 2018 | 71 BUY | 63 CAUTION | +8 |
| 2017 | 90 BUY | 65 CAUTION | +25 |
| 2016 | 85 BUY | 76 BUY | +9 |
| 2015 | 69 CAUTION | 66 CAUTION | +3 |
| 2014 | 82 BUY | 84 BUY | -2 |
| 2013 | 71 BUY | 76 BUY | -5 |
| 2012 | 76 BUY | 75 BUY | +1 |
| 2011 | 72 BUY | 75 BUY | -3 |
What owners actually complain about
Chevrolet Equinox
- Engine — 2,316 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 891 complaints
- Power Train — 668 complaints
Subaru Forester
- Visibility/Wiper — 986 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 747 complaints
- Electrical System — 707 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Equinox's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Forester's in Visibility/Wiper. 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 Equinox — avoid: 2025.
Subaru Forester — avoid: 2019, 2020.
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 Equinox prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru Forester at about $32,900 — the Chevrolet Equinox is roughly $2,400 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 Chevrolet Equinox or the Subaru Forester more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Equinox scores 76/100 against the Subaru Forester's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Chevrolet Equinox and Subaru Forester years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Equinox: 2025. Subaru Forester: 2019, 2020. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Equinox and the Subaru Forester?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Equinox is Engine (2,316 complaints); on the Subaru Forester it is Visibility/Wiper (986).
Is the Chevrolet Equinox or the Subaru Forester cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Equinox prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru Forester at about $32,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.