Compare the2026 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Equinox are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Equinox and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Equinox 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 5 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Equinox has a standard 760-amp battery. The Tiguan’s 360-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 81 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 93 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 2 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder 8-speed Auto AWD gets better fuel mileage than the Tiguan 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder (24 city/29 hwy vs. 22 city/30 hwy).

The Equinox has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system or a tether to prevent losing the cap.

The Equinox FWD has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better traction, the Equinox has larger tires than the Tiguan (235/65R17 vs. 215/65R17).

The Equinox has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Tiguan doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Equinox is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tiguan.

For better maneuverability, the Equinox’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Tiguan’s (37.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Equinox LT/ACTIV has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.1 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Equinox to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Equinox RS’ minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the Tiguan (8.2 vs. 7 inches).

The front grille of the Equinox uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Equinox uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Equinox has .5 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (29.8 vs. 26.5 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tiguan with its rear seat folded (63.5 vs. 58.9 cubic feet).

The Equinox’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tiguan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Equinox has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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 Tiguan SEL.

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Chevrolet Equinox eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the overhead console.

The Chevrolet Equinox outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by over two to one during 2024.