Honda Passport vs Buick Verano: which is more reliable?
The Buick Verano is clearly ahead of the Honda Passport on the federal record: 82/100 against 66/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Honda Passport
- 7 model years scored
- 653 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 37 recall campaigns, 17 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (88/100) · worst 2019 (30/100)
Buick Verano
- 6 model years scored
- 440 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 15 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (93/100) · worst 2014 (66/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Passport against Verano
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
Honda Passport
- Electrical System — 168 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 166 complaints
- Engine — 121 complaints
Buick Verano
- Electrical System — 122 complaints
- Engine — 106 complaints
- Air Bags — 93 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
Honda Passport — avoid: 2019.
Buick Verano: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017.
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 Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Buick Verano at about $21,800 — the Buick Verano is roughly $19,000 less, and they return 21.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Passport or the Buick Verano more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Buick Verano scores 82/100 against the Honda Passport's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Buick Verano carries about 6 complaints per year on the road against 22 for the Honda Passport.
Which Honda Passport and Buick Verano years should I avoid?
Honda Passport: 2019. Buick Verano: 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 Honda Passport and the Buick Verano?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Passport is Electrical System (168 complaints); on the Buick Verano it is Electrical System (122).
Is the Honda Passport or the Buick Verano cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Buick Verano at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.