Chevrolet’s smallest crossover is getting pricier for the 2027 model year, and the arithmetic is short. The new entry-level LT starts at $25,495 including destination, while the 2026 model’s cheapest version, the LS, listed at $23,495. That is a gap of $2,000, or about 8.5%, and nearly all of it comes from a lineup change rather than a sticker bump on any one trim.
Save more, waste less: The Cool Down’s newsletter sends smart, simple changes that help you and the planet in your everyday life.
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
Jalopnik’s Andy Kalmowitz laid out the numbers on Nov. 8, writing that the previous base model has been dropped and that the removal accounts for a big chunk of the increase. The Trax has long been sold as one of the cheapest new SUVs in America, so what counts as the entry price matters to shoppers comparing it with other subcompacts.
The LS exit and the new $25,495 LT
The 2027 lineup shrinks from five trims to three: LT, Activ and RS. The new LT takes over as the cheapest Trax, and the RS merges the old 1RS and 2RS into a single trim, according to Jalopnik. The LS is gone, and with it the price point that anchored the model’s marketing.
The Autopian’s Thomas Hundal reported in October that the 2026 LS cost $23,495 including freight, the 2026 LT was $24,995, and the step from LS to LT was $1,500. Put those figures next to the new $25,495 LT and the split is visible: $1,500 of the $2,000 increase is the move up from LS to LT, and roughly $500 is the LT itself costing more than it did, assuming the 2026 LT price Autopian listed on Oct. 8 has not changed since.
Nothing in the reporting suggests Chevrolet raised the price of equivalent equipment by $2,000. A shopper who wanted the LS for its price now has no way to buy it, and that makes the $2,000 gap feel larger than the trim-for-trim change.
Timing makes the move more noticeable. Autopian noted that Trax sales rose 16.27% in the third quarter of 2026 to 57,917 units before the facelift, and framed the LS cut as arriving just as automakers say they care about affordability. Before pricing was known, Kelley Blue Book had expected little change in the Trax’s starting price, a forecast the reported $25,495 now contradicts.
Activ and RS at $28,295, and what the extra money buys
The Activ and RS both start at $28,295, according to Jalopnik. The facelifted Trax gets new headlights and all-LED taillights, an 11-inch digital gauge cluster that replaces the LS’s analog gauges, and an 11.3-inch center screen running Google built-in. Chevrolet’s own page for the 2027 Trax also lists a redesigned exterior, three new colors called Lagoon, Sunrise Orange and Pacific Blue Metallic, keyless ignition in place of a keyed one, and the end of manual climate controls and analog gauges.
Safety content is the other change. Jalopnik lists automatic intersection emergency braking, automated reverse braking, front park assist, rear cross-traffic braking, a rear seatbelt indicator, a safety seat alert and side bicyclist alert as standard. Kelley Blue Book’s report says standard safety features climb from 6 to 20 on the Trax and Trailblazer, so part of the price movement pays for equipment that used to be optional or absent.
The powertrain is unchanged, per Kelley Blue Book: a 1.2-liter turbo three-cylinder with 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft, a 6-speed automatic and front-wheel drive only, rated 28/31/29 mpg in city, highway and combined driving for 2026. Megan Liebrock, assistant marketing manager for the Trax and Trailblazer, said Chevrolet aims to give customers an authentic way to embrace everyday exploration.
Spring 2027 arrival and a pricing page that disagrees
Chevrolet says the 2027 Trax reaches dealers in spring 2027. Motor1 reported at the October debut that Chevrolet had not released pricing, and the brand called the Trax a segment leader accounting for about one-fifth of its volume. The Trax and Trailblazer together delivered more than a quarter-million units in the year to date, a base that gives Chevrolet reason to keep the model visibly affordable.
Buyers who cross-shop the Trax against other small crossovers will have months before the car reaches showrooms to see whether discounts or incentives soften the new entry price. Chevrolet’s page says the Trax seats up to five and offers 54.1 cubic feet of cargo space with 38.7 inches of rear-seat legroom, specifications that do not change with the trim count, so the value question comes down to equipment and the starting price. A shopper comparing the new LT with a loaded older LS would be weighing roughly the same cabin against a bigger screen and more standard safety gear.
There is a loose end. The upcoming-vehicle page on Chevrolet’s site still shows the LT starting at $23,700 and says pricing will be announced in spring 2027, which does not match the $25,495 figure Jalopnik reported. The page looks like a placeholder, and the $2,000 comparison here rests on Jalopnik’s reporting and the 2026 prices published by Autopian and Kelley Blue Book, which listed the 2026 Trax at $23,495. Whether Chevrolet’s final spring price sheet repeats $25,495 is the number to watch.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
Save more, waste less: Subscribe to The Cool Down →
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
More from Morning Overview
- The NSA says three phone features should be off whenever you aren’t using them
- Hurricane Hunter radar shows four warning signs that a tropical cyclone is about to strengthen, a University of Miami study found
- Tropical Storm Rachel is dumping up to 12 inches on four Mexican states on its way to major hurricane strength
- The FTC says Lens.com doubled the price shoppers saw in Google ads
