Dodge Charger vs Chrysler 300: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300 are level on the federal record — 74/100 against 74/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Dodge Charger
- 13 model years scored
- 2,860 owner complaints on record
- about 15 complaints per year on the road
- 80 recall campaigns, 42 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (91/100) · worst 2012 (24/100)
Chrysler 300
- 13 model years scored
- 1,676 owner complaints on record
- about 10 complaints per year on the road
- 53 recall campaigns, 36 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (91/100) · worst 2012 (28/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Charger against 300
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
Dodge Charger
- Electrical System — 1,211 complaints
- Engine — 386 complaints
- Air Bags — 305 complaints
Chrysler 300
- Electrical System — 682 complaints
- Power Train — 269 complaints
- Air Bags — 242 complaints
Both nameplates have Electrical System as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Charger — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
Chrysler 300 — avoid: 2012, 2013, 2014.
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 Dodge Charger prices at about $27,600 and a Chrysler 300 at about $27,600 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 23.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Charger or the Chrysler 300 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Charger scores 74/100 against the Chrysler 300's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 years should I avoid?
Dodge Charger: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. Chrysler 300: 2012, 2013, 2014. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Charger and the Chrysler 300?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Charger is Electrical System (1,211 complaints); on the Chrysler 300 it is Electrical System (682).
Is the Dodge Charger or the Chrysler 300 cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Charger prices at about $27,600 and a Chrysler 300 at about $27,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.