Compare the2026 Subaru OutbackVS 2026 Chevrolet Trax

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chevrolet Trax doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback 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 Trax doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Subaru Outback has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Trax doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Trax doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

With its standard EyeSight, the Subaru Outback is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Chevrolet Trax, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Outback	Trax
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-2 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-4 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	-8 MPH	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	3.1 sec	1.4 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-11 MPH	-3 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	3 sec	1.3 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Subaru Outback achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, outperforming the Chevrolet Trax which scored “Poor” - the lowest rating - in these critical safety features.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outback has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Trax doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Outback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Trax doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Outback (except Premium/Limited 2.5) offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Trax 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 Subaru Outback’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Chevrolet Trax does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.

The Outback 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 Trax’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Outback has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Trax.

The Outback’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 Trax doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outback and the Trax have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

The Subaru Outback weighs 705 to 999 pounds more than the Chevrolet Trax. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts. Crosswinds also affect lighter cars more.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Outback is much safer than the Trax:

	Outback	Trax
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	POOR
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD

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 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Outback is safer than the Trax:

	Outback	Trax
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	87	476
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	379 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.63 in	1.57 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.75 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	513 lbs.	1227 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	144	424
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	134 lbs.
Neck Compression	112 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	469 lbs.	892 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Subaru Outback has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2026 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, a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test, and a “Good” score in the revised vehicle-to-vehicle crash prevention test. The Trax is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2026.

Warranty

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

Reliability

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

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Outback has a standard 150-amp alternator (190-amp - Outback XT). The Trax’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru second in overall reliability. Chevrolet is ranked 17th.

Engine

The Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 43 more horsepower (180 vs. 137) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (178 vs. 162) than the Trax’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder. The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 123 more horsepower (260 vs. 137) and 115 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 162) than the Trax’s 1.2 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Chevrolet Trax:

	Outback	Trax
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	9.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96.4 MPH	78.2 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Trax doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Outback has 4.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Trax (18 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Outback has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Trax. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Transmission

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Trax doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Outback’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Trax:

	Outback	Trax
Front Rotors	12.4 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	11.3 inches

The Outback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Trax are solid, not vented.

The Outback stops much shorter than the Trax:

	Outback	Trax
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	180 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Trax; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Outback has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Chevrolet Trax has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Outback has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Outback flat and controlled during cornering. The Trax’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Outback offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Trax’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Outback’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Trax (108.1 inches vs. 106.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Outback is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Trax.

The Outback’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the Trax’s (61% to 39%). This gives the Outback more stable handling and braking.

The Outback Touring XT handles at .82 G’s, while the Trax ACTIV pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Outback Touring XT executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Trax ACTIV (27.2 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Trax’s (36.5 feet vs. 38 feet).

Passenger Space

The Outback has 14.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Trax (112.3 vs. 98).

The Outback has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, 2.9 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom, 9.3 inches more rear hip room and 3.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Trax.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Outback’s rear seats recline. The Trax’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Trax with its rear seat up (34.6 vs. 25.6 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Trax with its rear seat folded (80.5 vs. 54.1 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Outback’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Trax doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

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

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Outback has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Trax doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The Outback has a 2700 lbs. towing capacity. The Trax has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Outback uses the Vehicle Dynamics Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Trax doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Trax. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Chevrolet. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 21% lower rating, Chevrolet is ranked 13th.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Outback (except Premium), the optional memory system makes it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle and climate settings. The Trax doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Outback’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 Trax’s power windows’ switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

The Outback’s standard Keyless Access and Start allow you to unlock the doors from either front door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Start is an extra cost option on the Trax and only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

The Outback’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Trax’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Outback’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Trax’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Outback has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Trax doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Trax doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Outback’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Chevrolet charges extra for heated mirrors on the Trax.

When the Outback with available tilt-down mirrors is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Trax’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Outback’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Trax doesn’t offer the luxury of automatic dimming mirrors.

Both the Subaru Outback and Chevrolet Trax offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Outback offers optional power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Trax’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Outback has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Trax. The Outback Limited/Touring/Wilderness also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Trax.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Outback keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Trax doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Outback has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Trax doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx’s standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. The Trax doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Outback’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Trax LS doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

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

With standard voice command, the Outback offers the driver hands free control of the radio, climate controls and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Trax doesn’t offer a voice control system.

Compared to the Chevrolet Trax, the Subaru Outback eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

Economic Advantages

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Subaru Outback retains 56.65% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 52.73% resale value of the 2026 Chevrolet Trax after five years, which can save the Subaru’s owner.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Outback and the Chevrolet Trax, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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