Compare the2026 Chevrolet TrailblazerVS 2025 BMW X1

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Trailblazer are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Trailblazer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Trailblazer and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Trailblazer is safer than the BMW X1:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Trailblazer is safer than the BMW X1:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Trailblazer 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the X1. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X1 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 8 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Trailblazer’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Trailblazer’s reliability 27 points higher than the X1.

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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 46 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 21st, 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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 9th.

On the EPA test cycle the Trailblazer gets better mileage than the X1:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Trailblazer uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X1 M35i xDrive requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Trailblazer 1.3 turbo 3-cylinder AWD, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the X1.

The Trailblazer 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 X1 doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Trailblazer stops shorter than the X1:

The Trailblazer 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 X1 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Trailblazer’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the X1’s (36.8 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

The Chevrolet Trailblazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 700 pounds less than the BMW X1.

The Trailblazer is 3.7 inches shorter than the X1 xDrive28i, making the Trailblazer easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Trailblazer AWD uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The X1 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Trailblazer has .5 inches more front legroom and 2 inches more rear legroom than the X1.

The Trailblazer’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 X1 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Trailblazer’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 X1’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Trailblazer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The X1 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Trailblazer has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the X1 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Trailblazer’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the X1’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Trailblazer’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The X1 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

The Trailblazer LT/ACTIV/RS offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The X1 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Trailblazer is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The X1 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the BMW X1, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Trailblazer outsold the BMW X1 by almost four to one during 2024.