The most searched question about these two crossovers is which one is bigger, and the honest answer is smaller than the price gap suggests.
A 2026 Equinox runs 183.2 inches long on a 107.5-inch wheelbase. A 2026 Trax runs 178.6 inches on a 106.0-inch wheelbase. Four and a half inches separate them, and an inch and a half of that is wheelbase.
Cargo is where the money goes. The Equinox holds 63.5 cubic feet with the rear seats folded against the Trax’s 54.1, a difference of 9.4 cubic feet or roughly 17 percent. It also brings 38 more horsepower, an available all-wheel-drive system the Trax cannot be ordered with, and a $5,600 premium at matched trim.
Key Takeaways
- The Equinox is 4.6 inches longer at 183.2 inches against 178.6, on a wheelbase 1.5 inches longer. The length gap is close to the one between the Trax and the smaller Trailblazer.
- Cargo is the real separation. 63.5 cubic feet maximum against the Trax’s 54.1, about 17 percent more room.
- A Trax LT costs $23,200 against $28,800 for an Equinox LT, a $5,600 gap before options or destination.
- Only the Equinox offers all-wheel drive, at $30,800 for an LT AWD. No Trax can be ordered with it.
- The Equinox makes 175 hp and 184 lb-ft from a 1.5-liter four, rising to 203 lb-ft on all-wheel-drive models, against 137 hp and 162 lb-ft from the Trax’s 1.2-liter three.
- The Trax is the more efficient car, EPA-rated at 30 mpg combined against 27 for a front-drive Equinox and 26 once all-wheel drive is added.
- The complaint comparison reverses depending on model year. For 2024 the Equinox looks far better; for 2025 it looks worse, because Chevrolet redesigned it for that year.
- Only the Equinox tows, rated at 800 pounds in front-drive form and 1,500 with all-wheel drive. Chevrolet publishes no tow rating for the Trax.
How Much Bigger Is the Equinox?
| Measurement | 2026 Trax | 2026 Equinox | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall length | 178.6 in | 183.2 in | +4.6 in |
| Wheelbase | 106.0 in | 107.5 in | +1.5 in |
| Cargo, seats up | 25.6 cu ft | 29.8 cu ft | +4.2 cu ft |
| Maximum cargo | 54.1 cu ft | 63.5 cu ft | +9.4 cu ft |
| Horsepower | 137 hp @ 5,000 rpm | 175 hp | +38 hp |
| Torque | 162 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm | 184 lb-ft (203 AWD) | +22 lb-ft |
| EPA combined | 30 mpg | 27 mpg front-drive, 26 all-wheel drive | Trax by 3 |
| Towing | Not rated | 800 lbs front-drive, 1,500 all-wheel drive | Equinox only |
| All-wheel drive | Not offered | Available | Equinox only |
Read that table as two separate stories. On exterior footprint the two cars are closer than the segment labels imply, separated by less than the length of a laptop. On what the car will carry and pull, the Equinox is a genuine class above.
A shopper measuring a parking space will not find much between them. A shopper loading a bicycle or towing a small utility trailer will.
The Chevy Size Ladder Does Not Match the Price Ladder
Chevrolet’s three small crossovers do not line up the way their prices do.
| Model | Length | Base MSRP (LT or equivalent) |
|---|---|---|
| Trailblazer | 174.07 in (shortest) | $24,500 |
| Trax | 178.6 in | $23,200 (least expensive) |
| Equinox | 183.2 in (longest) | $28,800 |
The least expensive of the three is the middle one by length, and the Trailblazer costs more than the Trax while being the smallest car of the set. Only the Equinox occupies the position its price implies.
Working down the price list, the size ordering breaks at the first rung. The full Trax and Trailblazer comparison is covered in our head-to-head on those two.
Powertrains
Every Trax uses a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder producing 137 hp @ 5,000 rpm and 162 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm, driving the front wheels through a six-speed automatic.
Equinox buyers get a 1.5-liter turbocharged four rated at 175 horsepower and 184 lb-ft, with torque rising to 203 lb-ft on all-wheel-drive cars. Front-drive Equinoxes use a CVT. Ordering all-wheel drive swaps that for an eight-speed automatic.
Two consequences follow. The Trax is the only one of the pair with a conventional stepped automatic in front-drive form, which some shoppers seek out. And the Equinox pays for its extra output at the pump, rated at 26 city and 29 highway for 27 combined in front-drive form against the Trax’s 28, 32 and 30. Ordering all-wheel drive costs another mpg in each direction, at 25, 29 and 26.
Over 15,000 miles at $3.30 a gallon, the front-drive gap is worth about $185 a year.
Pricing
| Configuration | MSRP |
|---|---|
| Trax LT (front-drive) | $23,200 |
| Trax ACTIV (front-drive) | $25,400 |
| Equinox LT (front-drive) | $28,800 |
| Equinox LT all-wheel drive | $30,800 |
Matched at LT, the Equinox asks $5,600 more. Adding all-wheel drive widens that to $7,600, and there is no Trax configuration that answers it at any price.
For context on how far options move the Trax, one 2026 Trax 1LT fitted with the Sunroof, Driver Confidence, Midnight Edition and LT Convenience packages stickers at $27,975 including $1,795 destination. A loaded Trax and a base front-drive Equinox land within about $800 of each other.
That overlap is where the decision happens. A buyer at roughly $28,000 is choosing between a nearly fully equipped small car and a plainly equipped larger one.
What Owners Report, and Why the Answer Flips
These two sell in almost identical numbers, which makes a volume-adjusted comparison unusually clean. Chevrolet delivered 200,688 Trax and 207,732 Equinoxes during calendar 2024.
| Model year | Trax complaints | Equinox complaints | Which looks better |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 141 | 49 | Equinox, by about three to one |
| 2025 | 65 | 166 | Trax, by roughly two to one |
| 2026 | 4 | 30 | Trax, on very small numbers |
The reversal is not noise. Chevrolet introduced an all-new Equinox for the 2025 model year, and launch years generate complaints. The 2024 figures compare a first-year Trax against a mature Equinox; the 2025 figures compare a second-year Trax against a first-year Equinox. Both times the newer design carries the heavier count.
Two further cautions apply to the Equinox column specifically, and they are the reason this comparison stops short of a verdict.
The public record for the Equinox nameplate blends the gasoline crossover with the separate Equinox EV, which is a different vehicle on a different platform. Several recent recall campaigns filed under the Equinox name apply only to the EV. Complaint counts under that badge should not be read as describing the gas car alone.
Chevrolet’s reported Equinox sales carry the same blending, so dividing one by the other compounds rather than corrects the problem.
What survives all of that is narrower than a reliability ranking. Neither car has an established multi-year record in its current form, both were redesigned within two model years of each other, and the model year a buyer is looking at matters more than the badge. Detail for each sits in the Trax reliability record and the Equinox entry.
One difference does not depend on any of that. Nine fire reports appear against 2024 and 2025 Trax models. The Equinox record shows one across the same two years, and the engine in the Trax is the subject of a class action covered in our report on the 1.2-liter failures.
Which to Buy
Buy the Equinox if you need all-wheel drive, towing, or the cargo hold. Those three are absolute rather than marginal. The Trax offers none of them at any price.
Buy the Trax if the budget is the constraint. $5,600 at matched trim is most of a year of payments, and the Trax returns three more mpg on top of it.
Buy the Trax if you want a conventional automatic. Front-drive Equinoxes use a CVT. Every Trax uses a six-speed.
Look hard at a loaded Trax against a base Equinox around $28,000. That is the price where the two overlap, and the choice becomes equipment versus space rather than one car versus another.
Check the model year before the badge. Both nameplates were redesigned recently, and a 2024 Equinox and a 2025 Equinox are not the same vehicle.
Verdict
The Equinox is bigger, but not in the way its price implies. Four and a half inches of length separate these two, against a $5,600 gap at matched trim. The money buys cargo volume, 38 horsepower, a tow rating and the option of all-wheel drive, and every one of those is a capability the Trax lacks rather than does less well.
Chevrolet’s small-crossover lineup rewards reading the spec sheet instead of the price list. The Trax is longer than the Trailblazer that costs more than it, and shorter than the Equinox by about the same margin. Length, price and segment label all disagree.
On owner data neither earns a clean recommendation over the other, because both are early in redesigned lives and the Equinox record is entangled with its electric namesake. Buyers who need what the Equinox uniquely offers should pay for it. Buyers who do not are being asked $5,600 for four inches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chevy Equinox bigger than the Trax?
Yes, by 4.6 inches of overall length, at 183.2 inches against the Trax’s 178.6, on a wheelbase 1.5 inches longer. The larger difference is inside: maximum cargo volume is 63.5 cubic feet in the Equinox against 54.1 in the Trax, about 17 percent more room with the rear seats folded.
What is the price difference between the Trax and Equinox?
About $5,600 at matched trim. A 2026 Trax LT starts at $23,200 and a 2026 Equinox LT at $28,800, both before destination and options. Adding all-wheel drive to the Equinox raises its LT price to $30,800, widening the gap to $7,600, and no Trax offers all-wheel drive at any price.
Does the Chevy Trax or Equinox get better gas mileage?
The Trax, by three mpg combined against a front-drive Equinox. It is EPA-rated at 28 city, 32 highway and 30 combined, against 26, 29 and 27 for the front-drive Equinox and 25, 29 and 26 once all-wheel drive is added. Across 15,000 miles a year at $3.30 a gallon, the front-drive difference is worth roughly $185 annually.
Which is more powerful, the Trax or the Equinox?
The Equinox, by 38 horsepower. Its 1.5-liter turbocharged four makes 175 hp and 184 lb-ft, rising to 203 lb-ft on all-wheel-drive models. The Trax uses a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder rated at 137 hp @ 5,000 rpm and 162 lb-ft @ 2,500 rpm.
Can the Chevy Trax tow?
Chevrolet publishes no tow rating for the Trax. The Equinox is rated to tow 800 pounds in front-drive form and 1,500 pounds with all-wheel drive, the latter covering a small utility trailer or a pair of personal watercraft. Buyers who need to pull anything should treat this as deciding the comparison outright, and should note that the useful number requires the all-wheel-drive car.
Which is more reliable, the Trax or the Equinox?
Neither has an established record in its current form, and the answer changes by model year. For 2024 the Equinox logged 49 complaints against the Trax’s 141; for 2025 the positions reverse, at 166 against 65, because Chevrolet introduced an all-new Equinox for that year. Complaint data filed under the Equinox name also blends the gasoline car with the separate Equinox EV, which limits what the comparison can settle.
Is a loaded Trax better value than a base Equinox?
They meet at roughly $28,000, so it comes down to equipment against space. A 2026 Trax 1LT with the Sunroof, Driver Confidence, Midnight Edition and LT Convenience packages stickers at $27,975 including destination, close to a front-drive Equinox LT at $28,800. The Trax buyer gets more features, the Equinox buyer gets 9.4 more cubic feet of cargo and the option of all-wheel drive later.
Sources and Disclosure
Specifications and pricing are manufacturer figures, verified against chevrolet.com and published spec databases in July 2026, and exclude destination unless noted. Complaint and recall data comes from the NHTSA databases and The Weekly Driver’s reliability records. Complaint counts are owner filings and are unverified, and records filed under the Equinox name include the separate Equinox EV. Sales figures are US deliveries by calendar year. The manufacturer provided The Weekly Driver with a 2026 Chevrolet Trax 1LT, which supplied the photography published here. No driving evaluation informed the analysis.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
https://theweeklydriver.com