Honda Pilot vs Subaru Outback: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Outback is ahead of the Honda Pilot on the federal record, 68/100 against 61/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Honda Pilot
- 15 model years scored
- 6,376 owner complaints on record
- about 76 complaints per year on the road
- 97 recall campaigns, 63 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (84/100) · worst 2019 (27/100)
Subaru Outback
- 13 model years scored
- 6,232 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 57 recall campaigns, 34 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2020 (35/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Pilot against Outback
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 | Pilot | Outback | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 AVOID | 79 BUY | -45 |
| 2024 | 68 CAUTION | 93 BUY | -25 |
| 2023 | 73 BUY | 88 BUY | -15 |
| 2022 | 79 BUY | 56 CAUTION | +23 |
| 2021 | 48 AVOID | 78 BUY | -30 |
| 2020 | 51 CAUTION | 35 AVOID | +16 |
| 2019 | 27 AVOID | 41 AVOID | -14 |
| 2018 | 71 BUY | 60 CAUTION | +11 |
| 2017 | 51 CAUTION | 56 CAUTION | -5 |
| 2016 | 46 AVOID | 74 BUY | -28 |
| 2015 | 81 BUY | 82 BUY | -1 |
| 2014 | 84 BUY | 72 BUY | +12 |
| 2013 | 75 BUY | 72 BUY | +3 |
| 2012 | 75 BUY | — | — |
| 2011 | 73 BUY | — | — |
What owners actually complain about
Honda Pilot
- Engine — 2,060 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,690 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 996 complaints
Subaru Outback
- Electrical System — 1,898 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 1,659 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,128 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Pilot's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Outback's in Electrical System. 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 Pilot — avoid: 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025.
Subaru Outback — avoid: 2019, 2020.
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 Pilot prices at about $40,800 and a Subaru Outback at about $44,100 — the Honda Pilot is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 21.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Honda Pilot or the Subaru Outback more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Outback scores 68/100 against the Honda Pilot's 61/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Honda Pilot and Subaru Outback years should I avoid?
Honda Pilot: 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025. Subaru Outback: 2019, 2020. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Honda Pilot and the Subaru Outback?
The largest complaint group on the Honda Pilot is Engine (2,060 complaints); on the Subaru Outback it is Electrical System (1,898).
Is the Honda Pilot or the Subaru Outback cheaper to own?
A recent used Honda Pilot prices at about $40,800 and a Subaru Outback at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.