Jeep Wrangler vs Toyota Highlander: which is more reliable?
The Toyota Highlander is ahead of the Jeep Wrangler on the federal record, 65/100 against 58/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Jeep Wrangler
- 10 model years scored
- 7,008 owner complaints on record
- about 82 complaints per year on the road
- 78 recall campaigns, 51 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (78/100) · worst 2018 (26/100)
Toyota Highlander
- 11 model years scored
- 2,349 owner complaints on record
- about 27 complaints per year on the road
- 39 recall campaigns, 24 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (86/100) · worst 2020 (37/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Wrangler against Highlander
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 Wrangler
- Steering — 2,225 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,181 complaints
- Power Train — 1,111 complaints
Toyota Highlander
- Power Train — 461 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 363 complaints
- Electrical System — 306 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Wrangler's complaints concentrate in Steering, the Highlander's in Power Train. 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 Wrangler — avoid: 2018, 2019, 2020.
Toyota Highlander — avoid: 2018, 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 Wrangler prices at about $28,800 and a Toyota Highlander at about $40,800 — the Jeep Wrangler is roughly $12,000 less, and they return 20.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Wrangler or the Toyota Highlander more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota Highlander scores 65/100 against the Jeep Wrangler's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Highlander years should I avoid?
Jeep Wrangler: 2018, 2019, 2020. Toyota Highlander: 2018, 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 Wrangler and the Toyota Highlander?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Wrangler is Steering (2,225 complaints); on the Toyota Highlander it is Power Train (461).
Is the Jeep Wrangler or the Toyota Highlander cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Wrangler prices at about $28,800 and a Toyota Highlander at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.