Compare the2027 Chevrolet Equinox VS 2025 Subaru Outback

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Chevrolet Equinox achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Subaru Outback has not been tested.

The Equinox offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Outback 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 Equinox 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 Outback’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Equinox has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Cross Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Outback and it’s not available on the Base and the Outback’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Equinox’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Outback has a metal gas tank.

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

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 Equinox is much safer than the Outback:

	Equinox	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
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
Leg Forces L/R	292/337 pounds	517/584 pounds
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	POOR

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 Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Outback:

	Equinox	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.54 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	320	387
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.57 in	1.81 in
Shoulder Force	402 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.3 in	1.42 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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

There are over 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Equinox has a standard 760-amp battery. The Outback’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 43 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Subaru is rated below average.

The Equinox’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 27 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 176) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

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

			MPG
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
Outback
	AWD	XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
		Wilderness 2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/26 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Equinox uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Outback XT/Wilderness requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

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 Outback 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 (6 out of 10) than the Subaru Outback (5 to 6). This means the Equinox produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Outback every 15,000 miles.

The Equinox stops shorter than the Outback:

	Equinox	Outback
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

For better traction, the Equinox has larger tires than the Outback (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

The Equinox RS’ optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Equinox RS offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Outback’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

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 Outback doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Equinox is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

The Equinox RS AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Outback Limited XT pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 300 pounds less than the Subaru Outback.

The Equinox is 7.9 inches shorter than the Outback, making the Equinox easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

The Equinox has .1 inches more rear headroom and .4 inches more rear legroom than the Outback.

The Equinox uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Outback uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Equinox ACTIV/RS’ optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Outback doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Outback does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The power windows standard on both the Equinox and the Outback 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 Outback prevents the driver from operating the rear 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 Outback’s standard power windows’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

On a hot day the Equinox’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Equinox’s standard Keyless Access allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Keyless Access and Start is an extra cost option on the Outback and doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

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

The Equinox’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

The Equinox has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Outback.

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

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

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Subaru Outback by over two to one during 2025.