Subaru Ascent vs Honda Passport: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Ascent is ahead of the Honda Passport on the federal record, 70/100 against 66/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
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)
Honda Passport
- 7 model years scored
- 653 owner complaints on record
- about 22 complaints per year on the road
- 37 recall campaigns, 17 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (88/100) · worst 2019 (30/100)
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 Passport
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
Honda Passport
- Electrical System — 168 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 166 complaints
- Engine — 121 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.
Honda Passport — avoid: 2019.
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 Honda Passport at about $40,800 — the Honda Passport is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 22.0 against 21.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Honda Passport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Ascent scores 70/100 against the Honda Passport'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 Subaru Ascent and Honda Passport years should I avoid?
Subaru Ascent: 2019, 2020. Honda Passport: 2019. 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 Honda Passport?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Ascent is Electrical System (289 complaints); on the Honda Passport it is Electrical System (168).
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Honda Passport cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Honda Passport at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.