Volkswagen Atlas vs Chevrolet Blazer: which is more reliable?
The Chevrolet Blazer is clearly ahead of the Volkswagen Atlas on the federal record: 83/100 against 64/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Volkswagen Atlas
- 8 model years scored
- 1,939 owner complaints on record
- about 55 complaints per year on the road
- 64 recall campaigns, 30 safety-critical
- best year 2020 (87/100) · worst 2021 (42/100)
Chevrolet Blazer
- 7 model years scored
- 690 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 11 recall campaigns, 2 safety-critical
- best year 2022 (92/100) · worst 2020 (70/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Atlas against Blazer
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
Volkswagen Atlas
- Electrical System — 472 complaints
- Air Bags — 363 complaints
- Engine — 357 complaints
Chevrolet Blazer
- Electrical System — 204 complaints
- Power Train — 181 complaints
- Engine — 181 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
Volkswagen Atlas — avoid: 2021.
Chevrolet Blazer: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024….
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 Volkswagen Atlas prices at about $44,100 and a Chevrolet Blazer at about $40,800 — the Chevrolet Blazer is roughly $3,300 less, 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 Volkswagen Atlas or the Chevrolet Blazer more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Chevrolet Blazer scores 83/100 against the Volkswagen Atlas's 64/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Chevrolet Blazer carries about 23 complaints per year on the road against 55 for the Volkswagen Atlas.
Which Volkswagen Atlas and Chevrolet Blazer years should I avoid?
Volkswagen Atlas: 2021. Chevrolet Blazer: 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 Volkswagen Atlas and the Chevrolet Blazer?
The largest complaint group on the Volkswagen Atlas is Electrical System (472 complaints); on the Chevrolet Blazer it is Electrical System (204).
Is the Volkswagen Atlas or the Chevrolet Blazer cheaper to own?
A recent used Volkswagen Atlas prices at about $44,100 and a Chevrolet Blazer at about $40,800, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.