Jeep Patriot vs Subaru Ascent: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Patriot is ahead of the Subaru Ascent on the federal record, 78/100 against 70/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Jeep Patriot
- 6 model years scored
- 1,852 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 9 recall campaigns, 7 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (94/100) · worst 2014 (61/100)
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: Patriot 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
Jeep Patriot
- Engine — 631 complaints
- Electrical System — 313 complaints
- Power Train — 291 complaints
Subaru Ascent
- Electrical System — 289 complaints
- Power Train — 179 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 152 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Patriot'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
Jeep Patriot: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017.
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 Jeep Patriot prices at about $21,800 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100 — the Jeep Patriot is roughly $22,300 less, and they return 21.0 against 22.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Patriot or the Subaru Ascent more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Patriot scores 78/100 against the Subaru Ascent's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Jeep Patriot and Subaru Ascent years should I avoid?
Jeep Patriot: no year scores below 45. 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 Jeep Patriot and the Subaru Ascent?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Patriot is Engine (631 complaints); on the Subaru Ascent it is Electrical System (289).
Is the Jeep Patriot or the Subaru Ascent cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Patriot prices at about $21,800 and a Subaru Ascent at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.