Honda CR-V vs Nissan Rogue: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Rogue is ahead of the Honda CR-V on the federal record, 65/100 against 58/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
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)
Nissan Rogue
- 15 model years scored
- 6,107 owner complaints on record
- about 79 complaints per year on the road
- 72 recall campaigns, 40 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (88/100) · worst 2023 (34/100)
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 Rogue
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 | Rogue | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 43 AVOID | 41 AVOID | +2 |
| 2024 | 42 AVOID | 58 CAUTION | -16 |
| 2023 | 39 AVOID | 34 AVOID | +5 |
| 2022 | 75 BUY | 66 CAUTION | +9 |
| 2021 | 70 BUY | 61 CAUTION | +9 |
| 2020 | 67 CAUTION | 88 BUY | -21 |
| 2019 | 26 AVOID | 80 BUY | -54 |
| 2018 | 31 AVOID | 66 CAUTION | -35 |
| 2017 | 29 AVOID | 65 CAUTION | -36 |
| 2016 | 83 BUY | 67 CAUTION | +16 |
| 2015 | 78 BUY | 65 CAUTION | +13 |
| 2014 | 85 BUY | 70 BUY | +15 |
| 2013 | 86 BUY | 83 BUY | +3 |
| 2012 | 88 BUY | 87 BUY | +1 |
| 2011 | 72 BUY | 85 BUY | -13 |
What owners actually complain about
Honda CR-V
- Engine — 1,923 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,369 complaints
- Steering — 1,366 complaints
Nissan Rogue
- Power Train — 1,389 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,166 complaints
- Engine — 938 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the CR-V's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Rogue's in Power Train. 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
Honda CR-V — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025.
Nissan Rogue — avoid: 2023, 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 Honda CR-V prices at about $30,500 and a Nissan Rogue at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 28.0 against 31.0 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 Nissan Rogue more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Rogue scores 65/100 against the Honda CR-V's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue years should I avoid?
Honda CR-V: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025. Nissan Rogue: 2023, 2025. 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 Nissan Rogue?
The largest complaint group on the Honda CR-V is Engine (1,923 complaints); on the Nissan Rogue it is Power Train (1,389).
Is the Honda CR-V or the Nissan Rogue cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda CR-V prices at about $30,500 and a Nissan Rogue at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.