Long before anyone coined the term Sport Utility Vehicle, Chevrolet released what many consider to be the very first SUV. The 1935 Carryall Suburban bears little resemblance to modern vehicles, but today, Chevy’s vast SUV lineup still includes the large Suburban along with the popular Trailblazer and the compact, electric Bolt. It’s the versatile Equinox, however, that takes the crown as Chevy’s best-selling SUV in 2025. 

The iconic automaker sold a total of 274,356 Equinox models last year in the U.S., a 32% increase over 2024. The 2025 redesign is the primary driver behind the surge in sales, which ultimately put the Equinox in third place overall in compact SUV sales, trailing behind only the best-selling SUV in the U.S., the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. This compact SUV is popular for a myriad of reasons. It has an affordable starting price and is spacious enough to hold a small family along with sporting gear or luggage. It’s available with all-wheel drive, offers better fuel efficiency than some competitors, and has a long list of standard safety features.

The well-priced Trax was Chevy’s second best-selling SUV in 2025, with 206,339 models sold, representing a modest 2.8% growth over 2024. The Traverse rounds out the top three, selling 148,278. The electric version of the Equinox, which launched in 2024, trailed significantly behind the gasoline version but still managed to outsell the Blazer and was the third best-selling EV of the year.

The Chevrolet Equinox was fully redesigned in 2025, and the 2026 model starts at $28,800, excluding a destination freight charge. The current iteration of the SUV is 2.5 inches wider than the previous model and boasts updated tech but has the same turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood of all trim levels. It has 175 horsepower, which is adequate for most daily driving needs. The 2026 model is available in three trims: LT, ACTIV, and RS, all of which comes in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with the latter costing an extra $2,000. Chevy offers the Equinox in an array of colors along with several two-tone schemes.

Standard tech features include a large, 11.3-inch touch screen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Every trim also has Google Built-In, which integrates Google apps and services such as Maps directly into the dashboard. Buyers also get a long list of standard safety features, including forward collision alert, blind zone steering assist, rear cross traffic braking, Teen Driver, and more.

The Equinox can tow up to 1,500 pounds, and it sees an EPA-estimated 26 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The cabin seats up to five, and there‘s 63.5 cubic feet of cargo space, along with hidden storage under the rear cargo floor. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the 2026 Equinox with “Good” ratings in categories including crashworthiness, crash avoidance and mitigation, and seat belts and child restraints.