2015 Chevy Cruze Life Expectancy— How Many Miles Will It Go?

A Chevy Cruze can go between 210,000-230,000 miles on average. A Cruze has to be in the garage for unplanned repairs about 0.41 times yearly, with a 12% chance of the issue being extreme. In addition, owners of Chevy Cruze, on average, spend $545 every year on repair charges.

That being said, let's now go over in detail how many miles a Chevy Cruze can go. After that, we'll show you how susceptible a Chevy Cruze is to rust and tips on protecting it from rust. Furthermore, we will discuss the high mileage of the Chevy Cruze, maintenance costs, and ways to prolong the lifespan. Let's dive in!

How Many Miles Can a Chevy Cruze Go?

Initially, the Cruze had a bad start with the 2011 and 2012 models showing bad sales in the US. As time went on, the subsequent model years of the Cruze showed promise that they could withstand the test of time.

After a survey on an online Cruze dedicated forum, we discovered that some owners have gone beyond the 300,000-mile threshold, and several others had 250,000 miles on the clock and are still going hard.

These cars, although imperfect, were made to last. The Cruze's durability is much more evident when checking out used car websites, where you can see models with more than 200,000 miles still in good condition.

Keep in mind that when a car has accrued big numbers on the odometer, there's an increased risk of pricey items breaking down, such as the engine or transmission. And when such happens, the cost of fixing the car will likely surpass its value.

Just like any other car, the lifespan of your Cruze is dependent on how well you take care of it and will be impaired if you do not:

• Use quality parts
• Change oil routinely
• Service as at when due
• Wash the car regularly
• Drive smoothly
• Run tire rotations

Which engine and transmission should I buy?

You can find some Cruze models with manual transmission, but we don't recommend it in the first generation of the Cruze because the manual transmission had mor issues than the automatic one. The automatic 6-speed transmission is not bad at all and it can live the entire life of your vehicle without the need to replace it.

As for the engines, the 2015 Cruze offers 1.8L naturally aspirated engine and the 1.4L turbocharged one. They are both good, but the 1.8-liter one is more durable. It can go up to 280,000 miles while the 1.4-liter one will survive up to 220,000 miles.

As for the consumption, both engines are more or less the same, the consumption is just like the average gas mileage of any compact car of this class.

Anyway, we would choose the 1.8-liter 2015 Cruze with the automatic transmission. We would also go for the LTZ or LT because these trims give more wonderful options for your comfort.

Do Chevy Cruze Rust Easily?

It's not typical for the Chevy Cruze to rust quickly, although some level of rusting is bound to occur after four or more years of use. Factors like storage, climate, and how often you wash your car determine how fast rust appears on your car. 

Seeing that the bodies of cars continue to be made from sheet steel, and the surfaces of the roads have grit and small stones, it's impossible to prevent rust entirely.

While driving, these small stones on the road damage the paint and open up areas of attack for water and road salt.

Typical spots for rust appearance on the Chevy Cruze are:

• Door jams
• Frame rail below the trunk
• Underbody
• Wheel arches

If you reside in a state where the roads are densely salted in the winter or near the coast where the salt air is standard, rust will be an issue. A lot of Chevy owners advise rustproofing.

Rust will not be much of a problem for those in drier states. But, fading of paint will be more prevalent.

Ways to protect your Chevy Cruze from rust

• Wash and dry your car regularly 

Ensure you include its underside (especially in the winter) to eliminate the salt, dirt, and grime that causes rust. 

• Park your Chevy in a Garage

Ensure you park your Chevy Cruze in a garage to safeguard it from adverse weather conditions and bird poop.

• Fix scratches and paint damage

Exposed metal will undergo oxidation. If it goes beyond a DIY fix, reach out to your local body repair shop and get it fixed up before it gets worse.

• Rustproofing

If you want your Chevy to stick around for a long time or stay in an area where salts are prevalent on the roads in the winter, go for a rustproofing treatment.

What is High Mileage for a 2015 Chevy Cruze?

A Chevy Cruze with more than 150,000 miles is seen as high mileage. This value can mean a riskier purchase because car parts will have gathered wear and tear, and there's a slightly increased risk of failure of significant car components. But you shouldn't evaluate the car based on only mileage.

Buying a Chevy Cruze with high mileage doesn't mean you made the wrong purchase. An adequately maintained Chevy Cruze with more than 100,000 miles may be a more favorable option than one with 60,000 miles that had a very rough life and had several owners.

If you're buying a second-hand Chevy, do check out the following:

• History of Car Maintenance 

Ensure the car was serviced correctly and request that the owner provide strong proof.

• Get a second view from trusted mechanics

You can have a mechanic you trust run a thorough inspection, or you go to an independent repair shop.

• Look out for rust

Rust is a significant issue, and it's going to spread. Some corrupt salespeople use sticks or a little paint to cover up the rust. If you're not observant, you may not notice it until much later; by then, it would have been too late. A good idea is to always look under the car.

• Examine the engine for visible leaks and damages

If you open the car hood and see that the engine looks very neat, it means the previous owner washed it. The burning question now is, why was it washed? Most likely to conceal oil leaks and other similar terrible problems.

• Look up the CarFax

Checking the Carfax can give a good overview of the car and features the vehicle's title, former ownership, mileage, and accident reports. It might also give you more information on the vehicle's purpose, like whether it was a commercial or personal vehicle. 

• Find out the number of previous owners

More owners usually means more wear and tear. If one family owned the car, drove total mileage, and serviced it, then you can almost be sure that they correctly maintained it through their ownership.

• How long do you plan on keeping the car?

If you want to keep the car for a long while, check if the short-term savings surpass additional spending on something more trustworthy.

• Inspect the Car interior

The state of the car's interior goes a long way in giving a clear insight into how well it was cared for and maintained. Does the shifter, steering wheel, or pedals look skeptically new? If it does, there's a good chance that the car underwent heavy use, and those parts just got replaced before it was put for sale.

• Scrutinize the car's VIN and obtain a detailed history report

Confirm if the car was a rental or a taxi; did it have any recalls? How many owners? Was it stolen? Any accidents? Actual mileage? If you're purchasing a used Chevy, do well to check the VIN -you never know what this car has experienced.

Is the 2015 Chevy Cruze Costly to Maintain?

Chevy Cruze has a slightly higher maintenance cost compared to other compact cars. As reported by RepairPal, in a year, you'll spend about 545$ to maintain the Chevy Cruze. 

• How Long Do the Brakes Last?

According to most owners, the Chevy Cruze brakes should last up to 50,000 miles. The longevity of your brakes is influenced by two main factors - Use and maintenance.

If you constantly apply brakes when driving, they will need to be replaced sooner and vice versa. Conversely, they will wear out faster if you do not properly maintain your brakes.

• How Long Do the Transmissions Last?

Your Chevy Cruze transmission can last up to 220,000 miles in decent condition. After that, it's on borrowed time and will require a replacement as soon as possible.

• How Long Do the Spark Plugs Last?

Spark plugs on any Chevy Cruze can go 60,000 miles before a swap-out is needed. As reported by RepairPal, the cost of replacing spark plugs on the Chevy is between $122 to $140.

Ways to Prolong the Life of Your Chevy Cruze

• Be regularly updated with factory-recommended maintenance.
• Make use of quality parts.
• Always attend to repairs to forestall advancement to more significant problems.
• Adopt Good driving habits
• Inspect your Chevy Cruze's coolant, engine oil, transmission fluid levels, and brake and top up when needed.
• Store your Chevy Cruze in a garage to safeguard it from adverse weather conditions.
• Ensure you wash your Chevy Cruze regularly to eliminate grime and dirt to protect the undercarriage and paint from developing rust.
• Study the owner's manual to know the location of critical components, the needs of your Chevy Cruze, and in what quantity, the meaning of the symbols, and dashboard warning lights.

Conclusion

In all, Chevy Cruze has both pros and cons. If you're considering buying one, then go for the 1.8-liter engine, automatic transmission, and LTZ trim. But all other options and trims are still good if they are offered at a good price.

Even so, whichever one you go for, you have a good chance of having a longer lifespan by following good driving habits and the recommended maintenance schedule.