What’s New on the 2025 Chevy Equinox?

May 17th, 2024 by

A rear view of a green 2025 Chevy Equinox ACTIV parked on a lake shore.

That’s a great question and one that’s a lot of fun to discover and answer, particularly if you can take the revamped and updated 2025 Equinox for a spin. Whether you’re looking for a Chevy Equinox for sale right now or are just curious about how Chevy has updated its second-most-popular vehicle, you will quickly see that the 2025 Equinox has a lot to offer.

Chevy is giving their compact SUV a number of updates this year and a refresh that is inspired by the look and feel of their powerful trucks while keeping it unquestionably within the realm of a sophisticated SUV. The best way to appreciate these changes is to take a 2025 model for a test drive; meanwhile, the second-best way is to compare it to the 2024 Equinox, so that’s what we’ll do.

The New ACTIV Trim

One of the best places to start with the updated Equinox is its three trim levels, including one that’s entirely new for this model. Last year, there were four trims available: an LS, LT, RS, and Premier. Chevy has redesigned this selection with just three options now—the LT, RS, and ACTIV—which gives you three distinct and gorgeous options for what you want from your SUV.

The ACTIV has styling choices and design elements inspired by Chevy’s love of off-road vehicles, with all-terrain tires and a white roof that’s available for a two-tone appearance. This is likely to become our new favorite option for the Equinox based on its looks alone, since it creates a visual feast that’s fun to walk up to and hop inside each day. Turning heads when you’re on the road is always nice, and the gorgeous looks of the ACTIV are perfect for that.

An Updated Exterior

Speaking of looks, the ACTIV is not the only version of the Equinox that looks different from last year’s model; the 2025 Equinox has been revamped with bolder proportions and numerous changes to its exterior. For one thing, it’s grown 2.3 inches wider than the 2024 model, giving it a bold and aggressive stance that you might not expect from this kind of SUV. This is part of an overall revamp inspired by Chevy’s powerful trucks, providing it with stronger proportions and engineering that keep you in control at all times.

You’ll find three distinct front fascia treatments on the Equinox this year—one for each of the trim levels. This makes each one look different, and you can immediately recognize them once you get a feel for them; the starting LT trim has even more options with the grille either getting a chrome finish or High Gloss Black (with the Midnight Edition) to let you customize your ride further.

The all-LED lighting on the outside of the 2025 Equinox is visually striking and beautifully illuminates the road when you’re driving at night. Plus, new wheel designs look great, and 20-inch wheels are available for the RS trim—a first for the Equinox that elevates your drive even more.

The black rear interior seats of a 2025 Chevy Equinox.

Performance Improvements

Speaking of your driving experience, the 2025 Equinox’s performance hasn’t been massively overhauled, but there are a few new things worth noting. You’ll find a 1.5L turbocharged engine in the Equinox that delivers 175 hp, which is the same as what you get with the 2024 model. For 2025, however, front-wheel drive (FWD) models come with a continuously variable transmission, while models with all-wheel drive (AWD) now pair the engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 2024 Equinox features a six-speed automatic instead, so you get a smoother driving experience with the 2025 model and its new transmission options. Driver-selectable modes are offered on the RS and ACTIV trims for the first time, letting you choose Normal or Snow modes on FWD models, with AWD versions getting an Off-Road mode for added traction when you leave the pavement behind.

Innovative Tech to Enjoy

Year after year, Chevy keeps showing off with remarkable technology that surpasses our expectations, and the 2025 Equinox is no exception. The 2024 model features a 7.0-inch infotainment display as the standard option, with an 8.0-inch screen on the highest trim and available on others. Heated front seats and a heated steering wheel are available on 2024 Equinoxes, only offered as standard on the highest trim level. Overall, these tech features are great, but Chevy is always ready to take things to another level.

The perfect example of this is found inside the updated 2025 Equinox: a gorgeous 11.3-inch infotainment display is standard in every Equinox trim. This is paired with an 11.0-inch configurable driver information center, also standard, ensuring that every 2025 Equinox is an absolute pleasure to drive.

Beyond this, a new electronic precision shifter is mounted on the steering column to improve storage space up front, while a heated steering wheel and heated front seats are standard in the 2025 Equinox. This ensures every model provides a fantastic experience whenever you hit the road, plus more features like a wireless charging pad, heated and ventilated front seats, and heated rear seats are available.

Taking Safety to a New Level

Big, beautiful displays inside your SUV are wonderful, but nothing is more important than how well your vehicle can help protect you on the road. This is something Chevy understands better than anyone else, and you can see it in the way they’ve made the remarkable Chevy Safety Assist suite standard on so many models.

The 2024 Equinox is one of these, and every model comes with a Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, and IntelliBeam automatic high beams. You also get Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, and Following Distance Indicator as standard with every 2024 Equinox. For the 2025 model year, however, Chevy is taking things much further.

Honestly, when we first saw the list of standard safety tech on the 2025 Chevy Equinox, we thought it must’ve been a typo and was showing available options—but there was no mistake. The 2025 Equinox comes with all of the previous features along with upgrades like Front Pedestrian & Bicyclist Braking, Side Bicyclist Alert, and Rear Seat Reminder to ensure no one is left in your vehicle.

You get Adaptive Cruise Control standard in every model, plus Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, Rear Cross-Traffic Braking, and Enhanced Lane Keep Assist. All of this comes together to enhance the safety of what’s already one of the safest SUVs on the road, helping to ensure you and your loved ones get home safely every day.

Golf clubs stowed in the open hatchback of a red 2025 Chevy Equinox.

The Chevy Equinox Enters a New Era

With the updates to the 2025 Equinox, now every Chevy SUV has been refreshed to a new generation in the past two years. This is an improved and revitalized Chevy lineup with a host of amazing SUVs for you to choose from, including the remarkable Equinox.

Of course, this is the gas-powered Equinox that we all know and love; if you’d rather have a taste of the future, you should check out the all-electric Chevy Equinox EV and everything it’s bringing in 2025. With up to 288 hp and 346 lb-ft of instant torque along with up to 319 miles of range from a full charge, the Equinox EV is the perfect example of how the SUV landscape is changing.

Now, all you have to do is visit us at Rusty Wallace Chevrolet, and we’ll show you everything the Chevy lineup has to offer.