Yikes: Chevy Trax Puts Up Poor Result in IIHS Crash Testing

The 2024 Chevrolet Trax and Buick Envista earned Poor ratings in IIHS's updated moderate front overlap crash test.  The IIHS increased the severity of overlap crash test, leading to the updated results. Both scored Good in the small front overlap and original moderate overlap front tests. 

Today’s cars are safer than ever. But new and more challenging crash tests reveal where automakers still have work to do. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested the 2024 Chevrolet Trax, and the crossover didn't fare well in two of its updated evaluations.

The Trax received an Acceptable rating—one step below Good—in the updated side crash test. The IIHS recorded an elevated risk of chest and pelvis injuries to the front passenger and an elevated risk of chest injuries for the rear occupant. The institute increased the severity of the test, increasing the weight of the crash test car while performing the test at a higher speed.

“We aren’t seeing every vehicle get a good rating the first time we test them in this mode,” said Becky Mueller, an IIHS senior research engineer, hoping automakers take these results to improve the vehicle when they redesign it.

The Trax also earned a Poor rating in the updated moderate overlap crash test due to elevated risk of head and chest injuries to the rear-seat occupant. It earned Marginal ratings in the headlight and front pedestrian crash prevention tests. The low beams didn’t project far enough down the road, and the automatic emergency braking system did not perform well at night.

The IIHS also tested the Buick Envista, which uses the same General Motors platform as the Trax and earned almost the same ratings. Both scored Good in the small front overlap and original moderate overlap front tests, and Poor in the updated overlap test. However, the Envista differed with an Acceptable rating for the front crash prevention test. 

You can check out the list of IIHS’s ratings, which includes the Trax and Envista alongside Top Safety Pick+ models like the Mazda CX-30 and Honda HR-V, which earned Good scores in the updated moderate overlap front crash tests.