Honda CR-V vs Jeep Compass: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Compass is clearly ahead of the Honda CR-V on the federal record: 75/100 against 58/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Honda CR-V
- 15 model years scored
- 10,020 owner complaints on record
- about 122 complaints per year on the road
- 64 recall campaigns, 48 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (88/100) · worst 2019 (26/100)
Jeep Compass
- 13 model years scored
- 2,944 owner complaints on record
- about 34 complaints per year on the road
- 26 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (92/100) · worst 2018 (32/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: CR-V against Compass
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.
| Year | CR-V | Compass | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 AVOID | 85 BUY | -42 |
| 2024 | 42 AVOID | 84 BUY | -42 |
| 2023 | 39 AVOID | 87 BUY | -48 |
| 2022 | 75 BUY | 47 AVOID | +28 |
| 2021 | 70 BUY | 92 BUY | -22 |
| 2020 | 67 CAUTION | 85 BUY | -18 |
| 2019 | 26 AVOID | 58 CAUTION | -32 |
| 2018 | 31 AVOID | 32 AVOID | -1 |
| 2017 | 29 AVOID | 78 BUY | -49 |
| 2016 | 83 BUY | 79 BUY | +4 |
| 2015 | 78 BUY | 90 BUY | -12 |
| 2014 | 85 BUY | 80 BUY | +5 |
| 2013 | 86 BUY | — | — |
| 2012 | 88 BUY | — | — |
| 2011 | 72 BUY | 84 BUY | -12 |
What owners actually complain about
Honda CR-V
- Engine — 1,923 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,369 complaints
- Steering — 1,366 complaints
Jeep Compass
- Engine — 1,135 complaints
- Electrical System — 981 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 586 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Honda CR-V — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025.
Jeep Compass — avoid: 2018, 2022.
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 Honda CR-V prices at about $30,500 and a Jeep Compass at about $32,900 — the Honda CR-V is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 28.0 against 27.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda CR-V or the Jeep Compass more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Compass scores 75/100 against the Honda CR-V's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Jeep Compass carries about 34 complaints per year on the road against 122 for the Honda CR-V.
Which Honda CR-V and Jeep Compass years should I avoid?
Honda CR-V: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025. Jeep Compass: 2018, 2022. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda CR-V and the Jeep Compass?
The largest complaint group on the Honda CR-V is Engine (1,923 complaints); on the Jeep Compass it is Engine (1,135).
Is the Honda CR-V or the Jeep Compass cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda CR-V prices at about $30,500 and a Jeep Compass at about $32,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.