Which Years Of Used Chevy Cruzes Are Most Reliable?
Chevy Cruze by Elise240SX - CC-BY-SA-4.0
When it comes to used car shopping, many people tend to gravitate towards pickup trucks and SUVs – which makes sense since they offer more utility as a whole. However, if you’re looking for an excellent daily driver and city jaunter, it’s hard to go wrong with a small compact car. With that said, one of the more popular compact cars you can buy in the used car market is the Chevrolet Cruze.
The Chevy Cruze was a sporty compact car that replaced the unimpressive Cobalt as the company’s mainstream small vehicle. Besides the handsome styling, the Cruze offered good handling and a firm but steady ride. The Cruze’s cabin was also nicely finished, with ample space for front passengers but with rather tight rear seats. Unfortunately, its production was discontinued in 2019.
Unfortunately, not all Chevy Cruzes are reliable. In fact, many Cruze model years have a history of mechanical issues. So which is the most reliable year of Chevy Cruze?
THE CHEVY CRUZE YEARS TO AVOID
As with most cars, not every year of the Chevy Cruze is worth your money. It’s vital to understand which Chevy Cruze years to avoid and which ones you can feel safe investing your cash in.
For today’s post, we go through all two generations of the Chevy Cruze and determine which model years you should consider buying and which ones to avoid.
2011-2015 Chevrolet Cruze
The Chevy Cruze was a compact car that took a stance with poise and confidence. Some say the first-gen Cruze was one of GM’s most important cars.
Avoid: 2011 Chevy Cruze
Unfortunately, the Cruze’s debut model was anything but reliable. The 2011 model year has the most number of complaints from CarComplaints.com, and many of its reliability woes were due to its transmission. According to many frustrated owners, the 2011 Cruze had a problematic transmission – from completely failing to not shifting correctly. The transmission went out at a relatively low mileage, which worsened the issue.
Another widely reported issue regarding the 2011 Cruze is the smell of antifreeze in the car. Apparently, this model year was very prone to coolant leaks, leading to a class-action lawsuit.
NOT JUST FOR CAR SHOPPING
The CoPilot app isn’t just for buying a car - our new CoPilot for Owning tool will help you keep track of recalls and gives you advice on which scheduled maintenance tasks are most important.
Avoid: 2012 Chevy Cruze
Sadly, the 2012 Chevy Cruze wasn’t any better and inherited many of the reliability issues of the debut model. Two of its main issues were the faulty, sluggish transmission and the dreaded antifreeze smell in the car due to coolant leaks. According to CarComplaints.com, the 2012 Cruze racked up over 1,000 complaints, seven recalls, and the “Beware of the Clunker” badge.
According to the written complaints, the transmission whined, won’t go on reverse, and outright stopped working. In some cases, the failure would occur while driving, which is a considerable safety risk—definitely not the most reliable year of the Chevy Cruze.
Buy: 2013 Chevy Cruze
The 2013 Chevy Cruze is one of the better first-gen models, but only by a little. It offers good handling, decent cargo space, and higher safety scores than the competition. The 2013 Cruze also struggled with transmission issues, but they’re not as bad as the two previous models. Unfortunately, it received many reports regarding electrical issues, including faulty sensors and computer problems. Is it the most reliable year of Chevy Cruze? Probably not, but it’s still worth the look.
Avoid: 2014 Chevy Cruze
The 2014 Chevy Cruze isn’t the most problematic model of the first generation, but it’s hard to recommend because of its various issues. CarComplaints says that the 2014 Cruze has over 1,000 complaints and seven recalls under its belt. However, its problems are a lot less severe than previous models. One of its top reported issues is that the car refuses to shift correctly, especially when downshifting.
IS GAP INSURANCE WORTH IT?
Gap insurance can prevent you from making payments on an already-totalled car, but is gap insurance worth it? We break down what gap insurance is, if it’s worth it, and more - simply and with plenty of examples.
Buy: 2015 Chevy Cruze
When it comes to complaints, the 2015 Cruze received only 400+ complaints and four recalls, which is pretty good considering the earlier models. Regarding major issues, the 2015 Chevy Cruze has no significant complaints from owners. Better yet, it doesn’t have the awful transmission problem that plagued the earlier models. Plus, it offers excellent fuel economy.
2016-2019 Chevrolet Cruze
The Cruze was redesigned for 2016, kicking off the compact sedan’s second and final generation. It featured a roomier interior with modern tech features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.
Avoid: 2016 Chevy Cruze
Although the second-generation Cruze fared better than the first-gen lineup in reliability, the debut 2016 model had some major mechanical issues. According to Consumer Reports, the 2016 Cruze has poor reliability and earned a verdict of 1.0 out of 5.0. Furthermore, CR’s research revealed that the 2016 Cruze had several trouble spots, including the engine, cooling system, electrical systems, and brakes.
One owner claimed an incident of “burnt or cracked a piston and had to replace all four pistons,” which generally means an engine rebuild or replacement. Meanwhile, another user wrote that the car had a bad thermostat which led to overheating.
Buy: 2017-2018 Chevy Cruze
Both the 2017 and 2018 models were good years for the Chevy Cruze. If you’re looking for the most reliable year of Chevy Cruze with newer tech and safety features, these two models are worth checking out. However, the 2017 Cruze had some issues with cracked pistons which can occur at lower mileage. Besides that, it doesn’t have other major problems that would prevent us from recommending this model.
On the other hand, the 2018 Cruze is also another solid year for reliability. It received a reliability verdict of 3.0 out of 5.0 from CR, an average score. There were some reports of slipping transmission, but they’re too few to be considered widespread.
THE BEST USED LUXURY CARS ON THE MARKET
Buying a used or CPO luxury car is one of the smartest buys you can make - you can get a lot of car for not much money. You can pick up a three-year-old luxury car for about half of what you’d pay new. Check out this list of the best used luxury cars on the market to find the best deals.
Buy: 2019 Chevy Cruze
Chevrolet’s swansong for the Cruze is also a good option if you’re looking for the newest vehicle this model has to offer. It offers a long list of standard features, an intuitive, modern infotainment system, spacious seats and cargo, and terrific fuel economy. J.D. Power gave the 2019 Cruze a Quality & Reliability score of 87 out of 100, and it’s their #1 Compact Car for that particular year. Overall, the 2019 Chevy Cruze ticks all the right boxes that make it an excellent used compact car. It has an average retail price of $13,525 - $17,025, so you’re looking at a great value proposition here.
Frequently Asked Questions: Chevy Cruze’s Reliability
Q: Which years of the Chevy Cruze should I avoid?
A: Avoid the 2011 and 2012 Chevy Cruze models due to their significant reliability issues, including problematic transmissions and coolant leaks. The 2014 model also had its share of problems, making it hard to recommend despite being less severe than its predecessors.
Q: What are the common problems with the 2011 and 2012 Chevy Cruze models?
A: The 2011 and 2012 models suffered from transmission failures, difficulty shifting, and a notable antifreeze smell inside the car due to coolant leaks. These issues led to a high volume of complaints and recalls.
Q: Are there any Chevy Cruze models from the first generation that are recommended?
A: The 2013 Chevy Cruze is considered one of the better options from the first generation, offering good handling and higher safety scores. However, it still faced transmission and electrical issues, albeit less severe than the earlier models.
Q: Is the 2019 Chevy Cruze a good used car option?
A: Yes, the 2019 Chevy Cruze is a great option if you’re looking for a newer model with a long list of standard features, a modern infotainment system, spacious seating, and excellent fuel economy. It also received good scores for quality and reliability.
Get a Curated List of the Best Used Cars Near You
The CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a car. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll search the inventories of every dealership in your area to make you a personalized list of the best car listings in your area.
Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars five years or newer with low mileage — CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.
The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices — just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.
