Ford Mustang vs Chevrolet Corvette: which is more reliable?
The Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvette are level on the federal record — 71/100 against 73/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Ford Mustang
- 13 model years scored
- 3,147 owner complaints on record
- about 26 complaints per year on the road
- 89 recall campaigns, 51 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (83/100) · worst 2015 (51/100)
Chevrolet Corvette
- 12 model years scored
- 807 owner complaints on record
- about 9 complaints per year on the road
- 30 recall campaigns, 22 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (92/100) · worst 2017 (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: Mustang against Corvette
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 Mustang
- Air Bags — 673 complaints
- Power Train — 612 complaints
- Engine — 368 complaints
Chevrolet Corvette
- Wheels — 408 complaints
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 106 complaints
- Power Train — 68 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Mustang's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Corvette's in Wheels. 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 Mustang: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021….
Chevrolet Corvette — avoid: 2017, 2019.
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 Mustang prices at about $56,900 and a Chevrolet Corvette at about $56,900 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 19.0 against 19.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Corvette more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Corvette scores 73/100 against the Ford Mustang'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 Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette years should I avoid?
Ford Mustang: no year scores below 45. Chevrolet Corvette: 2017, 2019. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Corvette?
The largest complaint group on the Ford Mustang is Air Bags (673 complaints); on the Chevrolet Corvette it is Wheels (408).
Is the Ford Mustang or the Chevrolet Corvette cheaper to own?
A recent used Ford Mustang prices at about $56,900 and a Chevrolet Corvette at about $56,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.