A used Chevy Spark makes sense if you mostly drive in town and want the cheapest Chevrolet you can still find: shop the 2016-2022 cars with the 98-hp 1.4-liter, take the five-speed manual if you can drive one, and walk away from any 2013-2015 car whose hood latch recall is still open. Expect a tiny back seat, a busy engine on the highway, and a factory warranty that has mostly run out by now.
On Friday morning, October 16, 2026, I pulled every Spark model year from NHTSA's recall database and lined the rows up against the reviews from when these cars were new. The short version is that the second-generation car is the one to buy. The first-generation car is cheaper, but it's slower, louder, and carries a hood latch recall that GM had to redo years later.
Two generations, and why the split matters
The Spark ran in the U.S. from the 2013 model year through 2022. Car and Driver's 2013 test clocked the original 1249-cc, 84-hp car at 11.2 seconds to 60 mph and saw only 33 mpg, which is not much for a car this small. Consumer Reports calls the 2013-2015 CVT jerky and the cabin relentlessly noisy. Honestly, I would only buy one of those if it was nearly free and had paperwork.
The 2016 redesign brought a 98-hp 1.4-liter, still with a five-speed manual or a CVT. Consumer Reports says acceleration stays leisurely with plenty of engine drone, the ride is stiff, and the rear seat suits a backpack better than a person. CR also lists forward collision alert, lane departure warning and blind spot warning on later cars; confirm what the car in front of you actually has.
What owners actually live with
Car and Driver's 2022 Spark review is pretty fair about it. The highs are a nicer-than-expected cabin, nimble handling, and a manual on every trim. The lows are highway passing and a back seat so small the car "might as well be a two-seater." EPA ratings run 29 or 30 mpg city and 37 or 38 highway depending on gearbox and trim, and the automatic they tested managed 37 mpg on a 75-mph loop. Cargo space is 11 cubic feet.
So look, the Spark wins on purchase price and parking, and loses on fuel bills to at least one rival. If mpg is the main reason you're shopping tiny cars, our used Mitsubishi Mirage guide covers the one rival that beats it there, and the used Nissan Versa guide covers a roomier sedan.
Recalls by model year
These come from the NHTSA recalls API for the 2014 Spark and its sister queries for each year, run this morning:
- 2013-2015 Spark and 2014-2015 Spark EV (22V640): the secondary hood latch can corrode at the pivot and fail to engage. This expanded the 2014 recall 14V593, and NHTSA's notes say cars fixed under the old one need the new remedy too. Owner letters went out June 12, 2023, so plenty of these are still open.
- 2014 Spark built May 7-26, 2014 (14V440): front lower control arm bolts may not be torqued to spec. Owners were told not to drive the car until it was inspected.
- Early 2013 Spark (14V298): a bad weld on the passenger airbag inflator could keep it from deploying.
- 2016-2017 Spark (17V307): passenger airbag module replacement over neck injury risk to an out-of-position child.
- 2019 Spark (18V774): the airbag sensing module may have been left in "manufacturing mode," which can stop the airbags from deploying.
The 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 queries returned nothing when I ran them. Open campaigns follow the VIN, not the owner, so check the actual car with our Chevy recall check by VIN steps and confirm year and engine with the Chevrolet VIN decoder. The short-run Spark EV shares some campaigns but is a different car to shop.
Safety ratings, warranty and the end of the line
IIHS rates the 2016-2022 Spark Good in its original moderate overlap and side tests, but the page lists no small overlap front rating at all, and the optional front crash prevention system was not tested. Untested and failed are different things, but it's worth knowing.
Warranty is mostly a memory. Car and Driver lists a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty on the last cars, and Car and Driver reported in February 2022 that production would end that August after a 10-year run, with GM steering cheap-car shoppers to the Trax and Trailblazer. Even the newest Spark is four model years old now, so ask a Chevy dealer for the in-service date before a seller promises "factory coverage." If you want a bigger Chevy instead, read our used Chevy Trax guide.
History report and test drive checks
Cheap cars get treated cheaply. A history report won't tell you how the clutch feels, but it will show you auction sales, a string of short ownerships, or a title brand that explains a too-good price. Cross-check brands on NMVTIS and see what a CARFAX report covers. Be wary of a seller who only offers a screenshot or a PDF; we've seen edited ones, and pulling the report yourself takes a couple of minutes.
We're a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck or Experian. Right now a report from us runs roughly $5.50 for guests and $4.50 for members, or about $6.75 for a bundle with both, against the $39.99-$44.99 you'd usually pay retail; the checkout page has the final figure. On the drive itself, merge onto a highway with the A/C running, listen for CVT whine as you feather the throttle, and pop the hood to see if the latch catches cleanly on an early car.
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