Subaru Forester vs Ford EcoSport: which is more reliable?
The Ford EcoSport is ahead of the Subaru Forester on the federal record, 81/100 against 71/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Subaru Forester
- 15 model years scored
- 4,756 owner complaints on record
- about 52 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 44 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (90/100) · worst 2019 (41/100)
Ford EcoSport
- 5 model years scored
- 1,840 owner complaints on record
- about 55 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 1 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (93/100) · worst 2018 (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: Forester against EcoSport
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 Forester
- Visibility/Wiper — 986 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 747 complaints
- Electrical System — 707 complaints
Ford EcoSport
- Engine And Engine Cooling — 839 complaints
- Engine — 795 complaints
- Power Train — 217 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Forester's complaints concentrate in Visibility/Wiper, the EcoSport's in Engine And Engine Cooling. 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
Subaru Forester — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Ford EcoSport: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022.
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 Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Ford EcoSport at about $23,700 — the Ford EcoSport is roughly $9,200 less, and they return 29.0 against 25.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Forester or the Ford EcoSport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Ford EcoSport scores 81/100 against the Subaru Forester's 71/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Subaru Forester and Ford EcoSport years should I avoid?
Subaru Forester: 2019, 2020. Ford EcoSport: 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 Forester and the Ford EcoSport?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Forester is Visibility/Wiper (986 complaints); on the Ford EcoSport it is Engine And Engine Cooling (839).
Is the Subaru Forester or the Ford EcoSport cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Ford EcoSport at about $23,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.