Chevrolet Trax vs Subaru XV Crosstrek: which is more reliable?
The Subaru XV Crosstrek is clearly ahead of the Chevrolet Trax on the federal record: 87/100 against 74/100 across every model year we score.
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)
Subaru XV Crosstrek
- 4 model years scored
- 304 owner complaints on record
- about 6 complaints per year on the road
- 3 recall campaigns, 1 safety-critical
- best year 2016 (94/100) · worst 2015 (84/100)
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 XV Crosstrek
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
Subaru XV Crosstrek
- Engine — 67 complaints
- Power Train — 66 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 64 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 Trax — avoid: 2024, 2025.
Subaru XV Crosstrek: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 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 Chevrolet Trax prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru XV Crosstrek at about $14,700 — the Subaru XV Crosstrek is roughly $15,800 less, and they return 30.0 against 29.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Chevrolet Trax or the Subaru XV Crosstrek more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru XV Crosstrek scores 87/100 against the Chevrolet Trax's 74/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Subaru XV Crosstrek carries about 6 complaints per year on the road against 25 for the Chevrolet Trax.
Which Chevrolet Trax and Subaru XV Crosstrek years should I avoid?
Chevrolet Trax: 2024, 2025. Subaru XV Crosstrek: 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 Chevrolet Trax and the Subaru XV Crosstrek?
The largest complaint group on the Chevrolet Trax is Engine (261 complaints); on the Subaru XV Crosstrek it is Engine (67).
Is the Chevrolet Trax or the Subaru XV Crosstrek cheaper to own?
A recent used Chevrolet Trax prices at about $30,500 and a Subaru XV Crosstrek at about $14,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.