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Which Years of Used Buick Envisions Are Most Reliable?


in Reliability
White Buick Envision parked outside

Buick Envision by Elise240SX - CC-BY-SA-4.0

Buick decided to enter the compact SUV market with the Envision: a pleasant, generally reliable, and aesthetically standard compact SUV priced around $40,000. Featuring a decent if not stellar fuel economy and options for front and all-wheel-drive, this smooth and quiet vehicle is a popular choice for families and fans of driving into the mountains. But if you are looking for a used Buick Envision, you might ask: what are the most reliable Buick Envision years?

Buick has produced Envision SUVs for about eight years now, so there are lots of different models to choose from. Given that dependability is quite important when purchasing a used vehicle, this factor alone will determine whether one car or another is right for your needs. Read on to learn more about which years of Buick Envisions are the most reliable.

Most Reliable Years for the Buick Envision

If you’re looking to take advantage of the relative consistency and reliability of a Buick Envision, you’ll want to purchase a vehicle from the most reliable Buick Envision years. But which years are those?

The most reliable Buick Envision years are:

  • 2023 Buick Envision
  • 2022 Buick Envision
  • 2020 Buick Envision
  • 2019 Buick Envision 

As you can see, Buick stepped up its construction and manufacturing processes starting in 2019, resulting in fewer errors and pain points for consumers. Thus, you’ll be better off getting a Buick Envision from one of these years than a vehicle from earlier manufacturing years.


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Are Buick Envisions Generally Reliable?

With more than half a decade of models produced so far, the Buick Envision has several different model years you might encounter. Some of these models are certainly more reliable and valuable than others. Generally, though, the Buick Envision is a reliable compact SUV; any issues you encounter should not be life-threatening or severe (though they may require significant maintenance work).

According to iseecars.com, the Buick Envision is the 14th most reliable luxury and small compact SUV overall. It reports a reliability score of 5.6 from most reviews across most model years for the vehicle. GMauthority.com indicates that the Buick Envision is one of the most reliable used vehicles you can find in the US and Canada, although it earned average road-test scores in its first year of production.

Which Buick Envisions Are the Least Reliable?

The Buick Envision’s first model year was 2016. Unfortunately, those first years of manufacturing were beset by some manufacturing hiccups and questionable design choices. The less-than-ideal Buick Envision years include:

  • 2016 Buick Envision
  • 2017 Buick Envision
  • 2018 Buick Envision

You should stay away from these years if you wish to purchase a used Buick Envision. The odds are higher that you’ll encounter issues like fuel line damage, low build quality, and electrical faults with a vehicle from these models.


THE BUICK ENVISION YEARS TO AVOID

If you’re hunting for a used selection on the market, you might want to know the Buick Envision years to avoid.


Are Buick Envisions Expensive to Maintain?

On average, you can expect it to cost about $8521 for maintenance and repairs across the entire first 10 years of service for a used Buick Envision. According to caredge.com, this is about $612 cheaper compared to the industry average for many other popular SUV models.

Note that there is, according to the same source, about a 25% chance that your used Envision will need a major repair at some point during the first 10 years of its life. The older your vehicle is, the greater the chance might be. Notably, this is about 3.4% worse compared to the odds of a major repair for similar vehicles of the same type.

Which Buick Envision is Most Reliable?

To get the most value out of your purchase of a Buick Envision, you’ll want to pick one of the most reliable vehicles of this type. According to motorandwheels.com, there are two Buick Envisions that are particularly reliable and worth your time and money:

  • 2022 Buick Envision
  • 2020 Buick Envision

These are the most reliable Buick Envision years overall.

The 2022 Buick Envision is the most recent model of this vehicle widely available on the market. It’s a good choice in part because it has excellent miles per gallon, and there aren’t many complaints about this vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The 2020 Buick Envision has had no recall issued for its model at all. It features other benefits of the vehicle type overall, including good fuel economy and comfortable seats.


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What Are the Most Common Buick Envision Problems?

Every vehicle is liable to have some problems crop up. The Buick Envision’s most prominent issues were in previous model years, specifically 2016 and 2017.

According to vehq.com, both the 2016 and 2017 models of the Buick Envision had troubles like:

  • Dash lighting randomly dimming
  • Heated seats not working
  • Incorrect weight printed on the interior label
  • Electrical issues
  • Airbag indicator light failures
  • Head restraint position issues
  • Brake malfunctioning

If you plan to purchase a Buick Envision from either of these two years, watch for these problems. Some vehicles were recalled to correct the errors, however – therefore, a 2016 or 2017 Buick Envision might not have one of the above problems. If you purchase a Buick Envision from one of these years, ask to see the car maintenance report.

What Reddit Says About the Buick Envision’s Reliability:

The Buick Envision competes in the hyper-competitive compact crossover segment, but it certainly manages to stand out on its own. But what about its reliability? Some Redditors chime in:

A perspective from a Buick dealership worker:

Posts from the buick
community on Reddit

The Buick being made in China seems to be a caveat for some people:

Comment
byu/West_Self from discussion
inaskcarsales

Someone is pleased with their Envision purchase:

Posts from the buick
community on Reddit

Another vote of confidence for the Envision’s reliability:

Comment
byu/LaughIcy2423 from discussion
inwhatcarshouldIbuy

Overall, many folks seem to be pleased with the Buick Envision, especially if they got it for a good price. 

Is the Buick Envision Worth It?

Overall, the Buick Envision is a popular SUV that competes with other vehicles of the same type, including BMWs and Mercedes. A used Buick Envision could be quite affordable and yield a useful vehicle for a while to come if you buy one of the most reliable Buick Envision years.

Otherwise, you might end up spending thousands of dollars on maintenance or having to deal with recall issues from earlier model years.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Buick Envision is a reliable vehicle, provided that you pick a vehicle from the latter half of its manufacturing years (i.e., starting in 2019). We recommend going with a Buick Envision from 2019 and onward. 

Hopefully, this information was useful to you, and you now have the knowledge you need to purchase the right used Buick Envision for your family and your finances.



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