Toyota RAV4 vs Jeep Compass: which is more reliable?
The Jeep Compass is ahead of the Toyota RAV4 on the federal record, 75/100 against 65/100 — 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)
Jeep Compass
- 13 model years scored
- 2,944 owner complaints on record
- about 34 complaints per year on the road
- 26 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (92/100) · worst 2018 (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: RAV4 against Compass
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 | Compass | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52 CAUTION | 85 BUY | -33 |
| 2024 | 46 AVOID | 84 BUY | -38 |
| 2023 | 69 CAUTION | 87 BUY | -18 |
| 2022 | — | 47 AVOID | — |
| 2021 | 53 CAUTION | 92 BUY | -39 |
| 2020 | 32 AVOID | 85 BUY | -53 |
| 2019 | 35 AVOID | 58 CAUTION | -23 |
| 2018 | 76 BUY | 32 AVOID | +44 |
| 2017 | 81 BUY | 78 BUY | +3 |
| 2016 | 84 BUY | 79 BUY | +5 |
| 2015 | 82 BUY | 90 BUY | -8 |
| 2014 | 84 BUY | 80 BUY | +4 |
| 2013 | 88 BUY | — | — |
| 2012 | 81 BUY | — | — |
| 2011 | 75 BUY | 84 BUY | -9 |
What owners actually complain about
Toyota RAV4
- Electrical System — 907 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 814 complaints
- Engine — 718 complaints
Jeep Compass
- Engine — 1,135 complaints
- Electrical System — 981 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 586 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the RAV4's complaints concentrate in Electrical System, the Compass'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.
Jeep Compass — 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 Toyota RAV4 prices at about $30,500 and a Jeep Compass at about $32,900 — the Toyota RAV4 is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 30.0 against 27.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Toyota RAV4 or the Jeep Compass more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Jeep Compass scores 75/100 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 Toyota RAV4 and Jeep Compass years should I avoid?
Toyota RAV4: 2019, 2020, 2024. Jeep Compass: 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 Toyota RAV4 and the Jeep Compass?
The largest complaint group on the Toyota RAV4 is Electrical System (907 complaints); on the Jeep Compass it is Engine (1,135).
Is the Toyota RAV4 or the Jeep Compass cheaper to own?
A recent used Toyota RAV4 prices at about $30,500 and a Jeep Compass at about $32,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.