Subaru Outback vs Volkswagen Tiguan: which is more reliable?
The Volkswagen Tiguan is ahead of the Subaru Outback on the federal record, 74/100 against 68/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
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)
Volkswagen Tiguan
- 15 model years scored
- 1,977 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 24 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (89/100) · worst 2022 (40/100)
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 Tiguan
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 | Tiguan | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 79 BUY | 56 CAUTION | +23 |
| 2024 | 93 BUY | 72 BUY | +21 |
| 2023 | 88 BUY | 83 BUY | +5 |
| 2022 | 56 CAUTION | 40 AVOID | +16 |
| 2021 | 78 BUY | 73 BUY | +5 |
| 2020 | 35 AVOID | 78 BUY | -43 |
| 2019 | 41 AVOID | 72 BUY | -31 |
| 2018 | 60 CAUTION | 48 AVOID | +12 |
| 2017 | 56 CAUTION | 86 BUY | -30 |
| 2016 | 74 BUY | 89 BUY | -15 |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | 87 BUY | -5 |
| 2014 | 72 BUY | 87 BUY | -15 |
| 2013 | 72 BUY | 86 BUY | -14 |
| 2012 | — | 86 BUY | — |
| 2011 | — | 84 BUY | — |
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Outback
- Electrical System — 1,898 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 1,659 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 1,128 complaints
Volkswagen Tiguan
- Engine — 548 complaints
- Electrical System — 457 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 364 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Outback's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Tiguan'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 Outback — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Volkswagen Tiguan — avoid: 2018, 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 Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Volkswagen Tiguan at about $30,400 — the Volkswagen Tiguan is roughly $13,700 less, and they return 28.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Outback or the Volkswagen Tiguan more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Volkswagen Tiguan scores 74/100 against the Subaru Outback's 68/100, 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 Volkswagen Tiguan years should I avoid?
Subaru Outback: 2019, 2020. Volkswagen Tiguan: 2018, 2022. 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 Volkswagen Tiguan?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Outback is Electrical System (1,898 complaints); on the Volkswagen Tiguan it is Engine (548).
Is the Subaru Outback or the Volkswagen Tiguan cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Outback prices at about $44,100 and a Volkswagen Tiguan at about $30,400, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.