The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Dirt cheap
- Decent infotainment system
- Standard air conditioning!
- Seven airbags
Dislikes
- Not a car for those in a hurry
- Expensive crash-avoidance tech
- Shop used for a better value
- Cramped back seat
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2022 Chevrolet Spark is basic transportation with few frills and fewer thrills.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Chevrolet Spark? What does it compare to?
The Chevy Spark is a subcompact car, the kind of city-friendly, inexpensive choice that shoppers forget about when gas prices are low and flock to when they’re high. This might be the Spark’s year, so plan to shop it against a dwindling list of rivals including the Nissan Versa, Hyundai Accent, and Kia Rio.
Is the 2022 Chevrolet Spark a good car?
While definitely behind the times when it comes to crash-avoidance tech, the Spark has its merits. We rate it at a mediocre 4.0 out of 10, but let’s remember that this is a cheap little runabout. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2022 Chevrolet Spark?
Three new paint colors highlight changes for what very well may be the Spark’s final year.
The Spark comes only as a hatchback, which is just fine with us. Underhood look for a 1.4-liter inline-4 that rushes—no, that’s not right—eventually delivers 98 hp to the front wheels. There’s a Spark Activ trim that looks a little chunky, but this little hatchback won’t be going off-road any time soon.
Fuel economy isn’t as impressive as you might expect since that 4-cylinder has to work pretty hard. Look for 33 mpg combined with either the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) or the 5-speed manual gearbox.
The Spark does come with seven airbags, but that’s about where its safety story ends. Don’t look for standard automatic emergency braking, something that’s standard on just about every other new car.
How much does the 2022 Chevrolet Spark cost?
Chevy sells the 2022 Spark in LS, 1LT, 2LT, and Activ trim levels. Pricing for 2022 starts at $14,990. Every Spark comes with air conditioning and a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, so there aren’t too many reasons to spend more, aside from the 1LT’s power windows and locks. Automatic emergency braking is an extra-cost option on the 2LT only, and while the option itself is only $295, you’ll spend around $19,000 to unlock it.
Where is the 2022 Chevrolet Spark made?
In South Korea.
2022 Chevrolet Spark Styling
The Spark is pert and cute, but not stylish.
Is the 2022 Chevrolet Spark a good-looking car?
There is a purposeful, back-to-basics style to the 2022 Chevy Spark, but we wouldn’t exactly call it a good-looking small car. If anything, it looked more dramatic before Chevy updated it a few years ago. We rate it at 3 out of 10.
The hatchback silhouette is nice enough, but the details are bland outside and just as uninspiring inside. Spark Activ models look a little butch with their unpainted side cladding, but we’d spend our money on a used Subaru Crosstrek for substance to match the style.
2022 Chevrolet Spark Performance
The 2022 Chevrolet Spark is slow and its ride is just OK.
Is the Chevrolet Spark 4WD?
No, although the Spark Activ has rugged looks, it’s not an actual off-roader
How fast is the Chevrolet Spark?
A 98 was a commendable score on your 10th grade algebra final, but it’s not a good figure when it comes to horsepower. Sure, the 2022 Spark is light, but it’s also slow. We dial points back from average for its pokey acceleration and for its unrefined ride.
That said, the Spark is maneuverable. With the base 5-speed manual gearbox available on all trim levels, it can even be kind of fun to putter around town. The optional CVT saps any hint of fun, though.
The short wheelbase gives the Spark busy ride motions even though its 15-inch wheels are as small as you’ll find on any vehicle that still boasts that new-car smell. At highway speeds, the Spark can be a chore to keep going in a straight line or up hills, too.
2022 Chevrolet Spark Comfort & Quality
The 2022 Chevrolet Spark uses its small size well, but it’s far from spacious.
Admittedly, our scale isn’t kind to very small cars like the Chevy Spark. Its tight rear seat and cheap interior are hardly a surprise given the low price and itsy-bitsy dimensions. Just know what you’re getting into and you’ll probably be fine with the 3 out of 10 rating.
Up front, the Spark offers decent comfort and good outward vision. Cargo space checks in at 11 cubic feet with the rear seat upright and around 27 cubes with it lowered. Not spacious, but not a bad use of what it’s allotted.
Materials are far from special, but Chevy does at least try with playful fabrics on most trim levels.
2022 Chevrolet Spark Safety
No crash-test scores are available.
How safe is the Chevrolet Spark?
We don’t have sufficient data to rate the 2022 Spark, but there are other cars we’d rather be strapped into in a wreck.
Only the range-topping Spark 2LT can be had with automatic emergency braking—a feature standard on almost every new car, and one we consider essential. At least there are seven airbags, though.
Neither federal nor independent testers have finished smacking the Spark into walls in the name of safety, and at this point we don’t expect them to do so.
2022 Chevrolet Spark Features
The 2022 Chevrolet Spark is as cheap as its meager feature count suggests, though there are some surprises here.
Which Chevrolet Spark should I buy?
Chevy offers the 2022 Spark in four trim levels—LS, 1LT, Activ, and 2LT. At $14,990, the base car is tempting, but we’d consider spending the $2,000 or so that buys the 1LT’s alloy wheels, power windows and locks, and a handful of other convenience features. The high-riding Activ puts too high a price on vanity for us.
At least all models come standard with a decent 7.0-inch touchscreen for infotainment with smartphone tech, Bluetooth, and four speakers.
How much is a fully loaded 2022 Chevrolet Spark?
It’s a tough call, but we gravitate to the Spark 2LT with the optional CVT mostly because it offers a $295 package with automatic emergency braking. That’s cheap tech, but we wish Chevy would democratize safety by offering it on other trims. A Spark 1LT with safety tech would be a killer deal for those who must have a new car.
2022 Chevrolet Spark Fuel Economy
The 2022 Chevy Spark is not as thrifty as you might think.
Is the 2022 Chevrolet Spark good on gas?
Kinda. The 2022 Spark is rated at 33 mpg combined in most configurations, which earns it a 6 out of 10 on our scale.
Parsing the numbers a bit, you’ll find 30 mpg city, 38 highway, 33 combined with the optional CVT and 29/38/33 mpg with the 5-speed manual. Spark Activ models ride higher, which makes them a smidge less aerodynamic and thus they lose 1 mpg in EPA testing.
