Buick Regal vs Buick Regal eAssist: which is more reliable?
The Buick Regal eAssist is ahead of the Buick Regal on the federal record, 87/100 against 82/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Buick Regal
- 10 model years scored
- 633 owner complaints on record
- about 3 complaints per year on the road
- 28 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (92/100) · worst 2011 (42/100)
Buick Regal eAssist
- 5 model years scored
- 288 owner complaints on record
- about 4 complaints per year on the road
- 0 recall campaigns, 0 safety-critical
- best year 2015 (93/100) · worst 2013 (75/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Regal against Regal eAssist
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 Regal
- Engine — 169 complaints
- Electrical System — 159 complaints
- Exterior Lighting — 127 complaints
Buick Regal eAssist
- Exterior Lighting — 87 complaints
- Electrical System — 68 complaints
- Engine — 53 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Regal's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Regal eAssist's in Exterior Lighting. 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 Regal — avoid: 2011.
Buick Regal eAssist: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.
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 Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Buick Regal eAssist at about $13,600 — the Buick Regal eAssist is roughly $6,200 less, and they return 26.0 against 28.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Buick Regal or the Buick Regal eAssist more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Buick Regal eAssist scores 87/100 against the Buick Regal's 82/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Buick Regal and Buick Regal eAssist years should I avoid?
Buick Regal: 2011. Buick Regal eAssist: 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 Regal and the Buick Regal eAssist?
The largest complaint group on the Buick Regal is Engine (169 complaints); on the Buick Regal eAssist it is Exterior Lighting (87).
Is the Buick Regal or the Buick Regal eAssist cheaper to own?
A recent used Buick Regal prices at about $19,800 and a Buick Regal eAssist at about $13,600, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.