Buick Encore GX

243 complaints across 2 scored model years and 3 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Buick Encore GX Full report

Grade 2020–2021

2020 vs model median 1.2×

Model median3× median

Brakes 16

Engine 6

Electrical 5

Weakest

2020 · 2021

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Buick Encore GX
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2020	1.19×	57	C
2021	0.81×	41	B
2022 P	0.90×	39	B
2023 P	0.66×	43	B
2024 P	0.64×	39	B
2025 P	0.47×	24	A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	30
City / Highway	29 / 31
Engine	1.3L, 3 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,050

Recalls

3 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
21V440000	EQUIPMENT:MECHANICAL:ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT:STAND	2020–2022	135,400
23V744000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL	2024	60,154
20V588000	SERVICE BRAKES	2020, 2021	3,677

Others in Subcompact SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Alfa Romeo Stelvio	2018	C
Audi E-Tron	none flagged	C
Audi Q3	20202021	C
BMW X1	2014	C
Buick Encore	2015	C
Cadillac XT4	none flagged	B
Chevrolet Captiva	none flagged	B
Chevrolet Trax	none flagged	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2020 Encore GX

Complaints in window: 57
Severity-weighted: 91.5
Model median (weighted): 77
vs model median: 1.19×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 2
Open investigations: 0

Score 65.3 C