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Chevrolet Impala Reliability by Year

Every Impala model year from 2004 to 2020, scored on reported failures weighted against how many were sold — and ranked against every other Mid-Size Passenger Car of the same year.

The short answer

Best model year
2018
#6 of 43 that year
Year to avoid
2014
#41 of 48 that year
Latest scored
2020
#8 of 38

Across 17 scored model years the Impala needs fixing less often than its class, and repairs cost about what you would expect. The spread between years is what matters: 2018 is its strongest, 2014 its weakest.

Every model year, scored

Longer bar is better. Rank is against every Mid-Size Passenger Car sold that same model year.

YearRelative standingClass rankPctl
2004#32 /5846th
2005#23 /5660th
2006#21 /5664th
2007#21 /5664th
2008#27 /5350th
2009#35 /5233th
2010#24 /4649th
2011#28 /4843th
2012#13 /4371th
2013#15 /5071th
2014#41 /4815thAvoid
2015#26 /5049th
2016#13 /4774th
2017#11 /5080th
2018#6 /4388thBest year
2019#5 /4791th
2020#8 /3881th

The line held a middling position through 2015, then moved to strong from 2016 on. This 2020 car falls in a strong stretch.

What tends to break

All 12 systems, measured against the class average for each model year.

Every Impala model year is scored across 12 separate systems — engine, transmission, brakes, electrical, steering and suspension, structure, interior, and five more. Each system is compared against how often that same system fails on the average Mid-Size Passenger Car of the same year, so a common failure is judged against how common it is everywhere else.

Across the last three model years (2018–2020), no single system stands out. All measured systems draw issue reports less often than the same systems on the average Mid-Size Passenger Car of their year — a cleaner sheet than most of this class manages.

🔒 System-by-system breakdown
All 12 systems scored for the Impala year you are looking at — which ones fail more often than the class, by how much, and on how many reports.
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How it compares to the class

All 38 Mid-Size Passenger Cars from 2020, plotted by how often they need fixes and what those fixes cost.

🔒 The whole class, plotted
Where the Impala lands against every other 2020 Mid-Size Passenger Car — and which rivals beat it.
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Common questions

What is the best year for a used Chevrolet Impala?

2018 is the strongest Impala model year on record, ranking #6 of 43 Mid-Size Passenger Cars that year.

Which Chevrolet Impala years should I avoid?

2014 is the weakest year in the model's history, ranking #41 of 48.

Is the latest Impala reliable?

The 2020 Impala ranks #8 of 38 Mid-Size Passenger Cars — the upper quarter of its class.

Where does this data come from?

Failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes so a high-volume model is not penalised for selling well, then benchmarked within segment and model year.

See the full picture for your Impala

All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and a downloadable Full Model Report for any year — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.

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How this was built. Scores derive from failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes and benchmarked within segment and model year. We measure two separate things: Fix Frequency — how often a vehicle needs fixing — and Fix Severity — how costly those fixes are. These figures describe a model line, not the specific vehicle in front of you; trim, mileage and service history still decide an individual car.