Mitsubishi Outlander Sport vs Subaru Crosstrek: which is more reliable?
The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the Subaru Crosstrek are level on the federal record — 76/100 against 77/100 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)
Subaru Crosstrek
- 6 model years scored
- 800 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 14 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (93/100) · worst 2019 (51/100)
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 Crosstrek
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
Subaru Crosstrek
- Visibility/Wiper — 263 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 169 complaints
- Electrical System — 134 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Outlander Sport's complaints concentrate in Power Train, the Crosstrek's in Visibility/Wiper. 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.
Subaru Crosstrek: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2025.
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 Subaru Crosstrek at about $32,900 — the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 26.0 against 29.0 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 Subaru Crosstrek more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Crosstrek scores 77/100 against the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport's 76/100, 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 Subaru Crosstrek years should I avoid?
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: 2015, 2016. Subaru Crosstrek: no year scores below 45. 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 Subaru Crosstrek?
The largest complaint group on the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport is Power Train (290 complaints); on the Subaru Crosstrek it is Visibility/Wiper (263).
Is the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport or the Subaru Crosstrek cheaper to own?
A recent used Mitsubishi Outlander Sport prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru Crosstrek at about $32,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.