Compare the2026 Ford Bronco SportVS 2026 Chevrolet Equinox

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Bronco Sport are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Equinox doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Ford Bronco Sport has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Equinox doesn’t offer knee airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ford Bronco Sport achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Chevrolet Equinox has not been tested.

The Bronco Sport has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Equinox doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Bronco Sport. But it costs extra on the Equinox.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Bronco Sport Sasquatch/Badlands’ standard Trail Control allows you to creep down safely. The Equinox doesn’t offer Trail Control.

The Bronco Sport’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Equinox doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Bronco Sport and the Equinox have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Bronco Sport’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Equinox’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

The Bronco Sport has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Equinox doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Bronco Sport’s reliability 48 points higher than the Equinox.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Bronco Sport third among small suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Equinox isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 6 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

The Bronco Sport’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (180 vs. 175) and 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (200 vs. 184) than the Equinox FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Bronco Sport’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (180 vs. 175) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Bronco Sport Badlands’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 75 more horsepower (250 vs. 175) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 203) than the Equinox AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Ford Bronco Sport turbo 3 cyl. is faster than the Equinox AWD:

On the EPA test cycle the Bronco Sport gets better mileage than the Equinox:

The Bronco Sport has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Equinox’s standard fuel tank (16 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Bronco Sport stops shorter than the Equinox:

The Bronco Sport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Equinox; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Bronco Sport has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Bronco Sport flat and controlled during cornering. The Equinox’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Bronco Sport has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Equinox doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For greater off-road capability the Bronco Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Equinox RS (8.8 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Bronco Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Bronco Sport is 10.1 inches shorter than the Equinox, making the Bronco Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Bronco Sport has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 2.5 inches more rear headroom and 1.7 inches more rear hip room than the Equinox.

The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Equinox with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 29.8 cubic feet). The Bronco Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Equinox with its rear seat folded (65.2 vs. 63.5 cubic feet).

An optional locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Bronco Sport. The Equinox doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Bronco Sport’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Equinox’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Bronco Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Equinox’s (2200 vs. 800 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Chevrolet Equinox AWD is only 1500 pounds. The Bronco Sport offers up to a 2700 lbs. towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the Bronco Sport uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Equinox doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands’ front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Equinox’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Bronco Sport the driver can close all of them from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Equinox can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Bronco Sport’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Equinox doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Bronco Sport’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Equinox’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Bronco Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Equinox doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Bronco Sport Outer Banks/Badlands’ standard rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Equinox doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

The Bronco Sport offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Equinox doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Ford Bronco Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chevrolet Equinox isn't recommended.