wheel My order
Mon-Sun 9am-8pm
470 400 8880
Metro Atlanta, GA
wheel My order
Home / Insights /

Buick vs Chevrolet Reliability

Nearly a tie: Buick averages 58/100 vs Chevrolet at 57/100 across 340 real pre-purchase inspections (38 Buick / 302 Chevrolet). 52% of Buicks and 50% of Chevrolets scored 60/100 or higher. The average car we check scores 61/100.

vs
Head to head
BuickChevrolet
Cars inspected38302
Average condition58/10057/100
In good shape (60+/100)52%50%
Repainted or replaced panel71%67%
Structural repair found0%3%
Fault codes recently cleared24%26%

Green = the better number of the pair. Condition reflects the mix of cars that came to us — age, price, model — so treat small gaps as a tie.

How they score
Buick
Excellent 26% Good 26% Mediocre 18% Poor 29%
Chevrolet
Excellent 23% Good 27% Mediocre 23% Poor 28%
How long do they stay good?
Good cars by mileage
▬ Buick▬ Chevrolet▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Buick, 40–60k mi: 64%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars in this band)Buick, 60–80k mi: 65%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band)Buick, 80–100k mi: 52%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars in this band)Buick, 100–120k mi: 33%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars in this band) Chevrolet, 0–20k mi: 88% in good shape (24 cars)Chevrolet, 20–40k mi: 82% in good shape (34 cars)Chevrolet, 40–60k mi: 67% in good shape (43 cars)Chevrolet, 60–80k mi: 67% in good shape (42 cars)Chevrolet, 80–100k mi: 49% in good shape (37 cars)Chevrolet, 100–120k mi: 39% in good shape (33 cars)Chevrolet, 120–140k mi: 33% in good shape (21 cars)Chevrolet, 140–160k mi: 14%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars in this band)Chevrolet, 160–180k mi: 9%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars in this band)Chevrolet, 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
▬ Buick▬ Chevrolet▬ all cars
0 25 50 75 100 Chevrolet, 1 years old: 95%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Chevrolet, 2 years old: 97%, drawn from the nearby bands (19 cars this age)Chevrolet, 3 years old: 89%, drawn from the nearby bands (8 cars this age)Chevrolet, 4 years old: 76% in good shape (21 cars)Chevrolet, 5 years old: 71% in good shape (24 cars)Chevrolet, 6 years old: 59% in good shape (27 cars)Chevrolet, 7 years old: 59%, drawn from the nearby bands (14 cars this age)Chevrolet, 8 years old: 55%, drawn from the nearby bands (17 cars this age)Chevrolet, 9 years old: 43% in good shape (21 cars)Chevrolet, 10 years old: 50%, drawn from the nearby bands (15 cars this age)Chevrolet, 11 years old: 40%, drawn from the nearby bands (11 cars this age)Chevrolet, 12 years old: 31%, drawn from the nearby bands (10 cars this age)Chevrolet, 13 years old: 23%, drawn from the nearby bands (13 cars this age)Chevrolet, 14 years old: 20%, drawn from the nearby bands (6 cars this age)Chevrolet, 15 years old: 18%, drawn from the nearby bands (9 cars this age)Chevrolet, 16 years old: 13%, drawn from the nearby bands (5 cars this age) 2y 4y 6y 8y 10y 12y 14y 16y vehicle age when we inspected it

Share 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). Dashed grey = all cars we check.

Most common faults
Buick
Oil leaks · Engine
61%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
45%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
37%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
34%
Oil leaks · Automatic transmission
24%
Chevrolet
Oil leaks · Engine
50%
Fuel trim out of range · Engine
41%
Tires condition & wear · Brakes and tires
36%
Active error codes · Electronic equipment
27%
Low coolant / cooling system issues · Engine
25%
Trajectory by generation
Buick

Not enough Buicks at the 5–10 year checkpoint yet to draw a generation trend.

Chevrolet ▼ 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: 58% in good shape (age-adjusted; 50 cars, raw 56%) 58 2018–20: 45% in good shape (age-adjusted; 33 cars, raw 52%) 45 2009–11 2012–14 2015–17 2018–20 2021+

Share in good shape when inspected at the same age (5–10 years, age-adjusted), by model-year generation; dashed = all-brand average. All brands →

FAQ
?
Which is more reliable, Buick or Chevrolet?
Nearly a tie: Buick averages 58/100 vs Chevrolet at 57/100 across 340 real pre-purchase inspections (38 Buick / 302 Chevrolet). 52% of Buicks and 50% of Chevrolets scored 60/100 or higher.
?
What are the most common problems with used Buicks and Chevrolets?
On Buicks we flag oil leaks (61%), tires condition & wear (45%), fuel trim out of range (37%). On Chevrolets: oil leaks (50%), fuel trim out of range (41%), tires condition & wear (36%).
?
How many Buick and Chevrolet vehicles have you inspected?
38 Buicks and 302 Chevrolets — 340 real pre-purchase inspections. Updated Oct 27, 2026.
?
Should I still get a pre-purchase inspection?
Yes. Badge averages don't sort the good car from the tired one. We still find repainted panels on 71% of Buicks and 67% of Chevrolets, and recently cleared fault codes on 24% / 26%.
Buying a used Buick or Chevrolet? Get a pre-purchase inspection before you pay.
Book an inspection

Based on 340 inspections · updated Oct 27, 2026