If you want to talk about an automotive version of sibling rivalry, look no further than the Chevrolet Trax and Chevrolet Trailblazer. These two small SUVs are as alike as two stars in the same constellation. They feature versatile crossover interiors, plenty of cargo space, and handy exterior dimensions. Amazingly, the same brand offers these two models, which share so many attributes. Based on their deliverables, each is the other's most direct competitor, like Cain and Abel, Romulus and Remus, and Moe and Curly.
The similarities between the two are startling. Both are subcompact crossovers that accommodate as many as five with split-folding rear seats and cargo holds almost identical in volume. Each offers a high-tech infotainment system with a large touchscreen and multiple upscale features. Both also feature advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that belie their low price tags.
Speaking of price tags, that is one of the keys to the popularity of both models. In an era when the roster of new models under $25K is getting smaller by the day, these two fit solidly into that category.
Of course, as with twins, significant differences also exist between the two. Yes, they share the same base engine—a turbocharged three-cylinder. But while Trax buyers have no other choices, those looking at the Trailblazer can opt for a more powerful turbo-three with a tenth of a liter more displacement. Perhaps more importantly, the Trailblazer offers all-wheel-drive (AWD) variants, while the Trax uses only its front wheels to pull it forward.
Neither SUV is particularly well-suited to take you off the pavement and up to the Great Divide. But for those seeking an economical-to-buy and easy-to-own small vehicle that punches way over its weight in versatility, these two sibs are more than worthy of your attention. Here is an incisive comparison of the 2025 Chevrolet Trax and the 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Activ
Chevrolet presents prospective buyers with five trim levels for the 2025 Trax: LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS, and Activ. All come with front-wheel drive (FWD), and AWD is not an option. The entry-level LS starts at $20,400, while the Activ and 2RS trims share a base price of $24,300. Prices do not include the $1,095 destination charge. Given these suggested prices, the Trax ranks among the most affordable new vehicles in the United States.
The 2025 Trax offers complimentary scheduled maintenance for the first year or 12,000 miles and free roadside assistance for five years or 60,000 miles. Owners benefit from OnStar Basics services, which include remote functions, navigation, and automated crash response. The standard Teen Driver feature provides driving report cards and vehicle monitoring.
The 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer offers the choice of four trims: LS, LT, Activ, and RS. Front-wheel drive is standard on all trims, but unlike the Trax, AWD is available on all four Trailblazer trims. Chevrolet prices the least costly FWD LS at a base of $23,100, while in a similar fashion to the Trax pricing, the Activ and RS trims have a base price of $27,700—the most expensive in the lineup. Prices do not include the $1,295 destination charge. Adding AWD increases the cost of each by $2,000.
Like the Trax, the 2025 Trailblazer comes with complimentary roadside assistance for five years or 60,000 miles, and the first scheduled maintenance visit is free. Regarding connectivity, the Trailblazer features OnStar Basics, free for eight years. It includes remote commands, built-in voice assistance, real-time traffic and navigation, and automatic crash response.
Advantage: Neither
Why? The Trax has a $2,700 price advantage, but if you believe an SUV should have AWD as an option, the Trailblazer is the choice.
Photo: Tim Stevens
2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer RS
The Chevrolet Trax ranks third in the Small SUV segment in the JD Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which assesses owner-reported problems during the third year of ownership.
The Trax does not rank among the top three models in its segment in the JD Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), which tracks problems experienced by owners during the first 90 days.
The 2025 Chevrolet Trax offers a standard three-year, 36,000-mile warranty and a powertrain warranty of five years or 60,000 miles.
The Chevrolet Trailblazer does not rank among the top three models in the Small SUV segment in either the 2024 VDS or the 2024 IQS. Not surprisingly, its warranty coverage exactly matches that of the Trax.
Advantage: Chevrolet Trax
Why? The Trax ranks third in its segment in vehicle dependability.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Activ
Chevrolet equips the 2025 Trax with a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that delivers 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque. This compact engine teams with a conventional six-speed automatic transmission that enhances the driving experience, making it feel more energetic than competitors like the Trailblazer, whose FWD versions use a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). Those seeking AWD for inclement weather driving won't find it in the FWD-only Trax.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the 2025 Trax achieves an estimated 30 mpg in combined driving when using regular-octane gasoline.
The 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer offers the same base engine as the Trax: a 1.2-liter turbo-three rated at 137 hp and 162 pound-feet of torque. However, rather than a conventional automatic, it works with a CVT. Unlike the Trax, the Trailblazer has an optional turbocharged 1.3-liter three-cylinder engine with 155 hp and 174 pound-feet of torque. Another difference is that the Trailblazer offers the option of AWD. It's only available with the more powerful engine and includes a switch from a CVT to a nine-speed conventional automatic transmission.
The EPA rates the FWD version of the 2025 Trailblazer with the 1.2-liter engine at 30 mpg in combined driving; the 1.3-liter engine gets a 31-mpg combined rating. The AWD version gets 27 mpg combined.
Advantage: Chevrolet Trailblazer
Why? Neither of these small SUVs will set your heart—or the rest of your body—racing, but the Trailblazer with the more powerful optional engine and AWD presents the best combination of fun-to-drive and all-weather traction.
Photo: Tim Stevens
2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer RS
At this point, it is reasonable for any consumer to expect a brand-new vehicle to include the following safety features:
So, how do the Trax and Trailblazer stack up? Let's take a look.
Although the 2025 Chevrolet Trax is budget-friendly, it features a praiseworthy ADAS selection, both standard and optional. Most of the above-mentioned technologies come in the standard Chevy Safety Assist package. Also standard is GM's Teen Driver monitoring system, rear-seat reminder, and a following-distance indicator. Optional ADAS and safety gear include adaptive cruise control, rear parking assistance, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2025 Chevrolet Trax four out of five stars overall for crashworthiness. In evaluations by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Trax received a "Good" rating in the small overlap front and original moderate overlap front tests, "Poor" in the new moderate overlap front test, and "Acceptable" in the revised side test. The Institute did not award a Top Safety Pick to the Trax.
The 2025 Trailblazer employs the Chevy Safety Assist ADAS suite; it includes virtually the same standard and optional features as the Trax. Chevy combines rear cross-traffic warning, rear parking assistance, and blind-spot warning in an optional Driver Confidence package on upper trims. At the same time, the automaker includes adaptive cruise control in a package with a Bose seven-speaker audio system. The standard Teen Driver system provides in-vehicle safety report cards and mutes the radio until front-seat occupants fasten their seat belts.
The NHTSA gave the 2025 Trailblazer the maximum five-star overall safety rating. Meanwhile, the IIHS assigned the Trailblazer Good ratings in the three crash tests that it completed, but it did not name the SUV a Top Safety Pick.
Advantage: Chevrolet Trailblazer
Why? The Trailblazer outperforms the Trax in NHTSA crash tests.
2025 Chevrolet Trax Activ
Chevrolet designed the 2025 Trax to attract younger consumers, so it’s packed with technology. The lower trims feature an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, while the higher trims have an 11-inch touchscreen as standard. Both setups support wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, voice commands, Bluetooth audio streaming for two devices, and a SiriusXM satellite radio trial subscription. The higher-end trims also have an 8-inch digital driver information display and six audio speakers.
For the 2025 Trax, Chevy offers a wide range of OnStar telematics packages. Buyers benefit from up to eight years of complimentary OnStar Basics service, which includes real-time vehicle status alerts, on-demand diagnostics, remote control capabilities, and automatic crash response. The Teen Driver monitoring system comes standard, along with two in-dash USB ports. A subscription-based Wi-Fi hotspot is optional. Like the sibling Trailblazer, every 2025 Trax includes active noise cancellation.
The 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer gives buyers an 11-inch touchscreen infotainment display with an 8-inch color driver information screen. The system features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth that supports two devices simultaneously, and a SiriusXM trial subscription. The Trailblazer also has USB-C and USB-A ports in the instrument panel and Wi-Fi hotspot capability (by subscription.) The base audio system has four speakers; a seven-speaker Bose system is available.
The Trailblazer's OnStar Basics connected services are complimentary for eight years after purchase. These include remote commands, built-in voice assistance, real-time traffic and navigation, and automatic crash response services. Additional OnStar features are available by subscription. Like the Chevy Trax, the 2025 Trailblazer benefits from active noise cancellation.
Advantage: Chevrolet Trailblazer
Why? The Trailblazer has a bigger standard touchscreen, but otherwise, these two SUVs are alike as two Tootsie Rolls in a Halloween bag.
Photo: Tim Stevens
2024 Chevrolet Trailblazer RS
The 2025 Chevrolet Trax features a functional and appealing interior that accommodates up to five passengers with total cargo space virtually identical to that of the Trailblazer. Across all trims, Chevy upholsters the seats in cloth, with unique trim details differentiating each grade.
Higher trims offer an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat, while heated front seats and a heated steering wheel come standard on some trims and are optional on others. The base LS trim includes manual heating and air conditioning controls; all others feature single-zone automatic climate control as standard.
The 2025 Trailblazer and Trax offer nearly identical passenger and cargo capacities due to their comparable size and similar wheelbases. The Trax provides 25.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the 60/40 split-folding second row; that space increases to 54.1 cubic feet when you fold the rear seats. The Trax has a manually operated liftgate, but the SUV offers an optional foldable, detachable cargo organizer for securing items during travel.
Like the Trax, the five-passenger 2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer is among the least expensive models currently available in the United States. Nevertheless, it sports a charming cabin. By the tale of the tape, the Trailblazer and Trax offer the same passenger volume, and their leg-, head-, and hip-room measurements are also remarkably similar.
Chevrolet makes cloth upholstery standard in the Trailblazer LS and LT, while the Active and RS offer a more upscale synthetic upholstery. Chevrolet makes single-zone automatic climate control an option on the top trims.
The lower trims have manually adjustable front seats, while the Activ and RS offer drivers an eight-way power-adjustable seat. Heated front seats come standard on the Activ and RS and are available on the LT, but you can’t get them on the base LS.
Behind the rear seat, the Trailblazer provides 25.3 cubic feet of cargo space; with the 60/40-split rear seat folded, 54.4 cubic feet of space opens up. The Trailblazer's front passenger seat also folds flat, and the seatback has a hard plastic surface so cargo can extend into the front passenger area. With the optional Convenience package, the Activ and RS include a hands-free power programmable liftgate.
Advantage: Neither
Why? Functionally, these two are as similar as a pair of socks, so your preference for the looks is the decider.
If you’d like to learn more about these small SUVs, be sure to read our expert reviews of the Chevrolet Trax and Chevrolet Trailblazer. To find out how people like you rate models in this segment, check out our ratings from verified vehicle owners.
Also, please remember that while the information in this article was accurate and valid on January 30, 2025, it may have changed since that date. Always confirm product details and availability with the automaker’s website or your local dealership.
Jack R. Nerad has reviewed cars, trucks, vans, and SUVs for over three decades. He also managed the editorial efforts of MotorTrend, JD Power, and Kelley Blue Book. Jack currently hosts the Sports Byline Network program "America on the Road," available on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Audacy, Amazon Music, and other outlets.
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