2026 Chevrolet Equinox
small SUV / 4-door SUV
Small overlap front
The small overlap front evaluation consists of a driver-side and a passenger-side component. If the results of the two evaluations differ, then the combined small overlap rating is equal to the lower rating.
Driver-side
Tested vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4-door 2-wheel drive
Rating applies to 2025-26 models
The Chevrolet Equinox was redesigned for the 2025 model year. Driver-side small overlap front ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2025 Equinox conducted by General Motors.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall driver-side evaluation | |
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | |
Technical measurements for this test
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTN2514 |
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 11 |
| Footrest (cm) | 6 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 2 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 1 |
| Parking brake (cm) | |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 2 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 0 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 7 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 5 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 6 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTN2514 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 104 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.4 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 23 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.18 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 18 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 2.1 |
| Right | 0.2 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 3 |
| Right | 1 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.32 |
| Right | 0.34 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.4 |
| Right | 0.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 28 |
| Right | 41 |
Passenger-side
Tested vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox RS 4-door 4wd
Rating applies to 2025-26 models
The Chevrolet Equinox was redesigned for the 2025 model year. Passenger-side small overlap front ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2025 Equinox conducted by General Motors.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall passenger-side evaluation | |
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
| Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Chest | |
| Hip/thigh | |
| Lower leg/foot | |
|
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
The dummy’s head contacted the frontal airbag but began to slide to the left into the gap, leaving the head vulnerable to contact with forward structure. The side curtain airbag did not deploy during the crash. | |
Technical measurements for this test
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTP2516 |
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 8 |
| Footrest (cm) | 5 |
| Right toepan (cm) | 4 |
| Center toepan (cm) | 3 |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 1 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Center dash (cm) | 6 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 6 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 8 |
| Right lower dash (cm) | 8 |
Passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTP2516 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 95 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.7 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 9 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.17 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 20 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 0.8 |
| Right | 5.0 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 7 |
| Right | 13 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 3 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.58 |
| Right | 0.94 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.7 |
| Right | 1.2 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 47 |
| Right | 35 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTP2516 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 280 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.5 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 23 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.33 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 18 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 0.1 |
| Right | 0.2 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.22 |
| Right | 0.31 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.1 |
| Right | 0.8 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 30 |
| Right | 55 |
Side: updated test
Tested vehicle: 2025 Chevrolet Equinox LT 4-door 2wd
Rating applies to 2025-26 models
The Chevrolet Equinox was redesigned for the 2025 model year. Side impact ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test of a 2025 Equinox conducted by General Motors.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | |
| Structure and safety cage | |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis | |
| Driver head protection | |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | |
| Torso | |
| Pelvis | |
| Rear passenger head protection | |
Technical measurements for this test
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTS2519 |
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) | -21.0 |
| Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline. | |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTS2519 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 80 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.2 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.0 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 32 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 30 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 4.24 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.49 |
| Pelvis | |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.8 |
Passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Test ID | VTS2519 |
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 320 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.1 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.8 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 33 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 27 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.33 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.58 |
| Pelvis | |
| Combined force (kN) | 3.3 |
Whiplash prevention
Tested seat type: Manual cloth seat
Rating applies to 2025-26 models
| Evaluation criteria | Rating | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall evaluation |
Technical measurements for this test
16 km/h load case (simulated 32 km/h impact)
| Injury metric | Demerits | |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1: Head and spine support | ||
| Head-pelvis relative velocity | 1.9 | 0 |
| Head contact time | 50 | |
| Group 2: Upper neck load and moment management | ||
| Max Nkm | 0.18 | 0 |
| Upper neck tension | 254 | |
| Group 3: Management of energy transferred to the occupant | ||
| T1 X maximum acceleration | 11.5 | 1 |
| Pelvis displacement (min) | -146 | |
| Total | 1 | |
24 km/h load case (simulated 48 km/h impact)
| Injury metric | Demerits | |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1: Head and spine support | ||
| Head-pelvis relative velocity | 2.9 | 0 |
| Head contact time | 54 | |
| Group 2: Upper neck load and moment management | ||
| Max Nkm | 0.42 | 1 |
| Upper neck tension | 381 | |
| Group 3: Management of energy transferred to the occupant | ||
| T1 X maximum acceleration | 17.9 | 2 |
| Pelvis displacement (min) | -195 | |
| Total | 3 | |
| Total demerits | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
Headlights
Trim level(s): All trims
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Low-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| High-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| Curve-adaptive? | No |
| High-beam assist? | Yes |
|
Overall rating | |
| Distance at which headlights provide at least 5 lux illumination: | |
Low beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the left side of the road and fair on the right side. On curves, visibility was good on the sharp left and both right curves and fair on the gradual left curve.
The low beams created some glare.
High beams
On the straightaway, visibility was good on the right side of the road and fair on the left side. On curves, visibility was good on the gradual left and gradual right curves and fair on the sharp right and sharp left curves.
High-beam assist compensates for some limitations of this vehicle's low beams on the straightaway, on both left curves and on the sharp right curve.
Technical measurements for this test
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Trim level(s) |
|
| Low-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| High-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| Curve-adaptive? | No |
| High-beam assist? | Yes |
|
Overall rating Applies to 2025-26 models |
| LOW BEAMS | Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux) |
Amount glare exceeded threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Straightaway right edge | 79.7 m | 3.8% |
| Straightaway left edge | 66.3 m | 3.8% |
| 250m radius right curve, right edge | 71.0 m | None |
| 250m radius left curve, right edge | 56.7 m | None |
| 150m radius right curve, right edge | 58.7 m | None |
| 150m radius left curve, left edge | 58.1 m | None |
| HIGH BEAMS | Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux) |
|---|---|
| Straightaway right edge | 147.3 m |
| Straightaway left edge | 131.1 m |
| 250m radius right curve, right edge | 75.7 m |
| 250m radius left curve, left edge | 76.1 m |
| 150m radius right curve, right edge | 63.6 m |
| 150m radius left curve, left edge | 63.5 m |