Buick Encore

408 complaints across 8 scored model years and 13 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Buick Encore Full report

Grade 2013–2020

2015 vs model median 1.5×

Model median3× median

Electrical 14

Brakes 13

Engine 12

Avoid

2015

Best

2014 · 2020

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
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2013	0.87×	48	C
2014	0.35×	25	B
2015	1.47×	87	D
2016	0.96×	47	B
2017	1.41×	57	C
2018	1.04×	50	B
2019	1.30×	55	C
2020	0.33×	20	A
2022 P	0.16×	11	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	26.5
City / Highway	23.5 / 31
Engine	1.4L, 4 cyl
Drive	Front-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,325

Recalls

13 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
16V651000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2014–2017	3,640,162
20V668000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2019, 2020	194,105
14V446000	SEATS	2013, 2014	124,007
14V488000	SEAT BELTS:FRONT	2013	48,114
17V437000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2014–2017	40,683
15V162000	EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS	2015	19,831
16V502000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION	2013	8,367
14V417000	EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL	2013, 2014	2,990

+ 5 further campaigns

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 GX	none flagged	B
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 2015 Encore

Complaints in window: 87
Severity-weighted: 130
Model median (weighted): 88
vs model median: 1.47×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 4
Open investigations: 0

Score 53.2 D