Compare the2023 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2023 Honda Passport

The Equinox LT/RS/Premier offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Passport only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Equinox and the Passport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Honda Passport:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Honda Passport:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Equinox’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Passport’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Honda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox first among compact suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Passport was rated third in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 16th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox gets better mileage than the Passport:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Equinox higher (7 out of 10) than the Honda Passport (3). This means the Equinox produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Passport every 15,000 miles.

The Equinox stops much shorter than the Passport:

The Equinox’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Passport’s (58.5% to 41.5%). This gives the Equinox more stable handling and braking.

The Equinox Premier AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Passport Elite pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Equinox Premier executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Passport Elite (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Equinox’s turning circle is 1.9 feet tighter than the Passport AWD’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.3 feet).

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 950 pounds less than the Honda Passport.

The Equinox is 6 inches shorter than the Passport, making the Equinox easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Equinox is 6 inches narrower than the Passport, making the Equinox easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The front grille of the Equinox offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Passport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Equinox has .5 inches more front headroom and .3 inches more rear legroom than the Passport.

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Equinox easier. The Equinox’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.6 inches, while the Passport’s liftover is 32 inches.

The Equinox can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Equinox can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Passport can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Equinox’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Passport does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Equinox’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Passport’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Equinox and the Passport have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Equinox is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Passport prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Equinox’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Passport’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Equinox’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Passport doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its HondaLink Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Equinox’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Passport’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The Equinox Premier’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Passport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Equinox is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Passport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Equinox will be $9893 to $10917 less than for the Honda Passport.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Equinox and the Honda Passport, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Honda Passport by over five to one during 2022.