Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Toyota Avalon drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 129 per 100,000 against 297 for the Chevrolet Impala, or 57% fewer. For newer cars the picture flips: from 2019 to 2022 the Chevrolet Impala has the cleaner record. The best years to target are 2018 and 2019 for the Impala and 2016 and 2017 for the Avalon.
Chevrolet Impala
Toyota Avalon
By age group
| Model years | Impala | Avalon | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 252 | 157 | Avalon |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 465 | 56 | Avalon |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 78 | 152 | Impala |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | Impala | Avalon |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 152 | 102 |
| 2013 | 173 | 225 |
| 2014 | 455 | 170 |
| 2015 | 257 | 90 |
| 2016 | 917 | 52 |
| 2017 | 154 | 43 |
| 2018 | 104 | 74 |
| 2019 | 62 | 259 |
| 2020 | 151 | 60 |
| 2021 | n/a | 139 |
| 2022 | n/a | 65 |
| 2023 | n/a | n/a |
| 2024 | n/a | n/a |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the Impala or Avalon more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Toyota Avalon drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 129 per 100,000 against 297 for the Chevrolet Impala, or 57% fewer. For newer cars the picture flips: from 2019 to 2022 the Chevrolet Impala has the cleaner record. The best years to target are 2018 and 2019 for the Impala and 2016 and 2017 for the Avalon.
Which Impala and Avalon years should I avoid?
For the Impala: 2014, 2016. For the Avalon: none stand out.