Whether it's active or passive has not much impact on the performance of a subwoofer. The difference between the two is that passive ones are highly customizable wherein active configuration subwoofers are like all-in-ones. It's like computers, the passive types are the ones you buy parts in Gilmore while you construct them spec-by-spec while the other is much like buying that shiny new Alienware you saw at the store outright.

Most car subwoofers are of the passive variety. This is because it's up to the installers to choose the best type of box and driver that would suit the owner's demand and taste. For example, sometimes space is an issue so an installer has to find a way to fit a >1.0 cf box inside the car.

Most home subwoofers, on the otherhand, are active. The simple ones simply consists of signal plugs (subwoofer RCAs for sub-level signals), a filter, and a AC power supply. The more expensive ones have a lot of features such as subwoofer parametric EQ, level control, phase adjustment, etc. In more cases than not, home subwoofers are quite expensive because of their extreme box engineering (like I said, the box determines the performance) which can be in the form of additional bracing, thicker panels, a more rigid type of wood, etc. which is why some people pay more than Php 200,000 for a JL Fanthom subwoofer while the less affluent settles for Php 100,000 Velodynes.

In a car environment, first know your needs.. then you construct a box according to that need. Afterwards, you worry about which driver to throw in the box. That's how experienced people do it NOT the opposite way which most people do (select subwoofer -> construct box -> done).

P.S. Most car active subwoofers simply... suck.