Chevrolet Impala vs Buick LaCrosse: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Impala and the Buick LaCrosse are level on the federal record — 82/100 against 80/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Impala
- 9 model years scored
- 2,437 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 8 recall campaigns, 6 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (96/100) · worst 2016 (47/100)
Buick LaCrosse
- 9 model years scored
- 711 owner complaints on record
- about 4 complaints per year on the road
- 31 recall campaigns, 16 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (90/100) · worst 2012 (43/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Impala against LaCrosse
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
Chevrolet Impala
- Electrical System — 571 complaints
- Engine — 527 complaints
- Power Train — 332 complaints
Buick LaCrosse
- Electrical System — 188 complaints
- Engine — 118 complaints
- Suspension — 89 complaints
Both nameplates have Electrical System as their largest complaint group, so the choice between them is about how often, not about what.
Years to avoid on each
Chevrolet Impala — avoid: 2016.
Buick LaCrosse — avoid: 2012.
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 Impala prices at about $21,300 and a Buick LaCrosse at about $20,900 — they price within $400 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 22.0 against 24.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chevrolet Impala or the Buick LaCrosse more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Impala scores 82/100 against the Buick LaCrosse's 80/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Chevrolet Impala and Buick LaCrosse years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Impala: 2016. Buick LaCrosse: 2012. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Impala and the Buick LaCrosse?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Impala is Electrical System (571 complaints); on the Buick LaCrosse it is Electrical System (188).
Is the Chevrolet Impala or the Buick LaCrosse cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Impala prices at about $21,300 and a Buick LaCrosse at about $20,900, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.