Compare the2027 Chevrolet Equinox VS 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee

With its standard Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, the Chevrolet Equinox is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Equinox	Grand Cherokee
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	-22 MPH	-11 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	2 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Chevrolet Equinox achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Jeep Grand Cherokee has not been tested.

Both the Equinox and Grand Cherokee have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Equinox has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Grand Cherokee’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Equinox and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all-wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Equinox is much safer than the Grand Cherokee:

	Equinox	Grand Cherokee
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg Forces L/R	292/337 pounds	495/607 pounds
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	POOR
Chest Rating	GOOD	POOR
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE

The Equinox’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Grand Cherokee’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 21 percent more Chevrolet dealers than there are Jeep dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 106 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Jeep is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 7 places higher in reliability than Jeep.

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee:

			MPG
Equinox
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/29 hwy
Grand Cherokee
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

The Equinox stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

	Equinox	Grand Cherokee
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	142 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	138 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

The Equinox RS AWD handles at .79 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Equinox’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Grand Cherokee’s (37.1 feet vs. 38 feet).

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 800 to 1900 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Equinox is 10.3 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee, making the Equinox easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Equinox has .1 inches more front headroom and 1.7 inches more rear legroom than the Grand Cherokee.

The Equinox’s front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Grand Cherokee’s standard power windows’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

The Equinox’s standard Keyless Access allows you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from pocket or purse. Keyless Enter-N-Go standard on the Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear doors.

The Equinox has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Grand Cherokee Laredo X/Altitude/Limited/Summit.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2026 Chevrolet Equinox retains 50.37% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 47.26% resale value of the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee after five years, which can save the Chevrolet’s owner up to $5054 in depreciation.

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Jeep Grand Cherokee by 58% during 2025.