Honda Passport vs Jeep Grand Cherokee L: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is ahead of the Honda Passport on the federal record, 74/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
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)
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
- 5 model years scored
- 450 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 10 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (85/100) · worst 2022 (55/100)
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 Grand Cherokee L
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
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
- Electrical System — 151 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 106 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 59 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.
Jeep Grand Cherokee L: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2023, 2024, 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 Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at about $44,100 — the Honda Passport is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 21.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Passport or the Jeep Grand Cherokee L more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Grand Cherokee L scores 74/100 against the Honda Passport's 66/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Passport and Jeep Grand Cherokee L years should I avoid?
Honda Passport: 2019. Jeep Grand Cherokee L: 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Passport is Electrical System (168 complaints); on the Jeep Grand Cherokee L it is Electrical System (151).
Is the Honda Passport or the Jeep Grand Cherokee L cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Passport prices at about $40,800 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.