2025 Chevrolet Malibu

It’s had a good run. Chevrolet launched this generation of Malibu for the 2016 model year. In that time, it’s been a credible alternative to the Big Two of this class — the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Camry, incidentally, remains one of Toyota’s best-sellers. And this may be surprising, but the Malibu still performs respectably here. It may be primarily to fleet buyers and rental companies, but even so.

Our many owner reviews have a high opinion of the Malibu in general. That kind of feedback from people who live with a car for an extended time is always a good sign. It’s just that Chevrolet has been directing more of its resources to SUVs and electric vehicles. Such is the changing nature of the car world. But if anyone wants to keep the spirit of ’16 alive (when the first “Deadpool” movie debuted), then they might want to snag a new Malibu while they can.

We’ve logged hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of midsize cars, including the Chevrolet Malibu.

Chevrolet has announced that this is the final year for the Malibu as we know it. Perhaps an all-electric sedan might inherit the name at some point, but that’s it for now.

The RS is the most popular version among individual car buyers, and if you twisted our metaphorical arm to recommend a Malibu model, we’d say this was worth a look. Spend any more money, and contemporary rivals with stronger resale values start to look attainable. Those rivals include the Honda Accord, Kia K5, Hyundai Sonata, and the all-hybrid Toyota Camry — most of these still start below $30,000.

Before buying a new Malibu sedan, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Resale values are well below the class average. Remember, recouping more money when selling a vehicle can mean a bigger down payment and lower monthly payments on the next one.

The Malibu comes with 163 horsepower, the least amount of muscle in its class. As with many others in the segment, the Malibu uses an automatic transmission engineered for fuel efficiency rather than maximizing power. Consequently, it requires nearly eight seconds to saunter from a standstill to 60 mph.

For people who simply need to get somewhere safely, acceleration may not be a major concern. The Malibu has sufficient oomph to propel it up a freeway entrance ramp into the flow of traffic. If we did want to compare, the base Honda Accord (with the same kind of engine as the Malibu, but enjoying 192 horsepower) would hit 60 mph about a second sooner.

Even so, the Malibu’s ride quality is comfortable, the handling is completely predictable, cabin noise levels are acceptable, and if this was the last available vehicle on the rental-car lot, we wouldn’t demand to see the manager.

Fuel Economy

The Malibu achieves 30 mpg in combined city/highway driving. That’s almost in line with more modern rivals like the base Honda Accord (the non-hybrid version), which manages 32 mpg combined. Or the Kia K5’s 31 mpg combined. Both of these also offer more power, however.

Compare the cabin of the 2025 Malibu with something more contemporary like the Kia K5, and it’s readily apparent that automotive interior design has developed quite a bit since 2016 when this generation of Malibu made its debut. For example, all Malibu trims have an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is small by today’s standards.

The timeless quality of human accommodation, however, is another matter. The Malibu does well here, with ample space in both rows. Rear legroom is generous at 38.1 inches. Among the competition, only the Honda Accord has more. And trunk space of 15.7 cubic feet is completely respectable for the class.

Looking about the same as the 2016 model, the exterior of the 2025 Malibu is aging gracefully. Its lines are still sharp and vaguely appealing. “Classic” is probably an overused term, yet we think it seems quite appropriate in this instance.

Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
Phone integration without cables is a handy convenience feature. We’ve found the whole infotainment system user-friendly, while standard equipment also includes Wi-Fi.

Teen Driver
When newer drivers in the family ask to borrow the keys to the Chevy Malibu sedan, a standard pre-programmable key fob can control things like audio system levels, set speed limits, and provide an in-vehicle report card.

Buckle to Drive
Another standard feature with young people in mind. This encourages getting into good habits by not allowing the transmission to be taken out of Park before the driver’s seatbelt is secured.

Keyless Entry keypad
Optional in all but the RS model, this 5-digit keypad is set vertically in the driver’s-side door pillar. It means drivers can lock their keys in the car and go surfing (or something equally key-unfriendly) yet still have access.

Wireless charging
Although the 2025 Chevy Malibu is some distance from technology’s cutting edge, at least the top 2LT trim has wireless phone charging as standard.

Automatic Parking Assist
Available only as an option with the top 2LT trim, this function maneuvers the car into a parallel or perpendicular parking space. The driver handles the throttle, brakes, and gear selection while keeping hands away from the steering wheel.

The Malibu has a turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine making a humble 163 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. The automatic transmission is a continuously variable type, and drive goes solely to the front wheels. All rivals have more power, some offer all-wheel drive, and some come with hybrid powertrains.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

Chevrolet’s new-vehicle warranty lasts three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Powertrains are covered for five years or 60,000 miles. These terms are typical among mainstream manufacturers. The first scheduled service is also included.

Safety Ratings

The Malibu has earned the top 5-Star overall score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It hasn’t fared so well in updated tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), taking a score of Poor in the side impact scenario (a lot of retested older vehicles end up with the same rating). Standard safety equipment includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, plus lane-keeping assistance.