Ford Flex vs Chevrolet Captiva: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Captiva is clearly ahead of the Ford Flex on the federal record: 89/100 against 67/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Ford Flex
- 9 model years scored
- 1,582 owner complaints on record
- about 19 complaints per year on the road
- 32 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (91/100) · worst 2013 (34/100)
Chevrolet Captiva
- 4 model years scored
- 409 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (97/100) · worst 2014 (80/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Flex against Captiva
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 Flex
- Electrical System — 348 complaints
- Steering — 315 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 220 complaints
Chevrolet Captiva
- Electrical System — 186 complaints
- Engine — 131 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 73 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
Ford Flex — avoid: 2013, 2019.
Chevrolet Captiva: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.
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 Flex prices at about $37,500 and a Chevrolet Captiva at about $17,000 — the Chevrolet Captiva is roughly $20,500 less, and they return 18.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Flex or the Chevrolet Captiva more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Captiva scores 89/100 against the Ford Flex's 67/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Chevrolet Captiva carries about 7 complaints per year on the road against 19 for the Ford Flex.
Which Ford Flex and Chevrolet Captiva years should I avoid?
Ford Flex: 2013, 2019. Chevrolet Captiva: 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 Flex and the Chevrolet Captiva?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Flex is Electrical System (348 complaints); on the Chevrolet Captiva it is Electrical System (186).
Is the Ford Flex or the Chevrolet Captiva cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Flex prices at about $37,500 and a Chevrolet Captiva at about $17,000, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.