Where each one leads
Ford C-Max
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2018 Ford C-Max uses 5.9 l/100 km, the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek 8.1.
Subaru Crosstrek
- Against cars of the same year, the Subaru Crosstrek comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 16% less often than average) than the Ford C-Max (fails 54% more often than average).
- Fewer Subaru Crosstrek cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (0.0% against 2.9%).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford C-Max | Subaru Crosstrek | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2008–2018 | 2012–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 595,442 (2010–2022) | — |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 102,686 | — |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 23,672 | 170 |
| In traffic in Finland | 2,972 | — |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford C-Max | Subaru Crosstrek | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 70% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +2% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 3.3% | 0.9% |
| … against cars of the same year | +54% | −16% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.9% | 0.0% |
| US owner complaints | 372 | 1,191 |
| Most complaints about | Electrical system | Visibility/wiper |
| Model year with most complaints | 2013 (187) | 2019 (285) |
| US recall campaigns | 12 | 14 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 575 | 2,881 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 7 | — |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| Ford C-Max | Subaru Crosstrek | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford C-Max | Subaru Crosstrek | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 5.9 l/100 km (2018) | 8.1 l/100 km (2026) |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 105 g/km | — |
| Average mass in running order | 1,403 kg | — |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €29,420 | €61,050 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 180,000 km | — |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).