Compare the2024 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2023 Mercedes GLA

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Equinox are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLA doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Equinox’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLA.

Both the Equinox and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Equinox the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 207 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLA has not been tested, yet.

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

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

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

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 Equinox’s reliability 32 points higher than the GLA.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox first among compact suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The GLA was rated third in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below 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 Mercedes 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, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 9 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Equinox uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLA requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Equinox FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (14.9 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Equinox AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (15.6 vs. 13.5 gallons).

The Equinox has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Equinox higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLA (5). This means the Equinox produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLA every 15,000 miles.

The Equinox stops shorter than the GLA:

The Equinox has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLA doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Equinox has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Equinox’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the GLA’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Equinox more stable handling and braking.

The Equinox Premier handles at .83 G’s, while the GLA 250 4MATIC pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Equinox uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLA doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Equinox has 1 inch more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLA.

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLA with its rear seat up (29.9 vs. 19 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLA with its rear seat folded (63.9 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Equinox LT/RS/Premier’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The GLA doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Equinox has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The GLA has no towing capacity.

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 GLA can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Equinox uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLA doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

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 GLA does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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 GLA doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Equinox has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLA only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Equinox’s headlight performance “Good” to “Very Good” (depending on model and options), a higher rating than the GLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Equinox has standard extendable sun visors. The GLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Both the Equinox and the GLA offer available heated front seats. The Equinox Premier also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the GLA.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Equinox will be $6449 to $9234 less than for the Mercedes GLA.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Equinox, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLA isn't recommended.

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Mercedes GLA by almost 17 to one during 2023.