For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Buick Enclave 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 Chevrolet Traverse Limited doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Buick Enclave achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Chevrolet Traverse Limited has not been tested.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Enclave has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
The Enclave has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Traverse Limited’s blind spot costs extra.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Enclave has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Traverse Limited and the Traverse Limited’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.
The Enclave’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Enclave and the Traverse Limited have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and front parking sensors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse Limited:
|
Enclave |
Traverse Limited |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
165 |
216 |
Neck Stress |
178 lbs. |
198 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
2 lbs. |
77 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
32/13 lbs. |
53/40 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
234 |
333 |
Chest Compression |
.7 inches |
.9 inches |
Neck Compression |
48 lbs. |
51 lbs. |
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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse Limited:
|
Enclave |
Traverse Limited |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
64 |
69 |
Chest Movement |
.6 inches |
.9 inches |
Abdominal Force |
73 lbs. |
161 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
113 |
134 |
Hip Force |
518 lbs. |
716 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
14 inches |
14 inches |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Buick Enclave is safer than the Traverse Limited:
|
Enclave |
Traverse Limited |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
55 |
141 |
Neck Tension |
178 lbs. |
446 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.47 in |
1.3 in |
Shoulder Force |
-156 lbs. |
312 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.79 in |
1.5 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
4 MPH |
6 MPH |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
915 lbs. |
1116 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Compression |
67 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Shoulder Deflection |
.83 in |
1.02 in |
Shoulder Force |
-312 lbs. |
290 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.06 in |
1.22 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
8 MPH |
10 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Pelvis Force |
602 lbs. |
848 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
The Buick Enclave has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Traverse Limited is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.