Ford Bronco Sport vs Subaru Crosstrek: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Crosstrek is clearly ahead of the Ford Bronco Sport on the federal record: 77/100 against 61/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Ford Bronco Sport
- 5 model years scored
- 1,281 owner complaints on record
- about 65 complaints per year on the road
- 51 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (78/100) · worst 2021 (33/100)
Subaru Crosstrek
- 6 model years scored
- 800 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 14 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (93/100) · worst 2019 (51/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Bronco Sport against Crosstrek
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
Ford Bronco Sport
- Electrical System — 341 complaints
- Power Train — 277 complaints
- Engine — 273 complaints
Subaru Crosstrek
- Visibility/Wiper — 263 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 169 complaints
- Electrical System — 134 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Bronco Sport's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Crosstrek'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
Ford Bronco Sport — avoid: 2021.
Subaru Crosstrek: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 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 Ford Bronco Sport prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru Crosstrek at about $32,900 — the Ford Bronco Sport is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 23.0 against 29.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Bronco Sport or the Subaru Crosstrek more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Crosstrek scores 77/100 against the Ford Bronco Sport's 61/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Subaru Crosstrek carries about 25 complaints per year on the road against 65 for the Ford Bronco Sport.
Which Ford Bronco Sport and Subaru Crosstrek years should I avoid?
Ford Bronco Sport: 2021. Subaru Crosstrek: 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 Ford Bronco Sport and the Subaru Crosstrek?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Bronco Sport is Electrical System (341 complaints); on the Subaru Crosstrek it is Visibility/Wiper (263).
Is the Ford Bronco Sport or the Subaru Crosstrek cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Bronco Sport prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru Crosstrek at about $32,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.