Have you ever gone into a car dealership planning to buy the least reliable vehicle on the lot? Probably not. And why would you? After all, buying a new car costs a pretty penny. Fortunately, when it comes to shopping Subaru’s lineup, there are plenty of reliable options to choose from. 

How Consumer Reports rated this year’s new Subaru lineup

If you’re on the hunt for a new car, odds are you’re familiar with Consumer Reports. It offers some of the most extensive data out there, particularly when it comes to reliability ratings. That’s right. It’s not just a guessing game for Consumer Reports. Instead, Consumer Reports bases its predicted reliability ratings on information received from its latest subscriber surveys, which included information about 329,000 vehicles. Consumer Reports then breaks down its reliability ratings into 17 potential trouble spots, ranging from the vehicle’s engine and transmission to its power equipment and electrical system.

The 2021 Subaru Forester is a reliable SUV that earns high marks from Consumer Reports

As for this year’s new Subaru lineup? As we mentioned earlier, it offers plenty of reliable options to pick from. Among them is the 2021 Subaru Forester, which Consumer Reports gave a four out of five predicted reliability rating. While that’s certainly not a perfect score, it is pretty impressive and points to the Subaru Forester as being a reliable SUV.

As for the Subaru Forester’s most common trouble spots? According to Consumer Reports, there really aren’t that many. While previous model years struggled with things like body hardware and integrity, Consumer Reports predicts that the 2021 Subaru Forester’s most common trouble spots will be its power equipment and in-car electronics. 

The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek boasts better reliability ratings than last year’s model

The Forester isn’t the only reliable Subaru model among this year’s lineup, either. Consumer Reports also gave the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek a four out of five predicted reliability rating, which is a significant improvement over the 2020 model, which earned a paltry three out of five predicted reliability rating.

Much like the Subaru Forester, this year’s Crosstrek doesn’t have too many trouble spots to speak of. It’s seen improvements with previous trouble spots concerning its transmission, drive system, and paint. At this point, Consumer Reports predicts that its main trouble spots will have to do with its power equipment and in-car electronics. But all in all? The 2021 Subaru Crosstrek is another reliable option among this year’s lineup.

The rest of Subaru’s lineup earned surprisingly average reliability ratings

Subaru is known for a few things, and reliability is one of those things. Unfortunately for the automaker, not all of its vehicles earned high-reliability ratings. Instead, several Subaru models earned surprisingly average reliability ratings. While both the Subaru Forester and the Subaru Crosstrek earned a four out of five predicted reliability rating, models like the Subaru Outback were only able to manage a three out of five reliability rating. 

Does this mean you should buy a new Subaru?

If you’re after a reliable vehicle, you can’t go wrong with either the 2021 Subaru Forester or the Subaru Crosstrek. And if you aren’t sure which model is the best pick for you? Then you better get behind the wheel for a test drive.