Subaru Outback vs Toyota RAV4: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Outback and the Toyota RAV4 are level on the federal record — 68/100 against 65/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Subaru Outback
- 13 model years scored
- 6,232 owner complaints on record
- about 72 complaints per year on the road
- 57 recall campaigns, 34 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2020 (35/100)
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: Outback 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 | Outback | RAV4 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 BUY | 52 CAUTION | +27 |
| 2024 | 93 BUY | 46 AVOID | +47 |
| 2023 | 88 BUY | 69 CAUTION | +19 |
| 2022 | 56 CAUTION | — | — |
| 2021 | 78 BUY | 53 CAUTION | +25 |
| 2020 | 35 AVOID | 32 AVOID | +3 |
| 2019 | 41 AVOID | 35 AVOID | +6 |
| 2018 | 60 CAUTION | 76 BUY | -16 |
| 2017 | 56 CAUTION | 81 BUY | -25 |
| 2016 | 74 BUY | 84 BUY | -10 |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | 82 BUY | +0 |
| 2014 | 72 BUY | 84 BUY | -12 |
| 2013 | 72 BUY | 88 BUY | -16 |
| 2012 | — | 81 BUY | — |
| 2011 | — | 75 BUY | — |
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Outback
- Electrical System — 1,898 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 1,659 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,128 complaints
Toyota RAV4
- Electrical System — 907 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 814 complaints
- Engine — 718 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 Outback — 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 Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Toyota RAV4 at about $30,500 — the Toyota RAV4 is roughly $13,600 less, and they return 28.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Outback or the Toyota RAV4 more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Outback scores 68/100 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 Outback and Toyota RAV4 years should I avoid?
Subaru Outback: 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 Outback and the Toyota RAV4?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Outback is Electrical System (1,898 complaints); on the Toyota RAV4 it is Electrical System (907).
Is the Subaru Outback or the Toyota RAV4 cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Toyota RAV4 at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.