Subaru Forester vs Toyota RAV4: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Forester is ahead of the Toyota RAV4 on the federal record, 71/100 against 65/100 — 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)
Toyota RAV4
- 14 model years scored
- 4,499 owner complaints on record
- about 58 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 26 safety-critical
- best year 2013 (88/100) · worst 2020 (32/100)
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 RAV4
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 | RAV4 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 56 CAUTION | 52 CAUTION | +4 |
| 2024 | 90 BUY | 46 AVOID | +44 |
| 2023 | 90 BUY | 69 CAUTION | +21 |
| 2022 | 90 BUY | — | — |
| 2021 | 83 BUY | 53 CAUTION | +30 |
| 2020 | 46 AVOID | 32 AVOID | +14 |
| 2019 | 41 AVOID | 35 AVOID | +6 |
| 2018 | 63 CAUTION | 76 BUY | -13 |
| 2017 | 65 CAUTION | 81 BUY | -16 |
| 2016 | 76 BUY | 84 BUY | -8 |
| 2015 | 66 CAUTION | 82 BUY | -16 |
| 2014 | 84 BUY | 84 BUY | +0 |
| 2013 | 76 BUY | 88 BUY | -12 |
| 2012 | 75 BUY | 81 BUY | -6 |
| 2011 | 75 BUY | 75 BUY | +0 |
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Forester
- Visibility/Wiper — 986 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 747 complaints
- Electrical System — 707 complaints
Toyota RAV4
- Electrical System — 907 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 814 complaints
- Engine — 718 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Forester's complaints concentrate in Visibility/Wiper, the RAV4's in Electrical System. 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.
Toyota RAV4 — avoid: 2019, 2020, 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 Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Toyota RAV4 at about $30,500 — the Toyota RAV4 is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 29.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Forester or the Toyota RAV4 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Forester scores 71/100 against the Toyota RAV4's 65/100, 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 Toyota RAV4 years should I avoid?
Subaru Forester: 2019, 2020. Toyota RAV4: 2019, 2020, 2024. 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 Toyota RAV4?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Forester is Visibility/Wiper (986 complaints); on the Toyota RAV4 it is Electrical System (907).
Is the Subaru Forester or the Toyota RAV4 cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Toyota RAV4 at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.