Whether you plan to do a bit of off-roading or you’re after an impressive level of luxury, you may be thinking about buying a Subaru. Before you make that decision, you have to consider Subaru’s reliability.
How reliable are Subaru vehicles?
The 2020 lineup of Subaru vehicles has numerous positive reviews from both owners and experts, including these awards:
- IIHS Top Safety Pick
- Best Overall Brand award from Kelley Blue Book
To help you make decisions about which vehicle to buy, we’ll take a closer look at other factors that may shed light on Subaru reliability. That includes info from owners, experts, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Top Subaru Vehicle Models
Subaru offers a wide range of model options for consumers to choose from for the 2020 lineup. Here’s a look at Subaru reliability through some of those.
Subaru Forester
The Subaru Forester is a compact SUV. The manufacturer has produced it since 1997 with good success. That may be because it has a reliable powertrain and attractive, easy-to-maintain structure. With a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, it gets 182 horsepower.
The vehicle has won some awards, including the Top Safety Pick from the IIHS for the 2020 model. It also received a few awards from J.D. Power. That includes the Quality Award winner and Performance Award winner, though these are on older models.
At Vehicle History, we gather insight from owners and experts. Owners for the Forester report a 4.75 out of 5 stars. About 80 percent of those reviews were full five-star ratings. Experts gave it a 4.6 rating.
Some had concerns about the CVT transmission in this vehicle. Others noted concerns with the need for repairs early on. Most were thrilled with the reliability of this car.
The NHTSA gave the 2020 model a 5-star safety rating. There are no recalls on this vehicle as of November of 2020. However, there are consumer complaints that are hard to ignore – 109 of them as of this time, in fact.
Common complaints include visibility and steering concerns. Some people reported problems with the electronic stability control on these vehicles. Others had concerns with the overall electrical system, wheels, and air bags.
Subaru Crosstrek
Designed to be an impressive vehicle, this compact SUV has a lot of features that are hard to overlook, including 1500-pound towing capacity. When it comes to dependability, it’s solid across all trim options with decent fuel economy.
First produced in 2012, the Subaru Crosstek hasn’t won any dependability awards. Earlier models (from 2013 through 2015) had a number of transmission problems due to the CTV models in these vehicles. A class-action lawsuit didn’t help.
The 2020 Crosstrek received solid reviews by customers at Vehicle History. A solid 82% of owners gave it a 5-star rating across the board. They gave it 4.78 stars out of 5. Our experts gave it a 4.60.
The negative marks come down to performance – less power than expected or a powertrain that seems to wear easily. It’s comfortable with reliable features inside and out but may not wear as well as other models.
Subaru Outback
The Subaru Outback is a moderately sized SUV with 7 trim options to select from based on both performance upgrades and features. The Outback is a long-running vehicle from Subaru having been in production since 1994.
The 2020 model is the start of the sixth generation. Key features include a 2.5 L or a turbocharged 2.4 L engine, a step up from previous model years.
This vehicle has had a few awards given to it over the years. That includes the 2020 IIHS Top Safety Pick, which gives you confidence in its reliability from that standpoint. Also notable, it was given the Best Resale Value in its class for 2020 from Kelley Blue Book.
Experian gave the vehicle the Built to Last award, which states that 97 percent of these vehicles sold in the last 10 years are still on the road now.
What about Vehicle History owners and experts? Our owners give this vehicle a 4.69 out of 5 stars. Our experts gave it slightly better at 4.6. Noted concerns include gas mileage and problems with the CID system not lasting.
The NHTSA gave this vehicle a 5-star safety rating, which parallels the notes from IIHS. However, the 2020 model has a number of other concerns, including a recall on the brake pedal mounting bracket bolt which is missing or loose.
More importantly, consumers have a number of concerns reporting a total of 210 complaints at NHTSA as of November of 2020. Concerns related to the electrical system, steering, and breaks are most notable. The engine, fuel system, and air bags are others.
Subaru Impreza
The Impreza is a compact vehicle that’s Subaru has produced since 1992. It’s built to last. The 2019 iSeeCars study noted that, over five years, the Impreza is one of the lowest-depreciating cars in the country. What about Subaru reliability, though?
The 2021 model offers nice features, too, including all-wheel drive and a nice touchscreen interface. It’s also an affordable vehicle priced under $20,000 MSRP. The vehicle has some lower-end features that drop the value, though.
The 2021 model received a Top Safety Pick award from IIHS for its EyeSight and Steering Responsive Headlights. It also has the highest possible rating for front crash prevention from IIHS. Kelley Blue Book also noted it as the Best Resale Value for its class in 2020.
Owners report this vehicle has good overall features at Vehicle History. It received 4.6 out of 5 stars. Our expert reviews dropped this vehicle to 4.30. Both reviews don’t relate much to repairs or reliability, but rather to the lower end features on the cars.
As for NHTSA, the organization gave the car a 5-star rating for safety. It’s solid across the board in that way. The 2020 doesn’t have any recalls as of right now. It also has few customer complaints. Those noted relate to the windshield.
Is Subaru Reliability Good Enough for You?
Overall, Subaru is recognized for a combination of good features and affordability. While some models have some concerns with repair needs, the company seems responsive to making it better as needed.
As for your decisions, make sure to check out the vehicle you hope to buy using the make, model, and year on Vehicle History. That gives you a full look at what you can expect from other owners.
