2024 Buick Encore GX Safety and Reliability

If there's one thing you don't have to worry about, it's the Buick Encore GX's safety. No local authority has performed a crash test on the 2024 model yet, but it's only a facelift, and the structure has remained the same, so we expect similar - or better - ratings than those given to the 2023 model. The NHTSA gave the 2023 Encore GX an overall five-star rating and a crossover-typical four stars for the rollover test. The IIHS gave the 2023 car Good scores for all the typical criteria and a 2022 Top Safety Pick award for all models equipped with the LED headlights. The base halogen headlights were marked down to Marginal, so we're hoping the new one's standard LED headlights will lift the scores and perhaps give the 2024 Encore GX an even higher accolade.

Considering its excellent safety scores, you'd imagine that the Encore GX is equipped with a high level of safety features, and you'd be right. The federally mandated ABS, tire-pressure monitoring, stability control, and backup camera are naturally all present and accounted for. In addition to these, the Buick Driver Confidence driver-assistance suite is standard on all trims and includes forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection, a following-distance indicator, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, and automatic LED headlights with auto high beams. Adaptive cruise control, rear parking sensors, and a surround-view camera can be added to the two base trims via the Advanced Technology package, and the Avenir additionally has access to rain-sensing wipers and a camera-based digital rearview mirror, but only if the boxes for both the Avenir Convenience and Avenir Technology packages are ticked.

Since it's still pretty new, there's no reliability rating from J.D. Power just yet, but the 2023 model, sans all the upgrades, achieved a great score of 87 out of 100 - and 90 for quality and reliability, specifically. The number of recalls has also been encouragingly low, and at the time of writing, the 2024 and 2023 models were recall-free. The 2022 Encore GX was recalled once for an emergency jack that may fail while in use, and this recall also applied to the 2021 models.

The warranty on the Buick Encore GX is only average, though, with the limited bumper-to-bumper and rust warranties being valid for three years/36,000 miles and the powertrain warranty for five years/60,000 miles. The cost of the first maintenance visit in the first year of ownership is also covered by the policy.