Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Ford Escape Hev: which is more reliable?
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the Ford Escape Hev are level on the federal record — 76/100 against 75/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
- 15 model years scored
- 872 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 55 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2015 (34/100)
Ford Escape Hev
- 6 model years scored
- 716 owner complaints on record
- about 24 complaints per year on the road
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (92/100) · worst 2021 (47/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Outlander Sport against Escape Hev
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
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
- Power Train — 290 complaints
- Engine — 144 complaints
- Electrical System — 119 complaints
Ford Escape Hev
- Structure — 203 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 133 complaints
- Engine — 100 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Outlander Sport's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Escape Hev's in Structure. 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
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport — avoid: 2015, 2016.
Ford Escape Hev — avoid: 2020, 2021.
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 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport prices at about $30,500 and a Ford Escape Hev at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 26.0 against 39.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or the Ford Escape Hev more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport scores 76/100 against the Ford Escape Hev's 75/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and Ford Escape Hev years should I avoid?
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: 2015, 2016. Ford Escape Hev: 2020, 2021. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the Ford Escape Hev?
The largest complaint group on the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is Power Train (290 complaints); on the Ford Escape Hev it is Structure (203).
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or the Ford Escape Hev cheaper to own?
A recent used Mitsubishi Outlander Sport prices at about $30,500 and a Ford Escape Hev at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.