2017 Chevrolet Sonic Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

Crash Test Rating

Source NHTSA

MPG (up to)

24 -27 City / 34 -36 HWY

Source FuelEconomy.gov

Horsepower

138

Seats

Positive Owner Reviews

justin R

Mileage is just great!! Great bang for the buck you can go many miles without filling tank

It drives smoothly. Best vehicle i have ever bought. Gas mileage is awesome.

Dawn B

Great car for the price. Handles well. Comfortable interior.

Great handling in and out of traffic. Pickup on speed could be better. Nice interior. Navigation and hands free talking.

Morgan R

Cute, compact, reliable doer of things.

It is great for city parking because it is so compact. It can carry all of the people in our home, and a modest amount of groceries. It also looks cute, which sounds weird to say about a car, but I think aesthetics are a valid point to critique. It handles well in most conditions, although winters here tend to be rather brutal at times, which is when the car does tend to let us down in unplowed snow. Otherwise, we have no complaints about our 2017 Chevy sonic.

Cris B

Chevy sonic. Great seat warmers, spacious and comfortable.

The seat warmers and steering wheel warmer are wonderful in the winter. It runs really smooth and is really quite, it sometimes seems like the car isn't even running. It is very spacious back seat and has plenty of space in the trunk to hold anything you need.

Stephen Robinson

Sonic RS Premier...very rare!!

Love my car! Will drive it till it dies and make a race car out of it..Needs a little suspension tweeking and larger tires to really get a good feel. Wish icould send a picture of my black on black on black little rocket...Oh well ,, enjoy

Bria G

Just an all around great car.

This car is compact but not too small, perfect for a beginner driver or someone who just likes small cars. The technology in the car is amazing as well. I have the turbo version, and they really do mean turbo. It is also very luxurious also. Just an all around great car.

Guadalupe M

Chevrolet sonic is a small car that comes in sedan and hatchback body styles.

Chevrolet sonic lt saves a lot of gas. It is small but easy and comfortable to drive. It is perfect for people who want a simple and small car. I drive my car for my school that is 45 minutes away. I goes to school three times a week. It saves me a lot of gas. It is a life saver.

Zach N

It's brand new and works like it should.

I like that it is newer. It has a touchscreen and Bluetooth capabilities. I dislike that is doesn't have automatic windows or cruise Co from.

Negative Owner Reviews

Amber R

Not spacious enough for someone with children in car seats.

It is absolutely terrible in the snow here in Michigan. So light that there's never any traction build up. It's great on gas mileage. There's definitely not even enough room in it to haul two young children around with car seats. The hatchback isn't big enough for maybe even 3-4 bags of groceries.

L W

Trash worst car ever bought.

Poor performance transmission problems with plastic cover. Gas mileage is poor. Problems with the car are high transmission steering suspension is poor. Very troubled car. Would not advise that anyone buy the car. Resale value is the worst paid almost 22000 value today is less than 8000 dollars.

Taylor B

Garbage this vehicle has had nothing but major problems and only has 40k miles.

Owned this car for three years and the camshaft has been replaced 3 to 4 times they refuse to replace the engine so I will be stuck with a giant paper weight. I do not understand how they can rent a new engine when it is still under warranty. I used to love Chevy ii will never buy a Chevy again.

Phillio B

The Chevy sonic provides good gas mileage but lacks in quality interior.

This vehicle has only one good thing about it worth mentioning. That is that it is a good commuter car, and it is good on gas. On the downside this car feels cheaply made and does not provide very much comfort interiorly. After driving this car for six months I have come to the realization that purchasing this vehicle was a bad decision.

Deanna H

A lot of car problems. Car is causing problems.

It has a lot of problems like antifreeze leaking. Flat tires. Ac smells. Car breaks down a lot. Engine overheating. Any time I am driving the car it sounds like it is about to break down it is already costing me over $1000 in repairs. I need a car that is reliable and will not break down on me.

Bertha murray

Disposable

Not even at 50 thousand miles n my car has been falling apart sooo disappointed on Chevy

Tammy

Piece of c**p

Nothing but problems. Bought brand new off the show room floor. Goid car for about a year. Have basically rebuilt my motor 3 times not counting all the other parts that has gone in it. Thank god i bought the exstended warrenty. All together it has cost about 9000.00 to keep this car running. And as i type this the check engine light is on and its the same problem again.

R. Kenna

Always something wrong

Piece of junk. Car was in shop for 3 months, for a check engine light @ 32,000 miles. I think they finally got it right after changing cam positioner sensor 3 times, the variable cam clutches twice and the head once. Now with only 42,000 miles on it my driver information center went black. Do not even know my tire pressure, fuel economy or how many miles I have on the car. Trunk filled up with water when it came a hard rain. Had to have gaskets fixed and replaced and the trim was recluse once. The driver’s side door has the tape bubbling on it the chrome strip was not installed correctly and the mirror doesn’t work. Use to be a GM person but I guess after they got bailed out from the bankruptcy They had to much on their mind of when to go on strike to get more mo ey and better benefits to put out a quality product

Chevrolet Sonic Models

Models also known as Trim Levels, are used to identify a vehicle's level of equipment or special features.

138 HP 28 MPG 5 Seats

138 HP 28-30 MPG 5 Seats

Premier

138 HP 30 MPG 5 Seats

Photos may not match model

2017 Chevrolet Sonic Owner Reviews

4.20

220 Reviews

Write Review

5 stars

50%

4 stars

32%

3 stars

10%

2 stars

1 star

Judy M on June 25, 2021

It is small but still has plenty of room and gets great gas mileage.

I love the gas mileage it gets. It's fun and easy to drive. I could just a little more room but it is not to small to hinder me. I have had an issue with engine light coming on that needs to get fixed and I would like power windows and speakers in the back. Those are the two things I would change.

Kathie C on June 25, 2021

Maintenance schedule and gas mileage.

They have stopped making the sonic which is sad. This car gets decent gas mileage and is a sedan that comfortably seats 4 people. It also had a decent maintenance schedule. The usual schedule maintenance is 5000 miles oil change. Which as compared to older models is 3000 miles.

View All Reviews (220)

Pros from Owners

Mckensie V.

Large for a compact car. Does great in gas mileage. I also really love the color. The apple carplay compatibility is nice as well. The trunk space is great it is big enough to fit my son's stroller and I still have room. My back seat is big enough to fit a convertible car seat but I am also short.

Adam K.

It is nice and small but has the speed to race. My car also had the Apple car play which is awesome. Its new so it has a lot of newer features like heat seats, sunroof, good speakers, and backup camera.

Reunicie B.

The pros are a gas efficient car. High performance. Spoiler kit. Heated seats. Great on highway miles. Durability. Nice in space and size. Family car nice smooth ride. Base or upgrade model with leather seats. Compact car with a lot of space.

Tracey B.

I guess the main pro is that it has fantastic gas mileage it also is very roomy and has great space in the trunk. I also like the sportiness of the vehicle. It does not remind me of a regular mom mobile.

Ash L.

The pros of my vehicle is that it is very small/ compact and it is great on gas. My vehicle is very reliable and very rarely does it break down. My car has Bluetooth so I am able to hear whatever I wish.

Cons from Owners

Mckensie V.

Does not do great in snow. The backseat gets really hot during the summer so the air flow is not the best. If you are tall you do not have much leg room in the backseat which could be an issue if you have children. It is small so you cannot fit many car seats in the back of the car.

Adam K.

The cons of my car are that it is small so cannot hold a lot of people. My car also had some recalls that I had to get fixed. Another con is that it has some broke things on it are the driver heated seat is broken and the sunroof gets off track sometimes.

Reunicie B.

Added features the card could get expensive. Base model is pretty good. Radio glitch a little. Honestly the car is great do not have much to say in cons. Keeping it clean can be rather difficult due to the idea of wanting to keep it clean.

Tracey B.

I cannot think of any cons for my Chevrolet sonic sedan. If you are making me pick a problem, which evidently you are, maybe I would say the price needs to be a bit lower. This is the only thing I can think of that I would change.

Ash L.

The cons of my vehicle are that because the car is very small and compact, lightweight you may even say, when tractor trailers pass me the whole car shakes. Another con to my vehicle is that sometimes the ac malfunctions.

Ranks #25 Small Cars by Owners

The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic has an average owner rating of 4.28 out of 5 which ranks it #25 of 35 other Small Cars.

2017 Volkswagen CC

4.83

2017 Volkswagen Beetle

4.79

2017 Chevrolet Sonic

4.2

Ranks #9 Small Cars by Fuel Economy

The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic has a combined MPG of 47 which ranks it #9 of 35 other Small Cars.

2017 FIAT 500e

121 MPG

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118 MPG

Tie

2017 Chevrolet Sonic

36 MPG

Is The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic A Good Car?

Yes! It is a great car that gets our family to where they need to go and we can trust it won't break down on us.

tevyn c.

I think it is a great vehicle. It has nice amenities for the price range, many safety features and great gas mileage.

Richard S.

Yes. It runs smoothly and technologically advanced. It’s small enough that you can park it anywhere. The on star feature definitely helps! My favorite part is the huge touch screen display that has... Read More

Stephanie H.

How Reliable Is The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic?

I think they can fix the air pressure sensor it keeps going in and out even with the tire pressure staying the same.

tevyn c.

I haven't had any issues or problems with the vehicle so I would call it reliable. Maintenance is simple and inexpensive and to date it has been great in the northern weather.

Richard S.

I'm just now having problems with the transmission but it is still very reliable good on gas good power for a smaller car

Crystal P.

It is reliable. It definitely helped me through long drives. Because it’s compact, parking is always easy!

Jennifer O.

Is The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic A Good Value?

It could have costed a little more and I would have still bought the car but if it was a little less more would be able too.

tevyn c.

The lt rs model is a great car and is a lot of fun to drive. There are many features and amenities that more expensive cars do not have as well. The gas mileage and gas tank size only requires me to... Read More

Richard S.

When I bought it in march 2017 I paid 15000 dollars. And I've just put regular tires gas brakes I do think it's a GOOD VALUE and I would buy it again

Keith J.

$16,000. It is a good value! Good car. Runs smoothly. Plus, the technology in this car is perfect! It’s like it has a built in cell phone.

Donna B.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my 2017 Chevy Sonic heated seats not working?

Answer: If the heated seats on the 2017 Chevy Sonic are not working then there can be a couple of reasons. You may have had the heating element burn out, which will require a replacement. It is also possible the wires...

What's the 2017 Chevy Sonic code 68?

Answer: The 68 trouble code indicates Your 2017 Chevy Sonic is experiencing clutch relay circuit issues. This means that the clutch relay is not going to be working right, and You will have some issues with the climate...

What would cause my 2017 Chevy Sonic check engine light to come on?

Answer: The 2017 Chevy Sonic check engine light might come on for several reasons. One of the most frequent reasons is low oil levels in the car. Usually, topping up Your oil gets rid of the light. Other reasons...

What is the 2017 chevy sonic lt oil type?

Answer: The 2017 Chevrolet Sonic uses synthetic SAE 5W-30 motor oil when it comes out of the factory, though if You live somewhere that regular sees temperatures twenty below zero, like here in Minnesota, You'll want...

What is the 2017 chevy sonic coolant type?

Answer: Your 2017 Chevy Sonic uses A50/50 mixture of clean, drinkable water and DEX-COOL coolant. Dex-Cool lasts longer than traditional antifreeze. The engine coolant capacity iS6.9 Quarts. Chevrolet recommends...

See all Frequently Asked Questions

Answers are provided by third parties. We do not guarantee accuracy of responses

Safety & Reliability

NHTSA Crash Test

Overall

Front

Rollover

Side

*National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

IIHS Crash Test

Moderate Overlap Front

Side

Roof Strength

Driver-side Overlap Front

*Insurance Institute for Highway Safety