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Toyota RAV4 vs Ford Escape

Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold

The short answer

Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Toyota RAV4 drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 110 per 100,000 against 563 for the Ford Escape, or 80% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2016 and 2022 for the RAV4 and 2019 and 2021 for the Escape.

2020 Toyota Rav4 XLE, Front Left, 09-30-2020

Toyota RAV4

Complaints per 100k sold110
Recalls since 201234
Average crash rating4.8 of 5
'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24
Best2016, 2022
Avoid2019
2020 Ford Escape SEL EcoBoost AWD, front 11.22.19

Ford Escape

Complaints per 100k sold563
Recalls since 201274
Average crash rating4.5 of 5
'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24
Best2019, 2021
Avoid2013, 2014, 2017, 2020

By age group

Model yearsRAV4EscapeFewer problems
Older (2012 to 2015)107565RAV4
Middle (2016 to 2018)78643RAV4
Newer (2019 to 2022)133457RAV4

Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.

Year by year

YearRAV4Escape
2012155237
2013120931
201477683
201597371
201673386
201779876
201881670
2019203249
20201511,031
2021125265
202244282
2023Too newToo new
2024Too newToo new

Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.

Most reported problems

Questions

Is the RAV4 or Escape more reliable?

Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Toyota RAV4 drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 110 per 100,000 against 563 for the Ford Escape, or 80% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2016 and 2022 for the RAV4 and 2019 and 2021 for the Escape.

Which RAV4 and Escape years should I avoid?

For the RAV4: 2019. For the Escape: 2013, 2014, 2017, 2020.

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