Which has fewer complaints, the Highlander or the CR-V?

Across 21 and 21 model years respectively, NHTSA has 4,713 complaints on file for the Toyota Highlander (about 224 per model year) and 13,685 for the Honda CR-V (about 652 per model year). NHTSA publishes no sales data, so these totals are not adjusted for how many of each were sold.

What is the best year for the Highlander and the CR-V?

The 2025 Toyota Highlander has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years. The 2006 Honda CR-V has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years.

Which gets better gas mileage, the Highlander or the CR-V?

Averaged across model years, EPA combined MPG is 21.4 for the Toyota Highlander and 26.9 for the Honda CR-V. Individual years and hybrid variants differ; see each year page.

Toyota Highlander vs Honda CR-V: Which Years to Avoid

Toyota Highlander: years to avoid 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, best years 2007, 2014, 2016, 2024, and 2025 (4,713 NHTSA complaints, 47 recalls). Honda CR-V: years to avoid 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025, best years 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, and 2022 (13,685 complaints, 52 recalls). Counts are not normalized for sales volume, so compare patterns within each model rather than totals across them.

Head to head

Toyota Highlander

Model years: 2005–2025 (21)
NHTSA complaints: 4,713
Per model year: 224
Recall campaigns: 47
Years to avoid: 2008, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
Best years: 2007, 2014, 2016, 2024, 2025
Top problem area: Transmission & Powertrain
Avg. EPA combined MPG: 21.4
Avg. NHTSA overall rating: 4.8 ★

Honda CR-V

Model years: 2005–2025 (21)
NHTSA complaints: 13,685
Per model year: 652
Recall campaigns: 52
Years to avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025
Best years: 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2022
Top problem area: Engine
Avg. EPA combined MPG: 26.9
Avg. NHTSA overall rating: 4.9 ★

Year by year

Complaint Index is relative within each model (0 = that model’s best year, 100 = its worst). Complaints and recalls are raw counts.

Year	Highlander				CR-V
Year	Verdict	Complaints	Recalls	MPG	Verdict	Complaints	Recalls	MPG
2005	Good	224	6	20	Best	479	12	22
2006	Caution	277	7	19.5	Best	398	12	22
2007	Best	123	4	19.5	Caution	887	12	22.5
2008	Avoid	404	11	19.5	Caution	961	11	22.5
2009	Good	134	9	20	Good	386	12	22.5
2010	Caution	216	10	20	Good	481	15	23.5
2011	Good	181	5	20	Good	553	13	23.5
2012	Good	182	2	20	Best	403	3	25.5
2013	Good	207	3	20	Best	382	2	25.5
2014	Best	135	4	21	Caution	587	1	25.5
2015	Caution	192	1	21	Caution	670	3	28.5
2016	Best	110	2	21	Good	393	3	28
2017	Caution	267	3	22.5	Avoid	1,768	7	28.5
2018	Caution	265	4	22.5	Avoid	2,141	5	28.5
2019	Avoid	482	3	22.5	Avoid	1,099	8	28.5
2020	Avoid	315	4	23	Caution	353	7	29.5
2021	Avoid	517	4	23	Good	330	4	29.5
2022	Avoid	249	5	23	Best	259	3	29.5
2023	Avoid	181	9	24	Avoid	515	3	29.5
2024	Best	42	7	24	Avoid	392	2	33.5
2025	Best	10	4	24	Avoid	248	1	37

Complaint Index by year

Frequently asked questions

Which has fewer complaints, the Highlander or the CR-V?: Across 21 and 21 model years respectively, NHTSA has 4,713 complaints on file for the Toyota Highlander (about 224 per model year) and 13,685 for the Honda CR-V (about 652 per model year). NHTSA publishes no sales data, so these totals are not adjusted for how many of each were sold.
What is the best year for the Highlander and the CR-V?: The 2025 Toyota Highlander has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years. The 2006 Honda CR-V has the lowest Complaint Index of its model years.
Which gets better gas mileage, the Highlander or the CR-V?: Averaged across model years, EPA combined MPG is 21.4 for the Toyota Highlander and 26.9 for the Honda CR-V. Individual years and hybrid variants differ; see each year page.