Skip to main content
2019 Chevrolet Traverse High Country

How Safe Is the Chevrolet Traverse?

If the Chevy Blazer is too small of an SUV for you, and if the Chevy Tahoe is too big of an SUV for you, then you may want to buy the Chevy Traverse. The Traverse is one of Chevy’s mid-size SUV offerings, and like its bigger and smaller siblings, the Traverse is a pretty …

If the Chevy Blazer is too small of an SUV for you, and if the Chevy Tahoe is too big of an SUV for you, then you may want to buy the Chevy Traverse. The Traverse is one of Chevy’s mid-size SUV offerings, and like its bigger and smaller siblings, the Traverse is a pretty safe SUV. Here’s how safe the Traverse is, according to multiple sources.

What the IIHS says

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, has only done two crash tests on the latest model year of the Traverse. The IIHS did a moderate overlap frontal crash test and a side crash test on the Traverse. The moderate overlap frontal crash test simulates a crash where the car hits something, but only one side of the front of the car actually makes contact. 

In both of these crash tests, the 2020 Traverse scored a “Good” grade, which is the highest grade that the IIHS gives. The 2020 Traverse also had “Good” grades in every single subcategory, according to the IIHS. 

The reason why the IIHS didn’t do other crash tests on the 2020 Traverse is because it’s impossible for the IIHS to crash test every single new model year of every car. However, the IIHS does have crash test data on the older model years of the Traverse. That said, while the 2020 Traverse has been redesigned, the crash test data on the older model years should still be relatively accurate. 

According to the IIHS, the 2017 Traverse also scored “Good” grades all around in its crash tests. But, the IIHS gave the optional forward collision warning of the Traverse a bad score of “Basic.” 

What the NHTSA says 

2019 Chevrolet Traverse RS
2019 Chevrolet Traverse RS | Chevrolet

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, had good results with the 2020 Traverse as well. The NHTSA conducted three types of crash tests on the 2020 Traverse, a frontal crash test, a side crash test, and a rollover test. 

In the front crash test, the NHTSA gave the 2020 Traverse 4 out of 5 stars. The driver-side got 5 out of 5 stars for safety, but the passenger-side only got 4 out of 5 stars for safety. However, in the side crash test category, the NHTSA gave the Traverse 5 out of 5 stars in every single subcategory. 

In the rollover test, the NHTSA only gave the 2020 Traverse 4 out of 5 stars. The NHTSA also says that the 2020 Traverse has a roughly 17% chance of rolling over. Additionally, the NHTSA says that the 2020 Traverse currently has one recall going on that may affect how it performs in a crash. This recall affects the Traverse’s frame rail. 

Overall, the NHTSA gave the 2020 Traverse 5 out of 5 stars for safety. 

What U.S. News says

U.S. News combines the crash test findings of the IIHS and the NHTSA with the safety features that are offered on the Traverse to give it an overall safety rating. The 2020 Traverse doesn’t have many standard safety features, however, it does have a standard rear-seat reminder system that may help prevent hot car deaths

Chevy does offer a lot of safety features as premium options on the Traverse. U.S. News says that these include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, rear cross-traffic alert, and many more safety options. 

Taking all of that into account, U.S. News gave the 2020 Traverse a safety score of 8.8 out of 10. While the 2020 Traverse performed well in its crash tests, its lack of standard safety features ultimately hurt its score a bit.