Buick Enclave vs Buick Verano: which is more reliable?
The Buick Verano is ahead of the Buick Enclave on the federal record, 82/100 against 73/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Buick Enclave
- 15 model years scored
- 1,457 owner complaints on record
- about 12 complaints per year on the road
- 45 recall campaigns, 32 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (92/100) · worst 2014 (30/100)
Buick Verano
- 6 model years scored
- 440 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 15 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (93/100) · worst 2014 (66/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Enclave against Verano
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Buick Enclave
- Air Bags — 634 complaints
- Engine — 164 complaints
- Electrical System — 157 complaints
Buick Verano
- Electrical System — 122 complaints
- Engine — 106 complaints
- Air Bags — 93 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Enclave's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Verano's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Buick Enclave — avoid: 2014, 2025.
Buick Verano: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Buick Enclave prices at about $44,100 and a Buick Verano at about $21,800 — the Buick Verano is roughly $22,300 less, and they return 21.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Buick Enclave or the Buick Verano more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Buick Verano scores 82/100 against the Buick Enclave's 73/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Buick Enclave and Buick Verano years should I avoid?
Buick Enclave: 2014, 2025. Buick Verano: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Buick Enclave and the Buick Verano?
The largest complaint group on the Buick Enclave is Air Bags (634 complaints); on the Buick Verano it is Electrical System (122).
Is the Buick Enclave or the Buick Verano cheaper to own?
A recent used Buick Enclave prices at about $44,100 and a Buick Verano at about $21,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.