Subaru Ascent vs Jeep Grand Cherokee L: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Grand Cherokee L is ahead of the Subaru Ascent on the federal record, 74/100 against 70/100 — 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)
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
- 5 model years scored
- 450 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 19 recall campaigns, 10 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (85/100) · worst 2022 (55/100)
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 Grand Cherokee L
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
Jeep Grand Cherokee L
- Electrical System — 151 complaints
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 106 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 59 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.
Jeep Grand Cherokee L: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2021, 2023, 2024, 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 Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at about $44,100 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Grand Cherokee L scores 74/100 against the Subaru Ascent's 70/100, 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L years should I avoid?
Subaru Ascent: 2019, 2020. Jeep Grand Cherokee L: 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Ascent is Electrical System (289 complaints); on the Jeep Grand Cherokee L it is Electrical System (151).
Is the Subaru Ascent or the Jeep Grand Cherokee L cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Ascent prices at about $44,100 and a Jeep Grand Cherokee L at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.