Reliability Showdown: GMC Vs. Chevrolet

Chevrolet and GMC are often treated as being largely interchangeable. In all fairness, they kind of are. The Silverado and the Sierra have more in common than they don’t, and the same goes for the whole range of SUVs. But, Chevrolet ranks fifth in J.D. Power’s 2023 reliability survey, and GMC ranks fourteenth. So, if these brands are basically the same thing, then why do they rank nearly ten spots apart?

That’s what we’re here to find out, by comparing flagship models and looking at overall repair costs and common issues by brand. We’re hoping to figure out if Chevy is actually more dependable than GMC, or if the brand’s reputation simply benefits from a larger sample size.

Chevy Vs. GMC: Top Three Vs. Top Three

GMC’s top three sellers are the Sierra, the Yukon, and the Terrain. These three models compare neatly to Chevy’s Silverado, Suburban, and Equinox, respectively. So we can start by comparing quality & reliability ratings across brands.

The Silverado 1500 tends to outsell the Sierra 1500 by a factor of around two to one. The same goes for the Equinox and the Terrain. But, the Yukon actually tends to outsell the Suburban by a pretty good margin. In 2023, the Yukon sold 71,856 units while the Suburban sold 52,820.

The Silverado tends to sell in the half-million range, year after year, with the Sierra selling in the quarter million range, and these are the models whose Q&R ratings tend to be the closest. This all seems to suggest that sample size does have a lot to do with which brand is considered to be more reliable. If the Terrain and Equinox were both measured across three quarters of a million units each year, there’s a chance that their reliability ratings would be as close as those of the Silverado and the Sierra.

Averaging out the yearly quality & reliability ratings for each brand’s top three sellers, Chevy only leads GMC by a single point. The disparity grows when we include all models, as Chevy has several more models available, adding up to much, much larger overall sales figures.

• Average Chevrolet Quality & Reliability Rating: 83/100
• Average GMC Quality & Reliability Rating: 82/100

Is Chevrolet Or GMC More High-Maintenance?

Looking at average annual maintenance costs for each brand, with the annual costs based on data from RepairPal, and the ten-year maintenance estimate based on data from CarEdge, our numbers look like this:

It’s interesting to note that repair costs tend to be higher for GMC year-to-year, but lower after the first decade of ownership. Again, we’re talking about sample size here. Over a longer amount of time, medians will tend to even out, and provide a more accurate picture. It is also likely that Chevy’s ten-year maintenance numbers are skewed upwards by the Chevy Silverado. No matter how dependable a full-size truck may be, when something breaks, it’s usually expensive.

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To list the most expensive common repairs for each brand:

Most Expensive Common Fixes For Chevrolet Owners

Most Expensive Common Fixes For GMC Owners

• Diesel injection pump replacement (GMC Yukon) $1,642 – $2,829
• Trans oil pan gasket replacement (GMC Sierra 3500 Classic) $322 – $350
• Mass airflow sensor replacement (GMC Sierra 2500 HD Classic) $287 – $384

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CarComplaints lists the Impala as the most troubled Chevy, with a whopping 4,806 complaints on file. The car was discontinued after the 2020 model year, with most of the problems affecting 2014 models and earlier. The biggest problem is rough shifting reported just before hitting 100,000 miles, with the average cost to fix at around $1,800.

The Sierra 1500 is CarComplaints’ most troubled model, owing largely to this being the brand’s sales leader, and GMC having no counterpart to the Impala. The 2014 and 2015 models are the biggest troublemakers, with broken ACs (a $1,300 fix) and fidgety headlights ($300) being major issues.

What Does The NHTSA Think Of These Brands?

Looking at recent model years, the 2024 Chevy Silverado 1500 was hit with a recall that did not carry over to the GMC Sierra 1500, for 38 units with improperly rated bumper mounting brackets, meaning that they can’t tow as much as they say they should be able to tow.

Most recalls that affect one brand will affect the other, however. There was a recall related to inoperative low brake fluid warning systems in 449,671 Chevrolets, Cadillacs and GMCs. The recall lists the 2024 model Suburban and Yukon, as well as the 2023 Sierras and Silverado.

GMC and Chevrolet tend to share crash test ratings, as well, with both the Sierra and Silverado currently holding a 5/5 star overall score, and the Yukon and Suburban sharing a 4/5. Complaints will typically favor whichever model sells fewer units because of the simple fact that fewer sales mean fewer drivers, fewer miles, and fewer opportunities for something to go wrong.

Chevrolet Leads The Way In Reliability (At Least On Paper)

The key takeaway here based on all of this data is that you might want to avoid buying a used Impala released in the last twenty years or so. When you consider the part that volume plays in a vehicle’s perceived reliability, and the fact that the Silverado outsold the Impala, and has run for four more model years, but doesn’t come close to generating as many complaints, it’s clear that the nameplate had some issues.

Based on the numbers alone, you can say that Chevrolet wins this comparison by a nose, but this has more to do with sample size than anything. Chevy sells more than twice as many vehicles in a year as GMC, so there’s more data to draw from, and we get a more even median when it comes to reliability ratings. For GMC, one really cantankerous Terrain buyer can completely skew their maintenance data.

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GMCs are regarded as the more upscale model, and they are known to go through a more stringent quality assurance process before hitting the lots. But, as an upscale brand, they also have more bells and whistles, more things that can break and malfunction.

For all intents and purposes, you don’t really need to worry about which brand is more reliable, so focus on price and personal preference. Call it an oversimplification if you like, but GMC and Chevrolet really are the same brand in more ways than not, and reliability is one of them.

Sources:
J.D. Power
,
NHTSA
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CarComplaints
,
CarEdge
,
RepairPal