For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota C-HR 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 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross doesn't offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the C-HR has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Eclipse Cross SE/SEL has a rear cross-path warning system.

The C-HR's driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Eclipse Cross doesn't offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the C-HR and the Eclipse Cross have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota C-HR is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

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 Toyota C-HR is safer than the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross:

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the C-HR is 4.2% less likely to roll over than the Eclipse Cross.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight's “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the C-HR the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 145 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Eclipse Cross has not been fully tested, yet.

The C-HR's corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Eclipse Cross' (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the C-HR for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mitsubishi doesn't pay scheduled maintenance for the Eclipse Cross.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mitsubishi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the C-HR's warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mitsubishi is ranked 13th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports' January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mitsubishi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Mitsubishi is ranked 20th.

The C-HR stops much shorter than the Eclipse Cross:

For better traction, the C-HR has larger tires than the Eclipse Cross (225/50R18 vs. 215/70R16).

The C-HR's tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Eclipse Cross ES' standard 70 series tires. The C-HR's tires are lower profile than the Eclipse Cross LE/SE/SEL's 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the C-HR has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Eclipse Cross ES.

The C-HR Limited handles at .81 G's, while the Eclipse Cross SE AWD pulls only .76 G's of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The C-HR XLE executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Eclipse Cross SEL AWD (28.3 seconds @ .59 average G's vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G's).

For better maneuverability, the C-HR's turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Eclipse Cross AWD's (34.2 feet vs. 34.8 feet). The C-HR's turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Eclipse Cross' (34.2 feet vs. 35 feet).

The C-HR is 6.4 inches shorter than the Eclipse Cross, making the C-HR easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The C-HR has 2.6 inches more front legroom and 1 inch more rear headroom than the Eclipse Cross.

The C-HR's power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Eclipse Cross has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The power windows standard on both the C-HR and the Eclipse Cross have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the C-HR is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Eclipse Cross prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The C-HR's front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Eclipse Cross' standard passenger windows don't open or close automatically. The Eclipse Cross SEL's .

If the windows are left open on the C-HR the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Eclipse Cross can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the C-HR has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Eclipse Cross only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn't as good.

Consumer Reports rated the C-HR's headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Eclipse Cross' headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don't exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The C-HR's available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Eclipse Cross' headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The C-HR has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Eclipse Cross has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the SE/SEL.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the C-HR Limited has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Eclipse Cross doesn't offer cornering lights.

The C-HR's standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. The Eclipse Cross ES FWD doesn't offer heated side mirrors.

The C-HR has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won't have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Eclipse Cross SE/SEL.

The Toyota C-HR outsold the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross by almost five to one during the 2021 model year.