2025 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Typically, shoppers strolling the aisles to find exactly the right subcompact SUV are looking for an affordable price, a well-stocked interior, competitive cargo room, and a comfy ride. The 2025 Chevy Trailblazer checks all these boxes and more. Its acceleration won’t pin you to your seat, but the Trailblazer’s power is sufficient for its core mandate as an urban hauler of small families, and it cruises along expressways just fine. Moreover, its fuel economy beats many in its segment, which only adds to the value story.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and evaluating this generation of subcompact SUVs, including the Chevy Trailblazer.

Chevy gave the Trailblazer a rather significant makeover for 2024, which relieved product planners of the responsibility to make any major updates for 2025. The base engine can now accept E85 fuel. Chevy also tossed a new color onto the exterior paint palette.

The most popular mid-range LT trim begins at $25,595, while the RS and Activ trims both have the same base price. The 1.3-liter engine, which we recommend, costs a $395 premium on the two lower trims, but it’s standard on the Activ and RS trims. All-wheel-drive (AWD), which is only available with the 1.3-liter engine, costs an extra $1,600.

The pricing of the Trailblazer is about average for its class and priced similarly to the Honda HR-V, Kia Seltos, and Mazda CX-30.

Before buying a Trailblazer, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should really pay. Chevrolet Trailblazer resale value is about average for the segment.

The Chevy Trailblazer is a small SUV that prioritizes efficiency over performance. With few exceptions, subcompact SUVs aren’t particularly thrilling to drive, but we found the base 1.2-liter 3-cylinder engine in the Trailblazer underwhelming at best. Performance is improved by the optional 1.3-liter engine. It’s only slightly more powerful and more efficient than the base engine, but it’s much easier for us to recommend. The ride of the Trailblazer is compliant on smooth pavement, but we found that it can get jittery on rough roads. The 19-inch wheels on the RS model look cool, but they don’t help with the ride quality. For long trips, we prefer the 17-inch wheels on the other trims.

Fuel Economy

With the base engine, the Trailblazer gets up to 30 mpg in city-and-highway driving (31 city/30 highway), which is better than average for the segment. Moving up to the turbo 3-cylinder with all-wheel drive, the mileage drops to 27 mpg in mixed driving, which is about average for all-wheel-drive-versions of competitors.

We’re impressed with the interior space of the Chevy Trailblazer. For such a small SUV, it provides plentiful seating space in both rows. At 39 inches, its rear-seat legroom is above average for the segment. It also has one of the bigger cargo holds in this class, adding to its practicality.

Yes, there’s a lot of black plastic in this interior, but it’s textured nicely, helping it avoid feeling cheap. It’s a functional interior with plenty of standard features that makes the Trailblazer seem more expensive than it is. Among the amenities are a digital gauge cluster, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and push-button start.

The cabin gets a bit more stylish in the two upper trims, which both have Evotex faux leather seating. The RS has a sportier feel with red accents and a flat-bottom steering wheel, while the outdoorsy Activ trim has what Chevy calls “Artemis” accents and “Activ” embroidery on the headrests. The two top trims also come with niceties like heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and a power driver’s seat.

The exterior styling of the Trailblazer is one of its strong suits. Its look changes a bit through the model range, with each trim having a slightly different front end and different wheel designs. The two top trims have an available contrast roof, further adding to the Trailblazer’s personality. In terms of size, the Trailblazer is right in line with the subcompact SUV segment. Its dimensions are similar to the Mazda CX-30, Volkswagen Taos, and Kia Seltos.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
The Trailblazer’s standard equipment list boasts an 11-inch touchscreen plus wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This makes it easy to bring your maps, music, and more to the screen in the car without taking your phone out of your purse or pocket.

Digital gauge cluster
Also standard in the 2025 Trailblazer is a customizable 8-inch digital gauge cluster, adding to the interior’s tech appeal.

Chevy Safety Assist
This standard safety tech suite bundles driver assistance features like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, a following distance indicator, forward collision alert, and automatic high beams.

Available contrast roof
An optional two-tone contrast roof accentuates the boxy profile of the Trailblazer. It’s available on the RS and Activ trims with eye-catching paint colors like Copper Harbor and Cacti Green.

Rugged Activ trim
The Activ trim adds a rugged look to the Trailblazer, but it’s more than just an appearance package. It also adds more adventurous tires and a special off-road suspension system for added capability, especially with all-wheel drive.

Sporty RS model
The stylish Trailblazer RS has black exterior trim, red interior accents, a unique mesh grille, dual-exit exhaust with chrome tips, and distinct 19-inch wheels to add a sporty aesthetic.

The Chevy Trailblazer offers a choice of two engines.

A 137-horsepower turbocharged 3-cylinder engine that also generates 162 lb-ft of torque is the entry-level (LS and LT grades) engine. It is completely adequate for around-town driving, but struggles a bit getting up to highway speeds. We don’t expect rip-roaring performance in this class, but many rivals of the Trailblazer have a stronger base engine at a similar price point.

If you want all-wheel drive, you must upgrade to the somewhat bigger 155-hp 1.3-liter 3-cylinder engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission that is standard on the RS and Activ grades.

Just to ensure we are all on the same page: All front-wheel-drive Trailblazers get a continuously variable transmission (CVT), regardless of the engine. Every all-wheel-drive version gets the bigger engine mated to the 9-speed automatic.

On paper, there isn’t a big difference between the two available engines. However, the 1.3-liter unit is the one we recommend if it works for your budget — less than $400 more. The modest upgrade in power and torque combined with slightly better fuel economy make it an easy choice.

3-Year/36,000-Mile Warranty

The Chevrolet Trailblazer is covered by a 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which is typical among mainstream automakers. Additionally, you get complimentary maintenance on your first visit for service at the Chevy dealer.

Safety

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) awarded the Trailblazer its highest overall 5-Star rating for its safety worthiness. Although the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is still testing the current generation, it has awarded the Trailblazer its highest score of Good in the three tests it has performed.