The Equinox is one of Chevy’s premier sport utility vehicles. In America’s large and competitive SUV market, every aspect of a vehicle is important, especially when it comes to safety. So how does the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox fare? Here’s what the safety experts have to say.

What the IIHS says about the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the Equinox its coveted Top Safety Pick award. In terms of how the SUV performed in crash tests, the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox received a “Good” rating overall — the IIHS’s highest rating — in all crash tests. In nearly every individual category of crash tests, the Equinox earned a “Good” rating, too. 

The only crash test area the Equinox didn’t receive a “Good” rating was the passenger-side overlap frontal crash test. In this test, the SUV got two “Acceptable” ratings, which is the IIHS’s second-highest rating. Although this may seem less than favorable, the IIHS gave the Equinox a “Good” rating in every other area of this crash test. 

In terms of safety, the Equinox has a lot of standard safety features, which scores it points with the IIHS.

The SUV has automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning and prevention, as well as a frontal collision alert system as standard. On top of this, the Equinox has high-beam assist technology, a smart safety system for headlights.

The Top Safety Pick is one of the IIHS’s highest safety awards, but it isn’t the highest. This accolade goes to the Top Safety Pick Plus award. The reason why the Equinox fell short of this honor came down to its headlights. While the high-beam assist system is a good standard feature, the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox’s headlights just weren’t good enough for the IIHS.

There are three headlight options all based on the trim and package you choose for your Equinox. The IIHS gave all of these headlights either an “Acceptable” or “Marginal.” (“Marginal” is the second-worst rating the IIHS can give.)

The 2020 Chevrolet Equinox according to the NHTSA 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is another major safety institute. This organization agrees with the IIHS, believing that the Equinox is a very safe SUV overall.

In its Equinox crash tests, the NHTSA gave the SUV an overall 5 out of 5 stars for safety. In both the front and side crash test categories, the Equinox received 5 out of 5 stars across the board.

The only area where the Equinox didn’t get 5 out of 5 stars was in its rollover rating. The NHTSA gave the Equinox 4 out of 5 stars for how it performed. The NHTSA also says the SUV has an 18.5% chance of rolling over in a crash.

Other safety features of the 2020 Chevrolet Equinox

While the IIHS and NHTSA are mainly concerned with the standard Equinox, Chevy does offer additional safety systems. Because it’s an SUV from General Motors, the Equinox can come with GM’s safety alert seat feature. This is a smart driver seat that can physically warn the driver when a collision is about to happen. 

On top of this, blind-spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, and a 360-degree camera system are all optional safety features for the Equinox. Combined with its standard safety features as well as its well-designed body, the Equinox earns its place as one of the safest SUVs on the market.