Nissan Murano vs Toyota Highlander Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Murano is ahead of the Toyota Highlander Hybrid on the federal record, 79/100 against 74/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Nissan Murano
- 15 model years scored
- 1,074 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2015 (37/100)
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- 9 model years scored
- 540 owner complaints on record
- about 7 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2018 (94/100) · worst 2017 (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: Murano against Highlander 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.
What owners actually complain about
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 complaints
Toyota Highlander Hybrid
- Unknown Or Other — 112 complaints
- Electrical System — 109 complaints
- Service Brakes — 71 complaints
Both nameplates have Unknown Or Other as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Nissan Murano — avoid: 2015.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid — avoid: 2017.
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 Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about $31,700 — the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is roughly $9,100 less, and they return 23.0 against 36.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Murano or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Murano scores 79/100 against the Toyota Highlander Hybrid's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Nissan Murano and Toyota Highlander Hybrid years should I avoid?
Nissan Murano: 2015. Toyota Highlander Hybrid: 2017. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Murano and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Murano is Unknown Or Other (214 complaints); on the Toyota Highlander Hybrid it is Unknown Or Other (112).
Is the Nissan Murano or the Toyota Highlander Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Toyota Highlander Hybrid at about $31,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.