Jeep Renegade vs Chevrolet Trax: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Trax is ahead of the Jeep Renegade on the federal record, 74/100 against 65/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Jeep Renegade
- 9 model years scored
- 2,196 owner complaints on record
- about 28 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 13 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (89/100) · worst 2017 (40/100)
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)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Renegade against Trax
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
Jeep Renegade
- Engine — 847 complaints
- Electrical System — 615 complaints
- Power Train — 421 complaints
Chevrolet Trax
- Engine — 261 complaints
- Electrical System — 239 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 151 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
Jeep Renegade — avoid: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018.
Chevrolet Trax — avoid: 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 Jeep Renegade prices at about $27,900 and a Chevrolet Trax at about $30,500 — the Jeep Renegade is roughly $2,600 less, and they return 26.0 against 30.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Jeep Renegade or the Chevrolet Trax more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Trax scores 74/100 against the Jeep Renegade's 65/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Jeep Renegade and Chevrolet Trax years should I avoid?
Jeep Renegade: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018. Chevrolet Trax: 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 Jeep Renegade and the Chevrolet Trax?
The largest complaint group on the Jeep Renegade is Engine (847 complaints); on the Chevrolet Trax it is Engine (261).
Is the Jeep Renegade or the Chevrolet Trax cheaper to own?
A recent used Jeep Renegade prices at about $27,900 and a Chevrolet Trax at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.