Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Honda CR-V Hybrid: which is more reliable?

The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is ahead of the Honda CR-V Hybrid on the federal record, 76/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.

The record, side by side

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport · Wikimedia Commons

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

76/100 mean
  • 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)

Honda CR-V Hybrid

66/100 mean
  • 4 model years scored
  • 682 owner complaints on record
  • about 38 complaints per year on the road
  • 17 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
  • best year 2022 (81/100) · worst 2021 (38/100)

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 CR-V Hybrid

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.

YearOutlander SportCR-V Hybrid Gap
202592 BUY——
202493 BUY——
202392 BUY66 CAUTION+26
202290 BUY81 BUY+9
202190 BUY38 AVOID+52
202087 BUY78 BUY+9
201978 BUY——
201889 BUY——
201772 BUY——
201636 AVOID——
201534 AVOID——
201465 CAUTION——
201367 CAUTION——
201289 BUY——
201171 BUY——

What owners actually complain about

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport

  • Power Train — 290 complaints
  • Engine — 144 complaints
  • Electrical System — 119 complaints

Honda CR-V Hybrid

  • Steering — 194 complaints
  • Forward Collision Avoidance — 132 complaints
  • Electrical System — 101 complaints

They do not fail the same way: the Outlander Sport's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the CR-V Hybrid's in Steering. 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.

Honda CR-V Hybrid — avoid: 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 Honda CR-V Hybrid at about $25,800 — the Honda CR-V Hybrid is roughly $4,700 less, and they return 26.0 against 37.0 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 Honda CR-V Hybrid more reliable?

On the NHTSA record the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport scores 76/100 against the Honda CR-V Hybrid's 66/100, 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 Honda CR-V Hybrid years should I avoid?

Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: 2015, 2016. Honda CR-V Hybrid: 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 Honda CR-V Hybrid?

The largest complaint group on the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is Power Train (290 complaints); on the Honda CR-V Hybrid it is Steering (194).

Is the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or the Honda CR-V Hybrid cheaper to own?

A recent used Mitsubishi Outlander Sport prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V Hybrid at about $25,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.

More head-to-heads