Compare the2022 Chevrolet TraxVS 2020 Fiat 500L

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Trax are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Fiat 500L doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Chevrolet Trax has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The 500L doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 1 point, IIHS rates the frontal crash prevention system optional in the Trax as “Basic.” The 500L scores zero, and is rated by the IIHS as having no effective frontal crash prevention.

The Trax offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The 500L doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Trax LT’s optional cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The 500L doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The Trax has standard OnStar®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The 500L doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Trax and the 500L have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear parking sensors.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Chevrolet Trax is safer than the 500L:

	Trax	500L
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	107	228
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	4 cm	14 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Femur Force R/L	3.9/.1 kN	10.1/3.9 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	1%/0%	63%/1%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Tibia index R/L	.53/.33	.88/.82
Tibia forces R/L	1.8/.6 kN	1.8/1.5 kN

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Trax the rating of “Top Pick” for 2016, a rating granted to only 219 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 500L is not a “Top Pick” for 2016.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Trax 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Fiat covers the 500L. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 500L ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Trax’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the 500L’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 8 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Fiat dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Trax’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Trax’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the 500L’s camshaft. If the 500L’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Trax has a standard 525-amp battery. The 500L’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Trax’s reliability 27 points higher than the 500L.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Trax third among small suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The 500L isn’t in the top three in its category.

On the EPA test cycle the Trax FWD gets better fuel mileage than the 500L (24 city/32 hwy vs. 22 city/30 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Trax uses regular unleaded gasoline. The 500L requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Trax higher (7 out of 10) than the Fiat 500L (3). This means the Trax produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the 500L every 15,000 miles.

The Trax stops much shorter than the 500L:

	Trax	500L
70 to 0 MPH	166 feet	169 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Trax LT offers optional 18-inch wheels. The 500L’s largest wheels are only 17-inches.

The Chevrolet Trax’s wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Fiat 500L only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Trax handles at .80 G’s, while the 500L Lounge pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Trax has .8 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear hip room than the 500L.

The Trax offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The 500L doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Keyless Access optional on the Trax LT allows you to unlock the doors, cargo door and start the engine all without removing a key from pocket or purse. This eliminates searching for keys before loading groceries, getting in the vehicle in bad weather or making a hurried start to your trip. The Fiat 500L doesn’t offer an advanced key system.

The Trax has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The 500L doesn’t offer automatic headlights.

The Car Book by Jack Gillis recommends the Chevrolet Trax, based on economy, maintenance, safety and complaint levels. The Fiat 500L isn't recommended.