The Chevy Trax Gives You So Much for So Little

While large SUVs still have their place, and Chevy makes some of the biggest and best SUVs on the road, we know plenty of people who prefer the look and feel of a smaller option. One of the key factors to SUVs taking over the auto industry is the fact that they’re now available in a wide range of sizes, designed to meet every need. There’s no better example of this than a subcompact SUV, which gives you all the functionality and style of an SUV but at a smaller size that won’t dominate your garage.

However, with a growing number of subcompact SUVs out there, it can be difficult to compare them all and figure out which one is right for you—but don’t worry because we’re here to help. For starters, we often find it’s easiest to consider just one or two models at a time so you can really focus on what they offer. Looking at the 2025 Chevy Trax vs 2025 Honda HR-V, for example, let’s dig into the specs and features of both vehicles to see how they stack up.

In many ways, both of these SUVs are quite similar since you’ll find comparable performance, safety features, and interior cargo space between them. Interestingly, however, the Chevy Trax takes the lead in some key ways including superior fuel economy and some exceptional tech features inside. That you get all of this—and that the Trax starts at a price almost $5,000 less than Honda’s SUV—reminds us why Chevy is an industry leader.

Impressive Performance

Let’s be honest: you’re not usually going to find sports car performance in a subcompact SUV, but that doesn’t mean you should accept something completely underwhelming. Fortunately, Chevy understands this, and the Trax comes with a 1.2L turbocharged engine that delivers 137 hp and an impressive 162 lb-ft of torque, which is paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. For a small SUV like this, that’s plenty of power, and it ensures that driving the Trax is a lot of fun, whether you’re running errands or enjoying yourself on the weekend.

By comparison, the Honda HR-V comes with a 2.0L engine that offers 158 hp and just 138 lb-ft of torque. Looking at these numbers, we can see the Honda model gets a bit more horsepower but falls quite short of the Trax in terms of torque. This puts them on pretty even ground, though we prefer the feel of that extra torque from Chevy for getting going and merging onto the freeway. We should also note that the Honda comes with a continuously variable transmission, which is fine, but we like the feel of Chevy’s six-speed automatic more.

Great Fuel Efficiency

While performance between these two vehicles is pretty comparable, the Chevy Trax takes a big lead when it comes to fuel efficiency. This is where the added power of a turbocharged engine can make a big difference in getting the most from an engine while letting you go further between stops for gas. The Trax gets an estimated 28 MPG in the city, 32 MPG on the highway, and 30 MPG combined. For an SUV—even a subcompact one like this—that’s very impressive fuel economy that lets you get a lot done without stopping.

The Honda HR-V, on the other hand, gets an estimated 26 MPG in the city, 32 MPG on the highway, and 28 MPG combined. We can see this is the same for the highway but less when you’re driving around the city. If you’re anything like us, you spend a lot of your time running errands, picking up kids from school, and tackling other things that involve mostly stop-and-go city driving; that’s where the Trax will keep you going longer. Someone who chooses an HR-V with all-wheel drive gets even lower fuel efficiency and will make a lot more stops for gas over time.

Plenty of Cargo Space

Although these are both subcompact models, you still want them to have functional space inside for you to take advantage of. The Chevy Trax gives you just over 25 cu.ft. of rear cargo volume and more than 54 cu.ft. of total cargo space inside. With the HR-V, Honda offers about 24 cu.ft. of rear cargo space and just over 55 cu.ft. of total cargo volume inside. You can see that these numbers are almost identical, though we prefer the extra room that you get in the back of the Trax naturally since that’s the setup we use more often. Still, the cargo space is quite comparable, even though the starting price of the Trax is almost 20% less.

Interior Tech and Comfort

Both of these vehicles have a number of trim levels available, which affects the kinds of features you find in them, but we prefer what Chevy offers overall. For example, the starting features of the base Trax (the LS trim) include an eight-inch infotainment display, a four-speaker sound system, and cloth seating with a six-way adjustable driver’s seat. Looking at the features you’ll find on the higher ACTIV trim, you get a gorgeous 11-inch infotainment screen, a six-speaker sound system, and an eight-inch Driver Information Center display. Heated front seats, a heated and wrapped steering wheel, and an eight-way power driver’s seat make the ACTIV trim even more comfortable and fun to drive.

By comparison, the Honda HR-V features a seven-inch infotainment display in the base LX trim, smaller than what the Trax has, along with a four-speaker sound system. We find a larger infotainment screen in higher trims, but it’s still only nine inches in size, substantially smaller than what the Trax offers. This is paired with a seven-inch Driver Information Interface screen, which is again smaller than what you’ll get in something like the Trax ACTIV. Ultimately, the features we find in the Trax—both standard and available—deliver more, and that’s all we need to know when considering our options.

Top Safety Technology

Although we’re tempted to suggest the Chevy Trax is better than the Honda HR-V in every way, we’re happy to admit that they both deliver, as you’ve already seen a couple of times. Fortunately, one more area where Honda does well to keep up with Chevy is in terms of safety tech. The Honda HR-V comes with the Honda Sensing suite of driver assistance features standard in every model. This includes things like a Collision Mitigation Braking System, a Road Departure Mitigation System, and Auto High-Beam Headlights.

Chevy is happy to match these features, which is why the Chevy Safety Assist suite is standard in every Trax; this includes Forward Collision Alert with Automatic Emergency Braking, Front Pedestrian Braking, and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning. You also get a Following Distance Indicator and IntelliBeam auto high beams to help keep you safe and avoid blinding other drivers. Additional safety systems like a Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Rear Park Assist, and Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert are also available to let you take things even further.

The Chevy Trax Has Everything We Want

At the end of the day, it’s easy to see that while there are numerous ways that the 2025 Chevy Trax and Honda HR-V are quite comparable, the Trax also pulls ahead in key areas. Things like fuel efficiency, rear cargo space, and large infotainment displays might seem minor when you’re shopping for a vehicle, but after four or five years of driving it, you’ll see them add up and make a big difference.

Of course, you don’t have to take our word for it; you can always come visit us at McCluskey Chevrolet and take the Trax for a spin to experience everything it offers for yourself. And remember that the Honda HR-V starts at $25,100 while the Trax starts at $20,400—and just think of everything you could do with all that extra money!