The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Bucks-up look
- Low-buck price
- Big cargo area
- Great tech
Dislikes
- Not rapid
- No AWD
- Lacks a hybrid version
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2025 Chevy Trax is one of the most appealing ways to spend $25,000 or less on a brand-new car, so long as you can convince yourself that you don’t really need AWD.
What kind of vehicle is the 2025 Chevrolet Trax? What does it compare to?
The 2025 Trax is a small SUV with a big interior. Compare it to the Buick Envista, Toyota Corolla Cross, and Kia Seltos.
Is the 2025 Chevrolet Trax a good SUV?
It’s a highly rational choice, that’s for sure. We like the Trax for its styling, its interior space, and its tech. The turbo-3 powertrain is adequate, too. It’s a 6.0 on the TCC scale. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What's new for the 2025 Chevrolet Trax?
After a redesign last year, the Trax’s only notable update for 2025 is some changes to its paint color options.
The Trax has styling more akin to a tall hatchback than a mini-SUV, which seems fitting given there’s no all-wheel-drive version. It’s a good-looking small vehicle, though, with balanced exterior styling and a cabin that uses nice surface detailing to mask budget materials. Chevy’s designers clearly tried with this one.
The 1.2-liter turbo-3 delivers a mere 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels through a 6-speed automatic gearbox. This is no recipe for performance, but the Trax has a refined feel and its ride quality is decent. Sharp steering makes it feel nimble around town, too. Look for about 30 mpg combined, which is pretty good given there’s no hybrid option here. And don’t look for any real off-road ability, though the Trax does sit a bit higher off the ground than a typical passenger car.
Chevy’s cheapest SUV isn’t its smallest. The Trax has a big, spacious cabin with good rear-seat legroom and a reasonably spacious cargo area. The design itself is imaginative and loaded with small-item storage spaces. The 8.0- or 11.0-inch touchscreen in higher-end versions integrates well with a handful of conventional buttons and knobs.
Though it has yet to be crash tested, the 2025 Trax offers a thorough suite of driver-assistance crash-avoidance features. All models have automatic emergency braking and active lane control, and blind-spot monitors are available across the range.
How much does the 2025 Chevrolet Trax cost?
Chevy offers the Trax in five trim levels: LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS, and the rugged-looking Activ. None are truly basic, with an 8.0-inch touchscreen, Android Auto/Apple CarPlay compatibility, and cruise control across the range even at $21,495 for the base LS. The 1RS has heated front seats and 18-inch wheels for a sportier look, but we would spend the extra couple hundred bucks for the $23,595 LT with its bigger 11.0-inch touchscreen. It’s the best value in the lineup.
Where is the 2025 Chevrolet Trax made?
In South Korea.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Styling
The 2025 Trax wears standout styling.
Is the Chevrolet Trax a good-looking car?
It’s a handsome choice that easily earns an 8 on the TCC scale thanks to its angular exterior and its convenient, stylish cabin.
It may be one of the cheapest new cars available today, but the 2025 Trax doesn’t look it. The mesh grille up front has a small Chevrolet logo connected by a bar that splits the standard LED headlights. Unpainted accents along the sides give it a rugged look—oh, and they save Chevy money. Pointed LED taillights at the rear tie in nicely with the styling themes up front.
The cabin samples other chevy models but has its own, cohesive flair. In fact, we think it might very well be the nicest cabin the bowtie brand has to offer, at least in terms of its styling. Most versions have simple hues, though the RS dresses things up with hints of red. The Activ goes too far with its shiny black plastic that will show every scratch or fingerprint.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Performance
The 2025 Chevy Trax is nimble and comfortable, but not quick.
With just 137 hp on tap from its little turbo-3, the 2025 Trax is no rocket. But it rides and handles well enough to keep it at a 5 on the TCC scale.
Is the Chevrolet Trax 4WD?
No, not even the Activ trim level. Do you really need an AWD vehicle? Probably not.
How fast is the Chevrolet Trax?
Far from rapid. The 2025 Trax uses a small 1.2-liter turbo-3 with 137 hp and a useful 162 lb-ft of torque, which goes forward via a 6-speed automatic transmission. What it lacks in speed it makes up for in silence. The Trax is a quiet cruiser thanks to standard active noise cancellation tech that keeps it quiet unless pressed hard.
The Trax’s 6-speed automatic transmission does a decent job keeping the little turbo mill in its power band, but it’d work better with some sort of manual control outside of a Low function useful for descending steep grades.
The Trax’s suspension is simple: MacPherson struts up front and a rear torsion-beam setup. It rides fine on the 18-inch wheels fitted to most trims; the Activ’s 19s are a bit too firm. We’ve yet to sample one with the standard 17s. There’s a lot of side-to-side motion from this setup, but the overall ride quality is fine. Quick-witted steering gives the Trax a nimble feel in town, and its brakes do a good job bringing it to a halt.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Comfort & Quality
The Trax has plenty of interior room.
The 2025 Chevy Trax isn’t as small as its price tag suggests. It’s 178.6 inches long overall and rides on a hefty 106.3-inch wheelbase, which affords passengers with impressive space. We land at a 6 on the TCC scale thanks to the decent cargo area and good passenger space, even if interior trim is nothing special.
Most versions have manually adjustable front seats that have decent support and plentiful adjustment, plus heated seats come on all but the cheapest version. A little more lumbar support would be nice, though.
The rear seat has plenty of room for 6-footers, though three abreast will be a tight squeeze. Wide rear doors make it easy to climb inside, too.
Behind the rear seats, you’ll find 25.6 cubic feet of cargo space, which expands to 54.1 cubes when the rear seatbacks are folded down.
Chevy did a nice job making the Trax’s cabin look upscale, even if its plastics are decidedly in line with its budget pricing. The standard cloth trim is nothing special, and even the synthetic leather on the Activ version feels as fake as it is. Also, the doors and tailgate lack the solid thunk we’ve come to expect from modern cars—but, at these prices, we’ll let the Trax slide.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Safety
The 2025 Chevy Trax has yet to be crash tested.
How safe is the Chevrolet Trax?
It has yet to be crashed by either the NHTSA or the IIHS, so we can’t give it a score yet. We’ll update this space when we know more.
The Trax comes with decent crash-avoidance tech in base form: automatic emergency braking, automatic high-beam headlights, and active lane control. Blind-spot monitors and rear parking sensors can be added to any trim; top-end versions can be fitted with adaptive cruise control.
Outward vision is decent forward but not great to the rear, where the chunky roofline cuts into the view rearward.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Features
The 2025 Chevy Trax comes well-outfitted for its price.
The 2025 Chevy Trax has a fairly wide lineup that scores a 7 overall thanks to good standard fare even on the base LS and an excellent infotainment system. The 3-year/36,000-mile warranty is typical for a new car; no free maintenance is included.
At $21,495, the base LS has an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, cloth seats, and cruise control. It can be fitted with blind-spot monitors and rear parking sensors.
The step-up RS has heated front seats and 18-inch wheels for $23,395.
Which Chevrolet Trax should I buy?
The mid-level $23,595 Trax LT strikes us as the best value. Its 11.0-inch touchscreen fits the dash even better, and it also has remote start and automatic climate control. You’ll have to pay extra for heated seats, while adaptive cruise control and a power sunroof are also available.
How much is a fully loaded Chevrolet Trax?
The top Trax Activ has a monochrome exterior finish, plus inside it includes synthetic leather seats with power adjustment for the driver. Chevy will outfit it with a sunroof, blind-spot monitors, and adaptive cruise control, which nudge its $25,395 base price too close to $30,000 for our liking. The same base price applies to the Trax 2RS, which gets the Activ equipment but the RS look.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Fuel Economy
The 2025 Chevy Trax is pretty frugal, but there’s no hybrid version.
Is the Chevrolet Trax good on gas?
It won’t use much gas, that’s for sure. We score it a 4 out of 10 thanks to EPA test estimates of 28 mpg city, 32 highway, 30 combined.
But don’t look for a hybrid. The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is almost 50% more fuel-efficient.
