What is the best year for a Subaru Outback?

The 2023 Outback is the strongest used pick — 84 complaints, 10/10 NHTSA safety score, 9 severe issues. Strongly avoid 2018-2020, which generated 799, 1,025, and 889 complaints respectively, driven by widespread oil consumption and EyeSight system issues. The 2021-2022 range remained elevated. 2023 marks the clear turning point.

How much does Subaru Outback insurance cost?

Outback insurance averages about $1,964/year — roughly $164/month. One of the lower insurance rates in the compact class despite above-average maintenance costs.

Is the Subaru Outback or Honda Passport cheaper to maintain?

The Honda Passport is $86/year cheaper — $521 versus $607 for the Outback. The Passport also has a higher reliability score (8 vs. 7) and lower repair frequency (28% vs. 37%). The Outback's differentiators are its standard AWD and wagon body style, which are meaningful depending on use case.

Should I buy an extended warranty for a Subaru Outback?

The 2018-2020 generation's documented complaint history makes extended warranty strongly recommended for those model years. Major repair probability of 12% and repair frequency of 37% are both above compact class averages. For 2023 and newer, the profile improves considerably — but the Outback's overall cost premium makes a repair fund or warranty worth planning for.

Is the Honda Passport expensive to maintain?

The Passport costs $521/year to maintain — $52 below the midsize segment average of $573. Repair frequency of 28% is well below the class average of 40%, and major repair probability of 11% is well below the 13% norm. Combined with a reliability score of 8 above the segment average of 7, the Passport is one of the better ownership-cost propositions in the midsize class.

What is the best year for a Honda Passport?

The 2024 Passport (15 complaints, 10/10 safety, 2 severe) is the strongest year on record. The 2022-2024 window is consistently clean. Avoid 2019 — the launch year logged 266 complaints. The model has improved steadily since, with 2020 settling to 86 and the downward trend continuing through 2024.

How much does Honda Passport insurance cost?

Passport insurance averages around $2,489/year — roughly $207/month.

Is the Honda Passport or Jeep Grand Cherokee cheaper to maintain?

The Passport is cheaper to maintain by $145/year — $521 versus $666 for the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Passport also has a higher reliability score (8 vs. 7), lower major repair probability (11% vs. 13%), and lower repair frequency (28% vs. 30%). The Passport is the better value across all maintenance metrics.

Should I buy an extended warranty for a Honda Passport?

Major repair probability of 11% and repair frequency of 28% are both well below midsize segment averages. Extended warranty isn't strongly warranted — self-insuring makes more financial sense for most buyers.

Subaru Outback vs Honda Passport

Two compact SUVs compared on the numbers that matter — maintenance cost, reliability, and insurance.

// VERDICT

Our verdict

Buy the Subaru Outback if its specific features or size suit your needs better.

Buy the Honda Passport — lower 5-year cost and better reliability.

// COST HEAD TO HEAD

Maintenance and ownership cost

	Subaru Outback	Honda Passport
Annual maintenance	$607	$521winner
5-year total cost	$3,035	$2,605winner
Reliability score	7 / 10	8 / 10winner
Major repair risk (5yr)	12%	11%winner
Cargo space	—	—
Starting price (new)	$34,995winner	$44,950
Best years to buy	—	—

// RELIABILITY

Which is more reliable?

	Subaru Outback	Honda Passport
RepairPal score	7 / 10	8 / 10winner
NHTSA complaints / 100k	287.6	194.7winner
Years to avoid	2018, 2019, 2020	2019, 2023, 2024
Value retained · 3 yr	79.2%winner	75.8%
Value retained · 5 yr	61.4%winner	58.8%
Value retained · 7 yr	48.8%	49.3%winner

// COMMON PROBLEMS

What breaks — and what it costs

	Subaru Outback	Honda Passport
Engine	8.1%winner	14.8%
Electrical	18.7%	13.5%winner
ADAS	7.0%winner	26.9%
Brakes	4.0%winner	6.1%
Steering	3.6%	1.9%winner
Fuel system	1.3%winner	6.7%
Tires/Wheels	1.0%winner	3.6%
Glass/Windows	26.3%	2.9%winner
Airbags	5.4%	1.9%winner
Lighting	3.3%	1.2%winner

One major repair on either model can run $1,500–4,000. A warranty caps your exposure, especially on known problem years.

// INSURANCE

Which is cheaper to insure?

	Subaru Outback	Honda Passport
Avg annual premium	$1,964winner	$2,489

// FULL MODEL PAGES

GAS

Subaru Outback

$607/yr maint · 7 reliability

Full model page

GAS

Honda Passport

$521/yr maint · 8 reliability

Full model page

// FAQ

Common questions

The Outback costs $607/year to maintain — $86 above the compact segment average of $521. Repair frequency of 37% is above the class average of 30%. Reliability score of 7 is below the class average of 8. Major repair probability of 12% is slightly above the 11% norm. Above-average cost and repair profile across all metrics.

How we calculated this. Maintenance costs and reliability scores from RepairPal. Complaints and recalls from NHTSA. Fuel economy from the EPA. Insurance averages from CarEdge. Pricing from KBB. Depreciation from iSeeCars. Full methodology →