vs
CVT transmission OEM Subaru or OEM Toyota
Reviews
I have a Toyota Ractis with a CVT on 200k - they're just as reliable as any other transmission. Toyota CVTs are generally very solid. The Ractis is a pretty mediocre driving experience but I think that's more down to the gutless engine than the CVT.
Pros: very solid, reliable
Cons: mediocre driving experience
Vehicle:
Toyota Ractis
Mileage: 200000 km
My 2018 corolla lasted for 160k miles with zero issues before a truck crashed into me. CVT never let me down.
Pros: zero issues, never let down
Vehicle:
Toyota Corolla
Mileage: 257495 km
I used to be a Toyota tech and it was very rare for them to fail, except for the CH-R (which in my opinion is one of the worst Toyotas you can buy). Only ones I saw fail besides those were on very few Corollas with the direct shift CVT. And when I say very few I mean maybe 2-3 per year. The previous gen CVT was basically bulletproof. They are NOWHERE NEAR as bad as Nissans JATCO transmissions.
Pros: very rare to fail, previous gen bulletproof
Cons: CH-R failures, few direct shift CVT failures
Vehicle:
Toyota Corolla
Been dealing with Toyota's CVT's since the first 2014 Corolla.
Overall they've been extremely reliable with basic maintenance. I've changed Corolla CVT's two under warranty, one at 80,000 KM because the torque convertor seal was leaking and Toyota didn't offer a replacement at the time so it got an entirely new CVT instead. The second was last year, it hadn't been to a dealer in a decade, hadn't had a Limited Service Campaign (LSC) done nor had it ever had the fluid changed. At 220,000 KM I replaced it under warranty because it had failed likely due to not having the LSC done combined with the original fluid.
I've done a few CH-R CVT's under warranty, the Turkey built ones in particular have been problems and there is a Warranty Enhancement Program for them.
However overall Toyota's various CVT's have held up quite well.
Pros: extremely reliable, held up well
Cons: torque converter seal leaking, failed due to lack of maintenance, problems with Turkey built ones
Vehicle:
Toyota Corolla
Mileage: 80000 km
My CVT in my ‘17 Corolla iM is at 95,000 miles. Super solid.
Pros: super solid
Vehicle:
Toyota Corolla
Mileage: 152888 km
I got a CVT. Fell in love more with cars and Subarus after owing one. Am too deep into mods and $ to sell it as it’ll be at a loss. I 110% agree manual provides a better drive and exp and regret my CVT however that being said.. I absolutely love my fkn car. Got all sorts of mods, safe with a safe dyno tune and dialed suspension etc. As my daily, it’s been the best car I’ve had so far. People shit on the auto which I can understand if you were around from the older gen times but the VA CVT still packs a punch and is super fun to drive especially on the twistys!
Pros: packs a punch, fun to drive, best daily car
Cons: regret CVT, manual better drive
Vehicle:
Subaru
I got a cvt wrx after a bad knee injury, it never felt right driving it. Eventually i brought it back to the dealer because I thought something was wrong with it. They checked it out and said it was fine. As soon as my knee was fully healed I traded it in for an sti. I still have the sti and an outback wilderness. The wilderness is definitely better then the cvt in the wrx but still feels like driving a rubber band. It's weird ive also owned a forester and crosstrek and those were fine. I just think the cvt doesn't play well with the turbo motor
Pros: Outback CVT better
Cons: never felt right, like driving rubber band, doesn't play well with turbo
Vehicle:
Subaru
Got the VB limited with CVT because my wife didn’t like having a second car she couldn’t drive. After 3 months and her driving it not even once….. I traded it in when the 0% interest hit. Waste of about $1k but was happy being out of the CVT.
Cons: unhappy with CVT, traded car
Vehicle:
Subaru
Mine gave out at 67k on my chr. It was gonna be 12k but I had a warranty
Cons: gave out
Vehicle:
Toyota
Mileage: 67000 km
I’m driving my 9th Toyota (a 2018 Camry SE) and I work for Toyota. I’m NOT happy that Toyota decided to make Camry a hybrid ONLY car with CVT transmission. NOT HAPPY! I want POWER and I want a transmission that can deliver it to the wheels… ALL OF IT, without having to worry about tearing it up! CVT transmissions are NOT reliable and they don’t last!
Very disappointed!
Cons: not reliable, doesn't last, disappointed
Vehicle:
Toyota Camry
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Which cvt transmission to choose — OEM Subaru or OEM Toyota?
If choosing cvt transmission across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare cvt transmission across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which cvt transmission are better — OEM Toyota or OEM Subaru?
In March 2026 on PartReview, cvt transmission OEM Toyota were overall better than OEM Subaru.
- OEM Subaru received a PR Score of 29 out of 100, and OEM Toyota scored 86 points.
- OEM Subaru ranked 3 in the overall ranking, and OEM Toyota ranked 1.
- The average rating is higher for OEM Toyota (4.2) than for OEM Subaru (2.3).
-
CVT transmission OEM Toyota have better feature ratings than OEM Subaru:
- Noise - owners believe, that by this property OEM Subaru does not differ from OEM Toyota.
- Smoothness - drivers claim, that this property for OEM Toyota is outperforms OEM Subaru.
- Shudder - reviews suggest, that this property for OEM Toyota is preferred to OEM Subaru.
Which cvt transmission are more popular — OEM Subaru or OEM Toyota?
In March 2026 on PartReview, cvt transmission OEM Toyota were overall more popular than OEM Subaru.
By vote balance, cvt transmission OEM Toyota surpassed OEM Subaru:
- For OEM Subaru, the ratio of positive (13) to negative (31) votes is -18 votes.
- For OEM Toyota, the ratio of positive (50) to negative (8) votes is 42 votes.
By number of reviews, cvt transmission OEM Toyota surpassed OEM Subaru:
- For cvt transmission OEM Subaru there are 14 reviews: 3 positive, 2 neutral, 9 negative.
- For cvt transmission OEM Toyota there are 19 reviews: 16 positive, 1 neutral, 2 negative.
Which cvt transmission do car owners prefer — OEM Subaru or OEM Toyota?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, cvt transmission OEM Subaru and OEM Toyota have not taken top places in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding your review about these manufacturers.
Other comparisons of cvt transmission
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of cvt transmission OEM Subaru with: OEM Nissan, OEM Honda.
Also available: comparisons of cvt transmission OEM Toyota with: OEM Nissan, OEM Honda.
You can also see who is better among other cvt transmission manufacturers: OEM Honda or OEM Nissan, OEM Nissan or OEM Toyota, OEM Honda or OEM Toyota, OEM Subaru or OEM Nissan, OEM Honda or OEM Subaru.