How safe is the Chevrolet Equinox?
Drivers of the 2020–2023 Chevrolet Equinox died at a rate of 52 per million registered vehicle years, 39% higher than the average of 37 for all vehicles. That makes it one of the riskiest vehicles on the road for its driver: it ranks 106th of 129 vehicles, safer than 18% of them, whether they're small cars, SUVs, pickups or minivans.
Where the Chevrolet Equinox sits among all 129 vehicles
Chevrolet Equinox (bar is the 95% range)Every other ranked vehicleDashed line: average of 37
The rate is based on plenty of data, so this ranking is reliable.
2WD vs. 4WD
IIHS rates each drivetrain separately. The score above combines them, weighting the version with more data more heavily.
| Version | Deaths* | 95% range |
|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Equinox 2WD | 67 | 51–83 |
| Chevrolet Equinox 4WD | 41 | 27–54 |
Vehicles ranked near the Chevrolet Equinox
These are the vehicles just above and below it on the all-class ranking. Notice they aren't all the same type: the ranking compares every vehicle against every other one. Ranks use each rate after adjusting for how much data is behind it, so a rate of 0 from a few vehicles can rank below a slightly higher rate from many. Why.
| Rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Subaru WRXCar · Small | 51 | 20 |
| 104 | Toyota Camry hybridCar · Midsize | 51 | 20 |
| 105 | Toyota CamryCar · Midsize | 50 | 19 |
| 106 | Chevrolet EquinoxSUV · Small | 52 | 18 |
| 107 | Ford EscapeSUV · Small | 55 | 17 |
| 108 | Ram 1500 Classic crew cab short bed 4WDPickup · Large | 61 | 16 |
| 109 | Honda CivicCar · Small | 58 | 16 |
How it compares with other SUVs
Among the 46 SUVs ranked, the Chevrolet Equinox is 43rd. The safest SUVs are below. See all SUVs.
| SUVs rank | Vehicle | Deaths* | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevrolet Tahoe 4WDSUV · Large | 0 | 100 |
| 2 | Toyota RAV4 Prime Plug-in hybrid 4WDSUV · Small | 5 | 96 |
| 3 | Volkswagen AtlasSUV · Midsize | 6 | 95 |
| 4 | Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WDSUV · Very large | 6 | 94 |
| 5 | Ford Escape hybridSUV · Small | 7 | 91 |
| 43 | Chevrolet EquinoxSUV · Small | 52 | 18 |
Earlier models
In the earlier IIHS study of 2020 models, the Chevrolet Equinox had a driver death rate of 40 (range 17–62) and ranked 81st of 127. The newer rate is higher.
Common questions
Is the Chevrolet Equinox a safe vehicle?
By real-world driver deaths, the Chevrolet Equinox is one of the riskiest vehicles on the road for its driver. Its driver death rate of 52 per million registered vehicle years is 39% higher than the average, and it ranks 106th of 129 vehicles across all classes.
How does the Chevrolet Equinox compare with other SUVs?
It ranks 43rd of 46 SUVs. The safest is the Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD, with a rate of 0.
Is the 2WD or 4WD Chevrolet Equinox safer?
The 4WD version had the lower driver death rate (2WD: 67, 4WD: 41). Their ranges overlap, so the difference may be down to chance.
Why is this different from the Chevrolet Equinox's crash-test rating?
Crash-test stars only compare vehicles of similar size and weight, so a 5-star small car and a 5-star SUV aren't equally safe. This ranking uses real-world driver death rates, which can be compared across every class.
* Driver deaths per million registered vehicle years. A registered vehicle year is one vehicle registered for one year.