Chevrolet Equinox vs Honda CR-V: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Equinox is clearly ahead of the Honda CR-V on the federal record: 76/100 against 58/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Equinox
- 15 model years scored
- 5,754 owner complaints on record
- about 56 complaints per year on the road
- 38 recall campaigns, 15 safety-critical
- best year 2017 (90/100) · worst 2025 (46/100)
Honda CR-V
- 15 model years scored
- 10,020 owner complaints on record
- about 122 complaints per year on the road
- 64 recall campaigns, 48 safety-critical
- best year 2012 (88/100) · worst 2019 (26/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Equinox against CR-V
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.
| Year | Equinox | CR-V | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 46 AVOID | 43 AVOID | +3 |
| 2024 | 85 BUY | 42 AVOID | +43 |
| 2023 | 84 BUY | 39 AVOID | +45 |
| 2022 | 78 BUY | 75 BUY | +3 |
| 2021 | 84 BUY | 70 BUY | +14 |
| 2020 | 72 BUY | 67 CAUTION | +5 |
| 2019 | 76 BUY | 26 AVOID | +50 |
| 2018 | 71 BUY | 31 AVOID | +40 |
| 2017 | 90 BUY | 29 AVOID | +61 |
| 2016 | 85 BUY | 83 BUY | +2 |
| 2015 | 69 CAUTION | 78 BUY | -9 |
| 2014 | 82 BUY | 85 BUY | -3 |
| 2013 | 71 BUY | 86 BUY | -15 |
| 2012 | 76 BUY | 88 BUY | -12 |
| 2011 | 72 BUY | 72 BUY | +0 |
What owners actually complain about
Chevrolet Equinox
- Engine — 2,316 complaints
- Visibility/Wiper — 891 complaints
- Power Train — 668 complaints
Honda CR-V
- Engine — 1,923 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,369 complaints
- Steering — 1,366 complaints
Both nameplates have Engine as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Chevrolet Equinox — avoid: 2025.
Honda CR-V — avoid: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025.
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 Chevrolet Equinox prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, 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 Chevrolet Equinox or the Honda CR-V more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Equinox scores 76/100 against the Honda CR-V's 58/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Chevrolet Equinox carries about 56 complaints per year on the road against 122 for the Honda CR-V.
Which Chevrolet Equinox and Honda CR-V years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Equinox: 2025. Honda CR-V: 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Equinox and the Honda CR-V?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Equinox is Engine (2,316 complaints); on the Honda CR-V it is Engine (1,923).
Is the Chevrolet Equinox or the Honda CR-V cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Equinox prices at about $30,500 and a Honda CR-V at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.