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Chevrolet: Reliability & Common Problems

#16 of 24
Longevity rank#1 Tesla holds up to ~184k
~109k
Trouble-free mileageacross all body styles
311
Chevrolets inspectedreal pre-purchase inspections
57/100
Average conditionall cars we check: 61/100



Based on 311 used Chevrolets we inspected, they tend to be in slightly worse shape than average — average condition 57/100 vs 61 for all cars we check. Every number on this page comes from real pre-purchase inspections — cars people were about to buy and paid an independent inspector to go through point by point, engine to underbody, paint depth to error codes. Not owner surveys, not warranty statistics, not forum lore: what we actually found.

What we found

Most common faults

Oil leaks · Engine
50%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
41%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
35%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
26%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
24%

Share of inspected Chevrolets where each item was flagged.

How they score

Excellent 23% Good 27% Mediocre 23% Poor 27%
Hidden history

What the seller might not mention — how often we find it on Chevrolets.

66%had a repainted or replaced panelall cars: 74%
3%showed structural repairall cars: 4%
26%had fault codes recently clearedall cars: 24%

Compare with another brand:

Cross-shopping? Chevrolet vs Toyota · Chevrolet vs Honda · Chevrolet vs Ford

How long does a Chevrolet last?

Across every Chevrolet body style we've inspected — sedans, SUVs and anything else pooled together — the average one's condition dips below decent (a 55/100 score) around ~109k miles. It ranks Chevrolet #16 of 24 brands we have enough data to rate; the longest-lasting, Tesla, holds up to ~184k. Shopping a Chevrolet near that mileage? Expect more wear ahead — see which makes give the best odds at your budget.



Good cars by mileage
0 25 50 75 100 0–20k mi: 88% in good shape (26 cars) 20–40k mi: 83% in good shape (35 cars) 40–60k mi: 67% in good shape (43 cars) 60–80k mi: 65% in good shape (43 cars) 80–100k mi: 46% in good shape (39 cars) 100–120k mi: 39% in good shape (33 cars) 120–140k mi: 36% in good shape (22 cars) 140–160k mi: 15%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars in this band) 160–180k mi: 9%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars in this band) 180–200k mi: 5%, drawn from the nearby bands (12 cars in this band) 40k 80k 120k 160k 200k mileage when we inspected it
Good cars by age
0 25 50 75 100 1 years old: 96%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 2 years old: 97%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age) 3 years old: 90%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 4 years old: 76% in good shape (21 cars) 5 years old: 68% in good shape (25 cars) 6 years old: 59% in good shape (27 cars) 7 years old: 57%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars this age) 8 years old: 55%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age) 9 years old: 43% in good shape (23 cars) 10 years old: 51%, drawn from the nearby bands (16 cars this age) 11 years old: 41%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age) 12 years old: 31%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age) 13 years old: 23%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age) 14 years old: 21%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age) 15 years old: 19%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age) 16 years old: 12%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share of Chevrolets in good shape (scoring 60+/100) by mileage and by age when we inspected them (each dot ≥5 cars; a band under 20 cars follows the nearby bands, so a run above the all-cars line stays above it, and a band of 20 or more uses the rate we measured; where a band has too few cars, the line follows the trend between the bands on either side; rolled-back odometers excluded from the mileage curve). The dashed grey curve is all cars we check.

Is Chevrolet getting better?
▼ Newer Chevrolets aren't holding up as well 40% 60% 80% 2012–14: 61% in good shape (age-adjusted; 20 cars, raw 60%) 61 2015–17: 60% in good shape (age-adjusted; 53 cars, raw 57%) 60 2018–20: 42% in good shape (age-adjusted; 35 cars, raw 49%) 42 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share of Chevrolets in good shape (60+/100) when inspected at the same age — 5–10 years old, age-adjusted — by model-year generation; the dashed line is the all-brand average. Compare every brand's trajectory →



Chevrolet models we've inspected
Silverado 52 cars · 55% good Corvette 59 cars · 54% good Tahoe 22 cars · profile soon Camaro 22 cars · profile soon Express 21 cars · profile soon Equinox 18 cars · profile soon Suburban 14 cars · profile soon Malibu 12 cars · profile soon Cruze 11 cars · profile soon Impala 10 cars · profile soon

Recently inspected:

2019 Chevrolet Camaro · 84k mi — flagged: exhaust system leaks, oil leaks, battery condition. Inspected Nov 5.
2017 Chevrolet Equinox · 88k mi — flagged: low coolant / cooling system issues, oil leaks, dirty or low engine oil. Inspected Nov 3.
The bottom line

Engine trouble, not bodywork, is what should slow you down on a used Chevrolet. Oil leaks lead the fault list, with fuel trim and cooling issues close behind, so open the hood and pull live data before you fall for clean paint or fresh tires. The 2012–17 cars still show up in decent age-adjusted shape; the 2018–20 group falls to 42 percent good, which makes that newer window the one to treat skeptically. These cars also slip below decent around 109,000 miles. An active oil leak plus out-of-range fuel trim is a negotiate-or-walk combination, especially if error codes are already stored.

FAQ
?
Are Chevrolets reliable?
50% of the 311 Chevrolets we inspected scored 60/100 or higher, averaging 57/100 — they tend to be in slightly worse shape than average.
?
What are the most common problems with a used Chevrolet?
Across the Chevrolets we inspected, the items we flag most often are oil leaks (50%), fuel trim out of range (41%), tires condition & wear (35%).
?
Are newer Chevrolets more reliable than older ones?
No — comparing generations at the same age (5–10 years old), newer Chevrolets actually score lower than the early-2010s ones.
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Based on 311 inspections · updated Nov 11, 2026