Chevrolet Trax vs Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Trax and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport are level on the federal record — 74/100 against 76/100 across the years we score. Which one to buy is decided by the model year, not the badge.
The record, side by side
Chevrolet Trax
- 10 model years scored
- 932 owner complaints on record
- about 25 complaints per year on the road
- 20 recall campaigns, 12 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (94/100) · worst 2024 (44/100)
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
- 15 model years scored
- 872 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 55 recall campaigns, 14 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (93/100) · worst 2015 (34/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Trax against Outlander Sport
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 Trax
- Engine — 261 complaints
- Electrical System — 239 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 151 complaints
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
- Power Train — 290 complaints
- Engine — 144 complaints
- Electrical System — 119 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Trax's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Outlander Sport's in Power Train. 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
Chevrolet Trax — avoid: 2024, 2025.
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport — avoid: 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 Chevrolet Trax prices at about $30,500 and a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport at about $30,500 — they price within $1 of each other, which at this level is the same money, and they return 30.0 against 26.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chevrolet Trax or the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport scores 76/100 against the Chevrolet Trax's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Chevrolet Trax and Mitsubishi Outlander Sport years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Trax: 2024, 2025. Mitsubishi Outlander Sport: 2015, 2016. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Chevrolet Trax and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Trax is Engine (261 complaints); on the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport it is Power Train (290).
Is the Chevrolet Trax or the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Trax prices at about $30,500 and a Mitsubishi Outlander Sport at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.