United States
Chevrolet
Cheap to repair almost anywhere, with a durable small-block V8 truck line and a car range that is uneven.
Chevrolet's strongest asset is the small-block V8 family in the Silverado and Tahoe. It is a pushrod design refined over decades, simple to work on, and supported by parts availability in every town in America. The weak point attached to it is cylinder deactivation — Active Fuel Management and its Dynamic Fuel Management successor have produced sustained owner reports of lifter failure and oil consumption on 5.3L and 6.2L V8s.
On the car and crossover side the record is more mixed. The 1.5-liter turbo used in the Equinox and Malibu has drawn owner complaints about coolant loss and turbocharger problems, and GM's earlier CVT applications have not aged as well as its conventional automatics. Interiors also tend to feel a segment below the Japanese and Korean competition at the same price.
The compensation is cost. Labor on Chevrolet work is typically the cheapest of the nine brands here because every independent shop is comfortable with them, and parts are inexpensive. A battery, alternator or brake job on a Silverado costs less than the equivalent job on almost any import. Depreciation is steep, which makes used ones good value and new ones a poor financial bet.
Chevrolet models
Documented model years
Each year has its own reported issues and ownership costs.
- 2021 Chevrolet EquinoxMiddle of the road and priced accordingly. The six-speed automatic, the body and the electrical architecture are all straightforward, but the 1.5L turbo has a real oil consumption pattern across this generation and the A/C condenser is a recurring expense. Nothing here is catastrophic in the way the Escape's coolant intrusion issue is, and a well-maintained example is a perfectly sensible used crossover — it just is not a Toyota.$550–$1,000 per year, maintenance and repairs/yr
- 2021 Chevrolet Silverado 1500Simple, cheap to service and easy to find parts for, with one concentrated and expensive risk in the cylinder deactivation hardware. A Silverado that has had its lifters done, or whose DFM has been disabled, is a considerably better long-term bet than one that has not.$700–$1,400 maintenance and repairs per year/yr