Powers Swain Chevrolet · Used SUV Guide
Best Year for a Used Chevrolet Traverse to Buy
One model year matters more than the rest, and it is not the newest one you can afford. Here is what changed, when, and how to shop it.
Why 2022 Is the Year That Matters
Most Traverse buying guides tell you to buy the newest one you can afford. That is not wrong, but it misses the specific year where the equipment list changed enough to matter.
The 2022 model year was the second generation's mid-cycle refresh, and it did something unusually useful: it made Chevy Safety Assist standard on every trim. Before that, several of those features were tied to trim level or an option package, which means two 2020 Traverses sitting side by side on a lot can be equipped very differently and look identical from ten feet away.
What the 2022 refresh brought
- Chevy Safety Assist standard on all trims: automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, rear vision camera, Teen Driver and the Safety Alert Seat
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so the phone stops living on a cable in the console
- New LED headlights with daytime running lights that double as turn signals
- Redesigned front fascia and a wider grille, following the Tahoe and Suburban design language
- An 8-inch driver information centre on the Premier and High Country trims
The practical effect: a 2022 or 2023 Traverse comes with the safety and phone equipment a buyer expects today, without you having to decode an options list.
The Two Generations You Will Actually See
Anything on a Fayetteville used lot today is one of these two.
The V6 years
Second generation
2018 to 2023
- 3.6L V6, 310 horsepower
- Nine-speed automatic
- Front-wheel or all-wheel drive
- 2022 refresh brought standard Chevy Safety Assist
- The last naturally aspirated V6 Traverse
Shortlist 2022 and 2023 first. Look at 2019 to 2021 if budget is the constraint, and read the options list carefully when you do.
The newest ones
Third generation
2024 and newer
- 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder
- 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft in current form
- Eight-speed automatic
- 17.7-inch touchscreen with Google built-in
- Z71 trim with twin-clutch all-wheel drive added
More power and considerably more torque than the V6 it replaced, plus a much bigger screen. Often still inside the balance of the factory warranty.
What Changed, Year by Year
| Model year | What changed | What it means when you are shopping |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Second generation launches. 3.6L V6 at 310 hp, nine-speed automatic, front- or all-wheel drive | The oldest of the current shape. Shop on condition and service history above all. |
| 2019 to 2021 | Powertrain carried over. Trim and equipment shuffles | Mechanically consistent across all three years. Read the window sticker, because safety and infotainment content varied by trim and package. |
| 2022 | Mid-cycle refresh. Chevy Safety Assist standard on all trims, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, new LED headlights, redesigned front fascia, 8-inch driver display on upper trims | The dividing line. Everything from here has the safety and phone equipment as standard rather than optional. |
| 2023 | Final year of the second generation, refresh equipment carried over | The newest V6 Traverse you can buy. A strong shortlist candidate. |
| 2024 | All-new third generation. 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder replaces the V6, eight-speed automatic, 17.7-inch touchscreen, Z71 trim added | A different vehicle rather than a facelift. More torque, far more screen. |
| 2025 and newer | Third generation continues with trim and equipment updates | The newest used examples, often still under the balance of factory coverage. |
Equipment availability varied by trim and by how each vehicle was ordered, so confirm against the window sticker or build sheet of the actual vehicle rather than the model year alone. That caution matters most on 2018 through 2021 examples.
Back to topThe Third Row Is the Whole Reason You Are Here
Nobody shops a Traverse for the powertrain. They shop it because they need a third row that is usable rather than decorative, and because a minivan is a conversation they do not want to have.
The Traverse has always been on the roomier end of the three-row crossover class, which is the main reason it sells the way it does around Fort Bragg. Families here move often, have visiting relatives, and haul other people's kids to practice. Seats matter more than horsepower.
Here is our honest advice, and it costs us nothing to give it: do not trust any web page about third-row space, including this one. Bring the people who will actually sit back there. Put them in it with the second row set where they would really have it, not slid all the way forward for the demonstration. Then decide.
It also matters how the seats work, not just how big they are. Current Traverses use a slide mechanism designed so a second-row seat can move with a child seat still installed, which is the sort of thing that sounds minor until it is 7:15 on a school morning.
Current-generation Traverse shown. We do not hold photography of the 2018 to 2023 model.
Ten Minutes That Tell You Everything
On a three-row SUV, most of what goes wrong day to day is a mechanism rather than an engine. Work all of them before you talk numbers. None of this is Traverse-specific, and all of it is the part people skip.
- Fold and unfold both third-row seats. Twice each. This is the single most-used mechanism in the vehicle and the one that gets the roughest treatment.
- Slide the second row all the way forward and back. Ideally with a child seat in it, if that is how you will use it.
- Cycle the power liftgate twice. Open, close, and check that it stops when it should.
- Run the rear climate controls. Third-row passengers will tell you within a week if these do not work.
- Drive it to highway speed. Let the transmission work up through the gears and back down. A loop around the block proves nothing.
- Pair your phone and check every USB port. On a family vehicle, a dead port in the second row is a daily argument.
- Ask for the service records. A paper trail is worth paying a little more for, especially on an all-wheel-drive example.
- Run the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. Free, takes a minute, and any open recall is repaired at no charge by a franchise dealer.
Do all eight on our lot at 4709 Bragg Blvd. We would genuinely rather you did, because a buyer who checked everything is a buyer who is still happy in six months.
Check any VIN for open recalls at NHTSA.
Back to topBuying a Three-Row in Cumberland County
Fayetteville is a strong market for used three-row SUVs and a fast one. Fort Bragg families cycle through on PCS timelines, which puts well-kept vehicles onto the local market on a schedule that has nothing to do with the national used-car cycle. It also means the good ones do not sit.
Two practical notes. First, all-wheel drive is genuinely optional here. We get a handful of winter events a year, they are usually over in a day, and front-wheel drive handles them. Buy all-wheel drive because you tow, park on grass at a youth sports field, or run sandy access roads, not because of snow.
Second, if the vehicle is going to do the school run and the drive to a game at Segra Stadium and the occasional trip down I-95 to the coast, the second row is where you should spend your attention. That is the seat that gets used every single day.
Inventory turns over weekly. Check what used Traverses are on the lot today, or browse the full used inventory if you are open on model.
Current-generation Traverse shown.
If You End Up Looking at New Instead
It happens more often than you would think, particularly once someone works out what a two-year-old Traverse costs against a new one. The current Traverse makes 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft, runs a 17.7-inch touchscreen with Google built-in on every trim, tows up to 5,000 lbs when properly equipped, and is EPA rated at 20 city and 26 highway in front-wheel drive. Your actual mileage will vary.
Two pages on this site cover that side of the decision: our Traverse trim comparison and the guide to which Traverse trims have captain's chairs, which is the question that decides it for a lot of families. You can also start a pre-approval to see what the difference actually looks like before you come in.
Sources: Chevrolet published specifications for each model year, chevrolet.com, and EPA fuel economy ratings.
Used Traverse Questions from Fayetteville Families
What is the best year for a used Chevrolet Traverse?
For most families, 2022 or 2023. Those are the last two years of the second generation and they sit on the far side of the 2022 mid-cycle refresh, which is when Chevrolet made Chevy Safety Assist standard on every trim, added wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and updated the front end and lighting. You get the mature 3.6L V6 with all the safety and phone equipment a buyer expects today. If you want the newest vehicle instead, 2024 and later is the redesigned third generation.
Why does the 2022 Traverse matter so much?
Because it is the year the equipment list caught up. The 2022 refresh made Chevy Safety Assist standard across the lineup, which bundles automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, a rear vision camera, Teen Driver and the Safety Alert Seat. It also brought wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and new LED headlights. On a 2021 or earlier Traverse, several of those were tied to trim level or an option package, so two similar-looking SUVs can be equipped very differently.
Which used Traverse years have the V6?
Model years 2018 through 2023, the whole second generation, used the 3.6L V6 producing 310 horsepower through a nine-speed automatic, in front-wheel or all-wheel drive. The V6 was discontinued when the third generation arrived for 2024 and replaced by a 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder. If a naturally aspirated V6 is what you want in a three-row, 2023 is the last one.
What changed when the Traverse was redesigned for 2024?
The whole vehicle. The third generation dropped the V6 for a 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder, which in current form makes 328 horsepower and 326 lb-ft through an eight-speed automatic. That is more horsepower and considerably more torque than the V6 made. The interior moved to a 17.7-inch touchscreen with Google built-in, and a Z71 trim with twin-clutch all-wheel drive joined the lineup. It is a genuinely different vehicle rather than a facelift.
Is the third row in a used Traverse big enough for real people?
The Traverse has always been one of the roomier three-row crossovers, which is the main reason Cumberland County families keep buying them. Do not take anyone's word for it, though, including ours. Bring the people who will actually sit back there to 4709 Bragg Blvd and put them in it, with the second row set where they would really have it. Ten minutes of that tells you more than any measurement.
Front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive for Fayetteville?
Front-wheel drive is genuinely fine for Cumberland County. We get a handful of winter events a year and they are usually over in a day, so the sustained-snow argument that sells all-wheel drive further north does not really apply here. All-wheel drive is worth it if you tow, park on grass at youth sports fields, or drive sandy access roads regularly. Otherwise front-wheel drive is cheaper to buy and slightly better on fuel.
What should I check on a used Traverse test drive?
Work every seat and every mechanism, because on a three-row SUV that is most of what can go wrong day to day. Fold and unfold both third-row seats. Slide the second row all the way forward and back. Open and close the power liftgate twice. Run the rear climate controls. Then drive it far enough to reach highway speed so the transmission cycles properly. Pair your phone, check every USB port, and run the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov before you talk numbers.
Do you have used Traverses in stock in Fayetteville?
Three-row SUVs move quickly here because of the Fort Bragg family market, so check our used Chevy Traverse page for what is on the lot today or call (910) 864-9500. If the year and configuration you want is not on the ground, tell us what you are after and we will watch for it. We take trades every week, so vehicles arrive between website updates.
What Our Fayetteville Customers Say
Bring the Whole Family. Seriously.
Powers Swain Chevrolet
Family owned on Bragg Blvd since 1961. The only way to settle a third-row question is to put everyone in it, so bring them along rather than coming alone and guessing.
- 4709 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC 28303
- Sales: (910) 864-9500
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Tell Us the Year You Want. We Will Watch For It.
Three-row SUVs move fast here. Call and we will tell you what is on the ground today and what is coming in.
Powers Swain Chevrolet · 4709 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville, NC 28303