Subaru Outback vs Toyota Highlander
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 Toyota Highlander — lower 5-year cost and better reliability.
// COST HEAD TO HEAD
Maintenance and ownership cost
| Subaru Outback | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual maintenance | $607 | $489winner |
| 5-year total cost | $3,035 | $2,445winner |
| Reliability score | 7 / 10 | 8 / 10winner |
| Major repair risk (5yr) | 12%winner | 13% |
| Cargo space | — | — |
| Starting price (new) | $34,995winner | $45,870 |
| Best years to buy | — | — |
// RELIABILITY
Which is more reliable?
| Subaru Outback | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| RepairPal score | 7 / 10 | 8 / 10winner |
| NHTSA complaints / 100k | 287.6 | 0winner |
| Years to avoid | 2018, 2019, 2020 | None identified |
| Value retained · 3 yr | 79.2% | 83.6%winner |
| Value retained · 5 yr | 61.4% | 63.7%winner |
| Value retained · 7 yr | 48.8% | 51.5%winner |
// COMMON PROBLEMS
What breaks — and what it costs
| Subaru Outback | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 8.1% | —winner |
| Electrical | 18.7% | —winner |
| ADAS | 7.0% | —winner |
| Brakes | 4.0% | —winner |
| Steering | 3.6% | —winner |
| Fuel system | 1.3% | —winner |
| Tires/Wheels | 1.0% | —winner |
| Glass/Windows | 26.3% | —winner |
| Airbags | 5.4% | —winner |
| Lighting | 3.3% | —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 | Toyota Highlander | |
|---|---|---|
| Avg annual premium | $1,964winner | $2,401 |
// FULL MODEL PAGES
// 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 →