Compare the2025 Toyota CamryVS 2025 Chevrolet Malibu

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry 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 Malibu doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

With its standard Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the Toyota Camry is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Chevrolet Malibu, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Camry	Malibu
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
25 MPH	-21 MPH	-5 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-3 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-1 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	1.3 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-34 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.7 sec	No Warning

The Camry has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Malibu doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Malibu doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Camry has all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Malibu doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Malibu only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Camry 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Malibu’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Camry has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and optional Rear Cross-Traffic Braking on the XLE/XSE automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Malibu and the Malibu’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The Camry’s 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 Malibu doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Camry and the Malibu have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and rearview cameras.

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 Toyota Camry is much safer than the Malibu:

	Camry	Malibu
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	POOR
Head Injury Criterion	103	1178
Head Peak Forces	no contact	142 G’s
Neck Tension	268 lbs.	402 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.02 in	2.17 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.77 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	669 lbs.	1049 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	316	335
Head Peak Forces	no contact	74 G’s
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.93 in
Shoulder Force	312 lbs.	892 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.14 in	1.81 in
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

The Toyota Camry has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 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 a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Malibu is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

The Camry’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Malibu’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Camry for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Malibu.

Reliability

The battery on the Camry is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Camry’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Malibu’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Camry first among midsize cars in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Malibu was rated third.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 27 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked fourth.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Chevrolet is ranked 20th.

Engine

The Camry’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 62 more horsepower (225 vs. 163) than the Malibu’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Camry’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 69 more horsepower (232 vs. 163) than the Malibu’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Camry is faster than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Camry	Camry	Malibu
Zero to 60 MPH	7 sec	6.9 sec	8.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.4 sec	15.1 sec	16.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	94.6 MPH	84.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Camry gets better mileage than the Malibu:

			MPG
Camry
	FWD	LE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/50 hwy
		SE/XLE/XSE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	48 city/47 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/49 hwy
		SE/XLE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	46 city/46 hwy
		XSE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	43 city/44 hwy
Malibu
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Camry’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Malibu doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Camry has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Malibu. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Camry’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Malibu:

	Camry	Malibu
Front Rotors	12 inches	11.8 inches

The Camry stops much shorter than the Malibu:

	Camry	Malibu
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Camry SE handles at .85 G’s, while the Malibu LT pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Camry SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Malibu LT (27 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Camry has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.3 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.2 inches more rear hip room than the Malibu.

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Camry. The Malibu doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Camry XLE/XSE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Malibu doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Camry’s front and rear power windows all open or close 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 Malibu’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. The Malibu LT’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Camry the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Malibu can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Camry’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Malibu’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Camry XLE’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Camry’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Malibu’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Camry’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Chevrolet only offers heated mirrors on the Malibu LT.

Both the Camry and the Malibu offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Camry has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Malibu doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Camry has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Malibu LT offers wireless charging and it costs extra.

Recommendations

The Toyota Camry outsold the Chevrolet Malibu by over two to one during 2023.

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