Hyundai Santa Fe Sport vs Subaru Ascent: which is more reliable?
The Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and the Subaru Ascent are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 70/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 1,266 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 22 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (93/100) · worst 2018 (37/100)
Subaru Ascent
- 7 model years scored
- 1,029 owner complaints on record
- about 29 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (87/100) · worst 2019 (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: Santa Fe Sport against Ascent
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
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
- Engine — 720 complaints
- Service Brakes — 225 complaints
- Hydraulic — 154 complaints
Subaru Ascent
- Electrical System — 289 complaints
- Power Train — 179 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 152 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Santa Fe Sport's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Ascent'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
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport — avoid: 2017, 2018.
Subaru Ascent — 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100 — the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is roughly $22,000 less, and they return 22.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Subaru Ascent more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Ascent scores 70/100 against the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport's 68/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and Subaru Ascent years should I avoid?
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport: 2017, 2018. Subaru Ascent: 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 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport and the Subaru Ascent?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport is Engine (720 complaints); on the Subaru Ascent it is Electrical System (289).
Is the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport or the Subaru Ascent cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Santa Fe Sport prices at about $22,100 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.