Compare the2026 Ford Bronco SportVS 2026 Jeep Compass

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Compass doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ford Bronco Sport achieved an “Acceptable” rating for its forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Jeep Compass which scored only a “Marginal” in these critical safety features.

The Bronco Sport has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Compass doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Bronco Sport (except Big Bend/Heritage) offers optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Compass doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Bronco Sport and Compass have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Bronco Sport has rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Compass’ Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Bronco Sport and the Compass have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Bronco Sport	Compass
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	140	196
Neck Injury Risk	26%	41%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	445 lbs.
Neck Compression	29 lbs.	38 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	123/237 lbs.	326/489 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	153	172
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.8 inches
Neck Stress	177 lbs.	235 lbs.
Neck Compression	54 lbs.	92 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	385/291 lbs.	299/387 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Jeep Compass:

	Bronco Sport	Compass
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	80	102
Hip Force	205 lbs.	335 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	689 lbs.	928 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	255	355
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	512 lbs.	663 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Ford Bronco Sport is safer than the Compass:

	Bronco Sport	Compass
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	184	189
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.98 in	1.02 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis Force	1383 lbs.	1517 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	142	202
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.77 in	2.13 in
Shoulder Force	312 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.34 in	1.77 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	14 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Bronco Sport, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 3% less likely to roll over than the Compass, which received a three-star rating.

Warranty

There are over 19 percent more Ford dealers than there are Jeep dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Bronco Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Compass doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Bronco Sport’s reliability 22 points higher than the Compass.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport third among small suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Compass isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Jeep With 67 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Ford higher than Jeep.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 13 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

Engine

The Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 50 more horsepower (250 vs. 200) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 221) than the Compass’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Bronco Sport Badlands 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Jeep Compass:

	Bronco Sport	Compass
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17.3 sec	20.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.5 sec	7.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.3 sec	4.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.3 sec	5.4 sec
Quarter Mile	14.5 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	125 MPH	118 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport with its standard engine gets better fuel mileage than the Compass (25 city/30 hwy vs. 23 city/31 hwy).

The Bronco Sport has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Compass (16 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

The Bronco Sport stops much shorter than the Compass:

	Bronco Sport	Compass
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	195 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	144 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	151 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Bronco Sport has larger standard tires than the Compass (225/65R17 vs. 215/65R17).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Bronco Sport’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Compass (105 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Bronco Sport is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Compass.

The Bronco Sport Badlands handles at .76 G’s, while the Compass Trailhawk pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Bronco Sport Badlands executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Compass Trailhawk (28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s vs. 29.6 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Compass Trailhawk (8.8 vs. 8.6 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The front grille of the Bronco Sport uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Compass doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Bronco Sport Badlands offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Compass doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Bronco Sport has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Compass (105.6 vs. 99.6).

The Bronco Sport has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 3.2 inches more rear headroom, 4.2 inches more rear hip room and .5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Compass.

Cargo Capacity

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Compass with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 27.2 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Compass with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 59.8 cubic feet).

An optional locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Bronco Sport. The Compass doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Compass’ rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Towing

The Bronco Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Compass’ (2200 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Jeep Compass is only 2000 pounds. The Bronco Sport offers up to a 2700 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Bronco Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Compass uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When different drivers share the Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Compass doesn’t offer a memory system.

If the windows are left open on the Bronco Sport the driver can close all of them from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Compass can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Compass doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its SiriusXM Guardian can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Both the Bronco Sport and the Compass offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Bronco Sport has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Compass doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Ford Bronco Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Jeep Compass isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2021 issue and the Ford Bronco Sport Badlands won out over the Jeep Compass Trailhawk.

The Ford Bronco Sport outsold the Jeep Compass by 32% during 2025.

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