Toyota RAV4 vs Honda CR-V: which is more reliable?
The Toyota RAV4 is ahead of the Honda CR-V on the federal record, 65/100 against 58/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
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)
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: RAV4 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 | RAV4 | CR-V | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52 CAUTION | 43 AVOID | +9 |
| 2024 | 46 AVOID | 42 AVOID | +4 |
| 2023 | 69 CAUTION | 39 AVOID | +30 |
| 2022 | — | 75 BUY | — |
| 2021 | 53 CAUTION | 70 BUY | -17 |
| 2020 | 32 AVOID | 67 CAUTION | -35 |
| 2019 | 35 AVOID | 26 AVOID | +9 |
| 2018 | 76 BUY | 31 AVOID | +45 |
| 2017 | 81 BUY | 29 AVOID | +52 |
| 2016 | 84 BUY | 83 BUY | +1 |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | 78 BUY | +4 |
| 2014 | 84 BUY | 85 BUY | -1 |
| 2013 | 88 BUY | 86 BUY | +2 |
| 2012 | 81 BUY | 88 BUY | -7 |
| 2011 | 75 BUY | 72 BUY | +3 |
What owners actually complain about
Toyota RAV4
- Electrical System — 907 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 814 complaints
- Engine — 718 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 RAV4's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, 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
Toyota RAV4 — avoid: 2019, 2020, 2024.
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 Toyota RAV4 prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 30.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota RAV4 or the Honda CR-V more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Toyota RAV4 scores 65/100 against the Honda CR-V's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V years should I avoid?
Toyota RAV4: 2019, 2020, 2024. 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 Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota RAV4 is Electrical System (907 complaints); on the Honda CR-V it is Engine (1,923).
Is the Toyota RAV4 or the Honda CR-V cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota RAV4 prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.