Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2025 Chevrolet Traverse

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Traverse doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Traverse’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Pilot is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Chevrolet Traverse, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Both the Pilot and the Traverse have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Traverse:

The Pilot’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Traverse’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Chevrolet is ranked 16th.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Pilot is faster than the Chevrolet Traverse:

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot 4WD gets better fuel mileage than the Traverse AWD (19 city/25 hwy vs. 19 city/24 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Traverse doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Pilot has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Traverse. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (7 out of 10) than the Chevrolet Traverse (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Traverse every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Traverse.

For better stopping power the Pilot’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Traverse:

The Pilot stops shorter than the Traverse:

The Pilot EX-L’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Traverse LT’s standard 65 series tires.

The Pilot 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 Traverse doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Traverse; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the Traverse RS AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Traverse’s (37.7 feet vs. 39 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Traverse with 22-inch wheels’ (37.8 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Pilot has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Traverse (7.3 vs. 6.8 inches), allowing the Pilot to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Pilot TrailSport’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Traverse Z71 (8.3 vs. 7.8 inches).

The Pilot is 4.6 inches shorter than the Traverse, making the Pilot easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Pilot has .2 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more third row headroom, .4 inches more third row legroom and 1.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the Traverse.

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the Traverse.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Pilot. The Traverse doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Pilot’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Traverse’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Chevrolet. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 6% lower rating, Chevrolet is ranked 13th.

The Pilot Elite/Black Edition has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Traverse doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Pilot’s front and rear power windows all open or close 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 Traverse’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Pilot to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Traverse doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Honda Pilot and the Chevrolet Traverse, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Chevrolet Traverse by 37% during 2024.