Subaru Ascent vs Chevrolet Blazer: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Blazer is clearly ahead of the Subaru Ascent on the federal record: 83/100 against 70/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Subaru Ascent
- 7 model years scored
- 1,029 owner complaints on record
- about 29 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 8 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (87/100) · worst 2019 (32/100)
Chevrolet Blazer
- 7 model years scored
- 690 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 11 recall campaigns, 2 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (92/100) · worst 2020 (70/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Ascent against Blazer
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
Subaru Ascent
- Electrical System — 289 complaints
- Power Train — 179 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 152 complaints
Chevrolet Blazer
- Electrical System — 204 complaints
- Power Train — 181 complaints
- Engine — 181 complaints
Both nameplates have Electrical System as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Subaru Ascent — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Chevrolet Blazer: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024….
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 Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Chevrolet Blazer at about $40,800 — the Chevrolet Blazer is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 22.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Chevrolet Blazer more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Blazer scores 83/100 against the Subaru Ascent's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Chevrolet Blazer carries about 23 complaints per year on the road against 29 for the Subaru Ascent.
Which Subaru Ascent and Chevrolet Blazer years should I avoid?
Subaru Ascent: 2019, 2020. Chevrolet Blazer: 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 Subaru Ascent and the Chevrolet Blazer?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Ascent is Electrical System (289 complaints); on the Chevrolet Blazer it is Electrical System (204).
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Chevrolet Blazer cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Chevrolet Blazer at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.