Will consumers be drawn to the Chevrolet Trax’s low entry price of under $22,000? Seeing as the average price of an SUV is double that, it’s a good bet Chevrolet will get their attention.
The 2025 Chevrolet Trax is in the very competitive small SUV category, including the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona and Tucson, Toyota Corolla Cross, Kia Soul, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-5, and Nissan Kicks. To stand out from this crowded field, the Trax holds its own by offering a roomy interior with ample storage space, good technology, and highway fuel economy in the low 30s for MPGs.
Drivetrain
The 2025 Chevrolet Trax is powered by a turbocharged 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission driving the front wheels. There is no AWD option. The three-lunger puts out 137 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque with peak power at 2,500 RPM getting from 0 to 60 mph in about 9 seconds.
The Trax is EPA rated at 28 City / 32 Highway / 30 combined. In 189 miles of mostly in-town driving we averaged 28.8 mpg, with the best we achieved over a pure 50-mile highway run at 65 mph was 33.2 MPG.
Hitting The Road
The Trax ACTIV weighs in at a relatively trim 2,983 pounds. This is a good thing, as the small engine displacement means momentum is everything. When merging or climbing a hill, the 1.2-liter turbocharged engine needed to be pushed. Once in sixth gear and cruising at freeway speeds, there is a lack of torque when passing. Turbo lag coupled with waiting for the transmission to drop down a gear or two, requires forward planning before passing.
The remedy for this and, to squeeze out as much oomph as possible, I used the manual shift mode. When needing to hold a gear or accelerate harder, simply press the button on the left side of the gear shifter and then pull back to drop into a lower gear. It worked remarkably well and became my go-to for steady acceleration. With this said, the Trax is not a sporty SUV, and Chevrolet does not market it as such.
The suspension, which could have been firmer, made for an overall smooth highway ride. Certain road imperfections challenged the Trax, with jolts being felt, and body roll, if not pushed too hard around a corner, was acceptable. Wind noise was nearly non-existent, with the power windows and the power glass sliding sunroof ($895 option) closed. When the sunroof was open, there was a buffeting “thud, thud, thud” sound. That went away when opening one of the windows about an inch. This isn’t unique to the Chevrolet Trax, but is something designers should make sure doesn’t happen.
The electric-assisted power steering was light, which is fine as the Trax is happiest when tooling around the city. The Goodyear Assurance 225/55 all-season tires on 18-inch gloss black aluminum wheels provided good maneuverability and grip. Stopping was straight from power-assisted ventilated front disc and rear drum brakes, electronic brake force distribution, cornering brake control, brake assist, with a 4-wheel Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and Stability and Traction Control.
Small SUV, Roomy Interior
There are five Trax trim levels of LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS, and ACTIV.
Our Trax ACTIV had comfortable seating for four with good rear head and leg room. The rear 60:40 seats fold to a near-flat position. Storage is ample with the rear seat up. With the rear seats folded, cargo space expands to 54.1 cubic feet.
Trax has a manual lift gate with a convenient low lift-over load height, leading to an almost flat floor. Hard and soft plastic on the dash and door panel surfaces were of an expected level for an affordable car.
Chevrolet says the Trax has a thoughtfully designed interior, maximizing comfort. For the most part, I agree. Our Trax’s interior color was black with gray insets on the seats and door panels, and tasteful brushed aluminum accents. The seats were covered in EcoTex. This is a synthetic leather-like material designed to be durable, stain-resistant, and easy to clean. The heated front seats provided good support, with the driver’s being 8-way power adjustable and the passenger 4-way manual. The padded center armrest opened for storage.
Tech and Entertainment
The infotainment screen tilts toward the driver. The car has all the connected technology people have come to expect. The 11-inch color touchscreen handled the HD rear vision camera and the six-speaker sound system with AM/FM/HD, SiriusXM. Other features include USB-C and A ports, OnStar voice recognition, Bluetooth streaming audio, hands-free telephone, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility. A Wi-Fi Hotspot is available with a separate AT&T service and data plan.
The Trax’s dash layout is simple and straightforward. It features a tachometer and speedometer as part of the 8-inch driver information center. All controls are within easy reach of the driver, including wheels, knobs and switches for the radio and climate controls. But…
The climate control wheels are large enough to use when wearing gloves. However, the radio only had a volume knob, no channel knob. The main controls are on the touchscreen. The leather-wrapped steering wheel-mounted audio and telephone controls are backups for convenience, or if the screen decides not to cooperate. The system worked well during my time with the Trax. But are both volume and channel selection knobs really too much to ask for?
Exterior
The Trax has different cues separating each of the trims. The ACTIV we drove had wide-set LED slim headlights sitting outside a black grille with titanium-chrome accents. Our Trax ACTIV had black roof rails framing the power glass sliding sunroof.
Safety and Convenience
The 2025 Trax has a 5 Star NHTSA government rating and comes with safety and convenience features. This includes 10 airbags, tire pressure monitoring system, forward collision alert with emergency braking, and lane keep assist. As part of the Driver Confidence Package ($795 option), buyers also get rear cross traffic alert, lane change, and side blind zone alert, adaptive cruise control, and rear park assist.
Pricing and Warranties
These 2025 base prices include the $1,095 destination charge.
- LS: $21,595
- 1RS: $23,595
- LT: $23,795
- 2RS: $25,595
- ACTIV: $25,595
The 2025 Trax comes with these warranties.
- Bumper To Bumper: 3 years/36,000 miles
- Powertrain: 5 years/60,000 miles
Observations: 2025 Chevrolet Trax ACTIV
Chevrolet offers an SUV in every size from small to very large, propelled by gasoline, diesel, or electricity. The 2025 Trax comes in at the small end of their SUV spectrum and is the brand’s least expensive vehicle. In increasing order of size, their SUV line-up is the Trax, Trailblazer, Equinox, Blazer, Traverse, Tahoe, and Suburban. Chevrolet doesn’t want you looking elsewhere when going bigger as your family is growing, or when all the kids have moved out, and smaller becomes better once again.
The Trax is comfortable for four adults and shines for commuting and shorter-range road trips. It is a good value for the money considering the features and roomy interior. As the least expensive vehicle sold by Chevrolet, it’s an inexpensive way to transition from a small sedan to an SUV.
Author: John Faulkner
John Faulkner is the Road Test Editor and Senior Writer at Clean Fleet Report. He has more than 30 years’ experience branding, launching, and marketing automobiles. He has worked with General Motors (all Divisions), Chrysler (Dodge, Jeep, Eagle), Ford and Lincoln-Mercury, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Toyota on consumer events, vehicle launches, and sales training programs. His interest in automobiles is broad and deep, beginning as a child riding in the back seat of his parent’s 1950 Studebaker. He is a journalist member of the Motor Press Guild and Western Automotive Journalists.