The Trax's Biggest Bill Is Gas, Not Depreciation

Our calculator puts five years of fuel for the 2024 Chevrolet Trax at $9,304. It puts depreciation at $9,203. On most cars, the thing that quietly drains you is the value falling away. On this one, the gas pump wins by a hair.

That is odd for a vehicle sold on being cheap. The Trax's five-year total comes to $31,642, or $527 a month, on an assumed purchase price of $21,400. So the sticker is only about two thirds of the real bill. The other $10,242 is the part nobody puts in the ad.

Why a cheap crossover still costs $527 a month

Here is how our five-year estimate breaks down, assuming 12,000 miles a year:

• Fuel: $9,304
• Depreciation: $9,203
• Insurance: $7,987
• Repairs: $2,451
• Maintenance: $2,442
• Registration: $255

Fuel and insurance together come to $17,291. That is more than half of the total. Neither one is something the dealer negotiates with you.

The Trax is a small crossover with a small engine, so you might expect the fuel line to be modest. But 60,000 miles is 60,000 miles. A cheap car does not make gasoline cheaper. It just makes the fuel bill look big next to the purchase price.

Depreciation at $9,203 is about 43% of our assumed price. That is normal for the class, not a disaster and not a bargain.

Repairs ($2,451) and maintenance ($2,442) are almost identical, which tells you something. We are not predicting a car that falls apart. We are predicting a new design that mostly needs routine care, with some repair money set aside for years four and five when the warranty is gone.

Who the Trax is for, and who should walk past

The Trax is a front-wheel-drive, five-seat subcompact crossover. It was redesigned for 2024 and is a different, bigger vehicle than the old one. The old Trax was a tall hatchback with an identity problem. This one is longer, lower, and looks more like a small SUV.

It is for someone who wants a new car with a warranty, a modern touchscreen, and decent back seat room, and who does not want to spend $28,000 to get it. Think first-time new-car buyers, commuters, and small families that mostly drive in town.

It is not for you if you need all-wheel drive. There isn't an option. It is not for you if you want a hybrid to cut that $9,304 fuel line. There isn't one of those either. And it is not for you if you want to feel anything when you merge onto a highway. More on that below.

Trims and pricing

Chevrolet sells the Trax in several trims. The prices below are approximate MSRPs including destination, and they move, so confirm on Chevrolet's build page before you do any math.

Trim	MSRP	What you actually get
LS	about $21,500	Base touchscreen, standard driver-assist safety features, cloth seats, small wheels. Honest, but plain.
1RS	about $23,200	Sportier looks, bigger wheels, upgraded screen. Mostly a styling step.
LT	about $23,600	The sensible middle: larger screen, wireless phone projection, more comfort features.
ACTIV	about $25,100	Rugged-look trim with extra cladding and a raised-looking stance. It is still front-wheel drive.
2RS	about $25,100	Top sport trim with the most equipment and the most money.

Our $21,400 assumed price is our own estimate for this model year. It sits near the base trim, since most real-world deals land below the top of the lineup. If you buy an LT or higher, shift the purchase-related numbers up. Depreciation especially will rise with price.

My pick is the LT. The LS saves money but feels like a rental. The top trims charge you $1,500 or more for looks.

The engine, and what you will feel at a stoplight

Every Trax uses the same powertrain: a 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder with a six-speed automatic, driving the front wheels. That is a small engine. It makes about 137 horsepower.

In town it is fine. On a hill with four adults and luggage, you will hear it work. Three-cylinder engines also tend to sound a little coarse when pushed, and this one is no exception.

For official fuel economy numbers, use the EPA's fueleconomy.gov page rather than a number from a review. What we can tell you is the dollar side: our calculator's $9,304 over five years works out to roughly $1,861 a year at 12,000 miles. That is the cost of the engine's thirst, spread out.

What the Trax gets right

Space for the money. The back seat is roomier than you would expect from a car this size, and the cargo area is useful for strollers, groceries, and a weekend bag. Most rivals at this price feel smaller inside.

The screen and phone connection. Upper trims have a large, clear touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Chevrolet skips built-in navigation, so your phone does the job. That is a fair trade.

Standard safety equipment. Automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping help come on every trim, which is more than some cheap cars offer.

The price itself. For a new crossover with this much room, the starting price is hard to argue with.

What it gets wrong

The powertrain is the weak link. No hybrid and no all-wheel drive leaves the Trax behind rivals that offer one or both. If you live somewhere with snow, you will be shopping elsewhere.

The interior feels cheap in places. Hard plastics are everywhere below knee height, and the base cloth seats are not memorable. That is acceptable at $21,500, but the top trims climb toward $25,000 without changing the basic materials.

The trim ladder is mostly packaging. The ACTIV looks tougher than the LT but gives you no extra capability. Paying more for an off-road look on a front-drive car is a poor use of money.

And the long-term record is unknown. This is a redesigned model with limited history. Our $2,451 repair estimate is a reasoned guess, not a reliability promise. Chevrolet's warranty covers the first few years, and your risk rises after that.

Safety ratings

Check the latest results at NHTSA and IIHS before you buy. We are not going to quote a score we cannot stand behind, and ratings for a recently redesigned model can be incomplete or change as tests are added. If a full crash-test rating is missing when you look, treat that as unknown, not as a pass.

Year-one cost for the LT

Our calculator's figures are five-year averages, so here is a first-year picture for the mid-level LT, using the same assumptions.

Depreciation. New cars typically lose 15% to 22% in year one. On our $21,400 assumed price, that is roughly $3,210 to $4,708. An LT costs more than that assumed price, so expect your actual loss to land at or above the top of that range in dollars.

Fuel. At 15,000 miles instead of 12,000, scale our fuel figure up by a quarter. That gives about $2,326 for the year.

Insurance. Our five-year insurance figure of $7,987 averages about $1,600 a year. That is our estimate from the car's value and class, not a quote. Your own number will differ based on age, location, driving record, and insurer, so a realistic range might run from about $1,300 to $2,000. Get real quotes before you sign.

First service. The Trax uses an oil-life monitor, so the first oil change comes when the dashboard asks for it, often somewhere around 7,500 miles. Expect that visit to include a tire rotation. It should be cheap, and under warranty the first year has little else to bill you for.

How it stacks up

Hyundai Kona. The Trax wins on rear seat and cargo room for the money; the Kona wins by offering all-wheel drive and a hybrid-friendly lineup, which matters when fuel is your biggest bill.

Kia Seltos. The Trax wins on starting price; the Seltos wins on engine choice and the option of all-wheel drive.

Honda HR-V. The Trax wins by undercutting it at the dealership; the HR-V wins on refinement and, historically, on holding its value.

Verdict

The Trax is a good low-price car with an expensive habit. Buy it if you want the most room for the least money, you drive mostly in town, and you can live with a small engine and front-wheel drive. The LT is the one to get.

Skip it if fuel is a worry. At $9,304 over five years, gas is the biggest cost in our estimate, and the Trax does nothing special to reduce it. Skip it too if you need winter traction, or if you plan to keep it for ten years and want proof it will last. That proof does not exist yet.

A $527 monthly bill is not outrageous. But the sticker price is the cheap part of this car, and you should shop it that way.