Ford EcoSport vs Honda HR-V: which is more reliable?
The Ford EcoSport is clearly ahead of the Honda HR-V on the federal record: 81/100 against 70/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Ford EcoSport
- 5 model years scored
- 1,840 owner complaints on record
- about 55 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 1 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2018 (70/100)
Honda HR-V
- 10 model years scored
- 1,810 owner complaints on record
- about 46 complaints per year on the road
- 32 recall campaigns, 21 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (92/100) · worst 2023 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: EcoSport against HR-V
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 EcoSport
- Engine And Engine Cooling — 839 complaints
- Engine — 795 complaints
- Power Train — 217 complaints
Honda HR-V
- Unknown Or Other — 399 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 333 complaints
- Electrical System — 304 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the EcoSport's complaints concentrate in Engine And Engine Cooling, the HR-V's in Unknown Or Other. 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 EcoSport: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
Honda HR-V — avoid: 2023, 2024.
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 EcoSport prices at about $23,700 and a Honda HR-V at about $30,500 — the Ford EcoSport is roughly $6,800 less, and they return 25.0 against 27.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford EcoSport or the Honda HR-V more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Ford EcoSport scores 81/100 against the Honda HR-V's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Ford EcoSport carries about 55 complaints per year on the road against 46 for the Honda HR-V.
Which Ford EcoSport and Honda HR-V years should I avoid?
Ford EcoSport: no year scores below 45. Honda HR-V: 2023, 2024. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford EcoSport and the Honda HR-V?
The largest complaint group on the Ford EcoSport is Engine And Engine Cooling (839 complaints); on the Honda HR-V it is Unknown Or Other (399).
Is the Ford EcoSport or the Honda HR-V cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford EcoSport prices at about $23,700 and a Honda HR-V at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.