Subaru Forester vs Honda CR-V: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Forester is clearly ahead of the Honda CR-V on the federal record: 71/100 against 58/100 across every model year we score.
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)
Honda CR-V
- 15 model years scored
- 10,020 owner complaints on record
- about 122 complaints per year on the road
- 64 recall campaigns, 48 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (88/100) · worst 2019 (26/100)
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 CR-V
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.
| Year | Forester | CR-V | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 CAUTION | 43 AVOID | +13 |
| 2024 | 90 BUY | 42 AVOID | +48 |
| 2023 | 90 BUY | 39 AVOID | +51 |
| 2022 | 90 BUY | 75 BUY | +15 |
| 2021 | 83 BUY | 70 BUY | +13 |
| 2020 | 46 AVOID | 67 CAUTION | -21 |
| 2019 | 41 AVOID | 26 AVOID | +15 |
| 2018 | 63 CAUTION | 31 AVOID | +32 |
| 2017 | 65 CAUTION | 29 AVOID | +36 |
| 2016 | 76 BUY | 83 BUY | -7 |
| 2015 | 66 CAUTION | 78 BUY | -12 |
| 2014 | 84 BUY | 85 BUY | -1 |
| 2013 | 76 BUY | 86 BUY | -10 |
| 2012 | 75 BUY | 88 BUY | -13 |
| 2011 | 75 BUY | 72 BUY | +3 |
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Forester
- Visibility/Wiper — 986 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 747 complaints
- Electrical System — 707 complaints
Honda CR-V
- Engine — 1,923 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,369 complaints
- Steering — 1,366 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Forester's complaints concentrate in Visibility/Wiper, the CR-V's in Engine. 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.
Honda CR-V — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019, 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 Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Honda CR-V at about $30,500 — the Honda CR-V is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 29.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Forester or the Honda CR-V more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Forester scores 71/100 against the Honda CR-V's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Subaru Forester carries about 52 complaints per year on the road against 122 for the Honda CR-V.
Which Subaru Forester and Honda CR-V years should I avoid?
Subaru Forester: 2019, 2020. Honda CR-V: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025. 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 Honda CR-V?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Forester is Visibility/Wiper (986 complaints); on the Honda CR-V it is Engine (1,923).
Is the Subaru Forester or the Honda CR-V cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Honda CR-V at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.