Chevrolet Spark: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Chevrolet Spark: 10 model years scored from 524 NHTSA owner complaints and 19 recall campaigns. Worst year 2014, best year 2016.
Chevrolet Spark: which years to avoid
Across 9 scored model years the Chevrolet Spark ranges from 38/100 in 2014 to 94/100 in 2018 — a 56-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Spark at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (51 of them).
Avoid: 2013, 2014 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the Spark changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2013–2015
Mean score 43/100, about 11 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Power Train more than anything else (109 complaints). 9 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2016–2021
Mean score 89/100, about 2 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Service Brakes more than anything else (33 complaints). The record improves by 46 points against the years before it. 3 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2016 (score 81). Worst: 2014 (score 38, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | $2,800 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 93 | BUY | $3,162 | 6 | 0 |
| 2020 | 89 | BUY | $3,140 | 19 | 0 |
| 2019 | 90 | BUY | $3,258 | 14 | 1 |
| 2018 | 94 | BUY | $3,381 | 9 | 0 |
| 2017 | 86 | BUY | $3,560 | 29 | 1 |
| 2016 | 81 | BUY | $3,670 | 42 | 1 |
| 2015 | 52 | CAUTION | $3,923 | 83 | 5 |
| 2014 | 38 | AVOID | $4,198 | 176 | 6 |
| 2013 | 40 | AVOID | $4,423 | 146 | 5 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Spark, through the years →
Spark sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Spark on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Spark
Across every Spark model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Power Train127 complaints across all Spark years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine109 complaints across all Spark years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System99 complaints across all Spark years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Vehicle Speed Control48 complaints across all Spark years · typical job: Throttle body, pedal sensor or cruise module replacement$520–$1,150
- Unknown Or Other47 complaints across all Spark years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Service Brakes42 complaints across all Spark years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Chevrolet Spark years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2013, 2014 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2014 is the weakest at 38/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Chevrolet Spark years to buy?
2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2018 at 94/100, on 9 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Chevrolet Spark problem?
127 of the complaints filed against the Spark across all its model years sit in the Power Train group — more than any other component.
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04