The 2025 Buick Envista is a new small SUV that has entered Buick’s lineup, sharing design and structural elements with the redesigned Chevrolet Trax. For potential buyers in the compact SUV market, safety is a paramount concern. This comprehensive review delves into the safety ratings of the 2025 Buick Envista, drawing upon evaluations conducted on the structurally similar 2024 Chevrolet Trax. These ratings provide crucial insights into how the Envista is expected to perform in various crash scenarios, offering peace of mind for drivers and passengers alike.
Small Overlap Frontal Crash Test: Driver and Passenger Side Performance
The small overlap front test simulates a collision where only a small portion of the vehicle’s front end, on either the driver or passenger side, impacts a barrier. This is a demanding test that assesses how well the vehicle’s structure holds up and protects occupants in such offset frontal crashes.
Driver-Side Small Overlap Front Test
The 2024 Chevrolet Trax, which shares its structural design with the 2025 Buick Envista, underwent the driver-side small overlap front test. The results for the Trax are highly indicative of the expected performance of the Envista in a similar scenario.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall driver-side evaluation | G (Good) |
| Structure and safety cage | G (Good) |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G (Good) |
| Chest | G (Good) |
| Hip/thigh | G (Good) |
| Lower leg/foot | G (Good) |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G (Good) |
The “Good” ratings across all categories in the driver-side small overlap test suggest that the 2025 Buick Envista is engineered to provide robust protection for the driver in this type of frontal collision. The structure and safety cage maintained their integrity well, and measurements indicated a low risk of injury to the driver’s head, neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot.
Technical measurements from the driver-side test on the Chevrolet Trax further illustrate the vehicle’s performance:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 2 |
| Footrest (cm) | 1 |
| Left toepan (cm) | 0 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 1 |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 0 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Steering column | 0 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 1 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 1 |
| Lower instrument panel (cm) | 1 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 198 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 11 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.20 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 23 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 0.1 |
| Right | 0.1 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.51 |
| Right | 0.57 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.9 |
| Right | 0.5 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 52 |
| Right | 30 |
These technical measurements confirm minimal intrusion into the driver’s space and low injury measures, reinforcing the “Good” rating.
Passenger-Side Small Overlap Front Test
The passenger-side small overlap front test is equally critical, as it evaluates protection for the front passenger. Again, using data from the 2024 Chevrolet Trax test, we can infer the expected safety performance of the 2025 Buick Envista for the passenger side.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall passenger-side evaluation | G (Good) |
| Structure and safety cage | G (Good) |
| Passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G (Good) |
| Chest | G (Good) |
| Hip/thigh | G (Good) |
| Lower leg/foot | G (Good) |
| Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | G (Good) |
Similar to the driver-side, the 2024 Trax achieved “Good” ratings in all aspects of the passenger-side small overlap test. This strongly indicates that the 2025 Buick Envista is also designed to provide excellent protection for the front passenger in a small overlap frontal crash.
Technical measurements for the passenger-side test:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on passenger side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Lower occupant compartment | |
| Lower hinge pillar max (cm) | 8 |
| Footrest (cm) | 6 |
| Right toepan (cm) | 1 |
| Center toepan (cm) | 1 |
| Rocker panel lateral average (cm) | 1 |
| Upper occupant compartment | |
| Center dash (cm) | 3 |
| Upper hinge pillar max (cm) | 5 |
| Upper dash (cm) | 4 |
| Right lower dash (cm) | 4 |
Passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 122 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.8 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 14 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.18 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 25 |
| Femur (kN) | |
| Left | 0.2 |
| Right | 1.6 |
| Knee displacement (mm) | |
| Left | 1 |
| Right | 4 |
| Knee-thigh-hip injury risk (%) | |
| Left | 0 |
| Right | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index | |
| Left | 0.39 |
| Right | 0.66 |
| Tibia axial force (kN) | |
| Left | 1.8 |
| Right | 2.0 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 32 |
| Right | 35 |
Although there was slightly more intrusion on the passenger side compared to the driver side, the injury measures remained low, supporting the overall “Good” rating.
Moderate Overlap Frontal Crash Test: Original and Updated Evaluations
The moderate overlap front test represents a more common type of frontal collision, where a significant portion of the vehicle’s front end impacts a barrier. The 2025 Buick Envista has been subjected to both the original and the updated moderate overlap front tests.
Original Moderate Overlap Front Test
The original moderate overlap front test focuses primarily on the protection of the driver. The 2024 Buick Envista Preferred model was tested, and the results are promising.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | G (Good) |
| Structure and safety cage | G (Good) |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G (Good) |
| Chest | G (Good) |
| Leg/foot, left | G (Good) |
| Leg/foot, right | G (Good) |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G (Good) |
Image alt text: Buick Envista moderate overlap frontal crash test in action, showing vehicle deformation and airbag deployment.
The Buick Envista achieved “Good” ratings across the board in the original moderate overlap test. This signifies excellent protection for the driver in this type of frontal impact. The structural integrity was maintained, and injury risks were minimal.
Image alt text: Driver dummy position post-crash in Buick Envista moderate overlap test, indicating good survival space.
The post-crash dummy positioning further confirmed that the driver’s survival space was well-maintained.
Image alt text: Greasepaint on side curtain airbag of Buick Envista after moderate overlap test, showing head contact.
Greasepaint markings indicated proper head contact with the side curtain airbag, demonstrating effective occupant restraint.
Image alt text: Minimal occupant compartment intrusion in Buick Envista driver’s side after moderate overlap crash test.
Minimal intrusion into the driver’s side and low injury measures for legs and feet further solidified the “Good” rating.
Technical measurements from the original moderate overlap test:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Footwell intrusion | |
| Footrest (cm) | 3 |
| Left (cm) | 3 |
| Center (cm) | 4 |
| Right (cm) | 7 |
| Brake pedal (cm) | 8 |
| Instrument panel rearward movement | |
| Left (cm) | 0 |
| Right (cm) | 0 |
| Steering column movement | |
| Upward (cm) | -2 |
| Rearward (cm) | -7 |
| A-pillar rearward movement (cm) | 0 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 156 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.0 |
| Extension bending moment (Nm) | 8 |
| Maximum Nij | 0.17 |
| Chest maximum compression (mm) | 21 |
| Legs | |
| Femur force – left (kN) | 0.3 |
| Femur force – right (kN) | 0.3 |
| Knee displacement – left (mm) | 0 |
| Knee displacement – right (mm) | 0 |
| Maximum tibia index – left | 0.31 |
| Maximum tibia index – right | 0.56 |
| Tibia axial force – left (kN) | 1.7 |
| Tibia axial force – right (kN) | 3.1 |
| Foot acceleration (g) | |
| Left | 48 |
| Right | 74 |
Updated Moderate Overlap Front Test
The updated moderate overlap front test expands upon the original test by including a rear passenger dummy to assess rear occupant protection, which is increasingly important for family vehicles. The 2024 Buick Envista was also subjected to this more rigorous evaluation.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | P (Poor) |
| Structure and safety cage | G (Good) |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G (Good) |
| Chest | G (Good) |
| Thigh/hip | G (Good) |
| Leg/foot | G (Good) |
| Driver restraints and dummy kinematics | G (Good) |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | P (Poor) |
| Chest | M (Marginal) |
| Thigh | G (Good) |
| Rear passenger restraints and dummy kinematics | G (Good) |
Image alt text: Vehicle damage following Buick Envista updated moderate overlap frontal crash test, highlighting airbag deployment.
While the structure and driver protection remained “Good,” the overall rating for the updated test was “Poor” due to rear passenger injury measures.
Image alt text: Rear passenger dummy head position in Buick Envista after updated moderate overlap test, showing safe distance from seatback.
The rear passenger dummy’s head was at a safe distance from the front seatback.
Image alt text: Rear passenger dummy injury values in Buick Envista updated moderate overlap test, indicating chest and head/neck injury risks.
However, injury values indicated a moderate risk of chest injury and a likelihood of head or neck injury for rear passengers.
Image alt text: Lap belt position on rear passenger dummy in Buick Envista updated moderate overlap test, showing ideal pelvis position.
Despite the lap belt remaining in an ideal position, the elevated injury risks for rear passengers led to the “Poor” overall rating in the updated moderate overlap test.
Technical measurements for the updated moderate overlap test are consistent with the original test for driver-side metrics. Rear passenger specific measurements include:
Rear passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 for head contact during forward excursion | no contact |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 3.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Maximum Nij for head contact during forward excursion | no contact |
| Chest | |
| Chest index | 37 |
| Shoulder belt tension (kN) | 7.0 |
| Thigh (kN) | |
| Left femur compression | 0.2 |
| Right femur compression | 0.1 |
Side Crash Test: Updated Side 2.0 Evaluation
The side crash test evaluates the vehicle’s ability to protect occupants in a side impact. The updated Side 2.0 test is more stringent than the original side test, incorporating a higher impact speed and a heavier barrier, and assessing for both driver and rear passenger protection. The 2024 Chevrolet Trax 1RS, sharing structural similarities with the Envista, was tested for the Side 2.0 evaluation.
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall evaluation | A (Acceptable) |
| Structure and safety cage | A (Acceptable) |
| Driver injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G (Good) |
| Torso | A (Acceptable) |
| Pelvis | M (Marginal) |
| Driver head protection | A (Acceptable) |
| Rear passenger injury measures | |
| Head/neck | G (Good) |
| Torso | A (Acceptable) |
| Pelvis | G (Good) |
| Rear passenger head protection | G (Good) |
Image alt text: Vehicle exterior damage after Chevrolet Trax updated side crash test, showing impact area.
The 2025 Buick Envista, based on the Trax’s performance, is expected to achieve an “Acceptable” overall rating in the Side 2.0 test. Driver and rear passenger head and neck protection are rated “Good,” and torso protection is “Acceptable” for both. Pelvis protection is “Marginal” for the driver but “Good” for the rear passenger.
Image alt text: Chevrolet Trax interior damage post-updated side crash test, revealing side airbag deployment and occupant compartment damage.
The structure and safety cage also received an “Acceptable” rating in this demanding side impact scenario.
Image alt text: Driver dummy head contact with side curtain airbag in Chevrolet Trax updated side crash test, indicating head protection.
Driver head protection was deemed “Acceptable,” with the dummy’s head contacting the side curtain airbag.
Image alt text: Rear passenger dummy head protection by side airbag in Chevrolet Trax updated side crash test.
Rear passenger head protection was rated “Good,” with greasepaint indicating airbag contact.
Technical measurements from the side crash test:
Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver’s seat (cm) | -15.5 |
Driver injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 476 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 1.7 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.3 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.5 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 38 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 30 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 2.73 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.61 |
| Pelvis | |
| Combined force (kN) | 5.5 |
Passenger injury measures
| Evaluation criteria | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Head | |
| HIC-15 | 424 |
| Peak gs at hard contact | no contact |
| Neck | |
| Tension (kN) | 0.6 |
| Compression (kN) | 0.6 |
| Shoulder | |
| Lateral deflection (mm) | 45 |
| Lateral force (kN) | 1.5 |
| Torso | |
| Maximum deflection (mm) | 40 |
| Average deflection (mm) | 29 |
| Maximum deflection rate (m/s) | 3.99 |
| Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) | 0.62 |
| Pelvis | |
| Combined force (kN) | 4.0 |
Headlight Evaluation
Headlight performance is a critical aspect of vehicle safety, especially for nighttime driving. The 2025 Buick Envista comes equipped with LED projector headlights across all trim levels.
Headlight Ratings
| Evaluation criteria | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | M (Marginal) |
| Low-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| High-beam headlight type | LED projector |
| Curve-adaptive? | No |
| High-beam assist? | Yes |
The overall headlight rating for the 2025 Buick Envista is “Marginal.” While equipped with LED projectors and high-beam assist, the low beams were rated as providing fair visibility on the left side of the road and inadequate on the right on straightaways. On curves, visibility ranged from good to inadequate depending on the curve type. High beams were inadequate on straightaways and fair to inadequate on curves. High-beam assist provides some compensation for low beam limitations.
Technical measurements for headlight performance:
| LOW BEAMS | Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux) | Amount glare exceeded threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Straightaway right edge | 74.5 m | None |
| Straightaway left edge | 47.5 m | None |
| 250m radius right curve, right edge | 67.2 m | None |
| 250m radius left curve, right edge | 43.4 m | None |
| 150m radius right curve, right edge | 52.5 m | None |
| 150m radius left curve, left edge | 51.0 m | None |
| HIGH BEAMS | Average minimum useful illumination distance (5 lux) |
|---|---|
| Straightaway right edge | 112.3 m |
| Straightaway left edge | 124.0 m |
| 250m radius right curve, right edge | 67.4 m |
| 250m radius left curve, right edge | 61.2 m |
| 150m radius right curve, right edge | 50.5 m |
| 150m radius left curve, left edge | 49.7 m |
Conclusion: 2025 Buick Envista Safety Performance
The 2025 Buick Envista demonstrates a strong performance in small overlap and original moderate overlap frontal crash tests, achieving “Good” ratings, indicating solid protection for front occupants in these scenarios. However, the updated moderate overlap test revealed potential vulnerabilities in rear passenger protection, leading to a “Poor” overall rating for that specific evaluation. The side crash test resulted in an “Acceptable” rating, with good head and neck protection but marginal to acceptable torso and pelvis protection. Headlight performance is rated as “Marginal,” suggesting room for improvement in nighttime visibility.
Potential buyers should consider these safety ratings in their entirety. While the 2025 Buick Envista shows strengths in certain crash tests, the “Poor” rating in the updated moderate overlap test and “Marginal” headlight rating are important factors to weigh, especially for families prioritizing rear passenger safety and optimal nighttime driving visibility. It is recommended to review the detailed test results and consider how these ratings align with individual safety priorities when making a purchase decision in the compact SUV segment.
