2023 Malibu SS

The 2023 Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedan has a spacious interior and rides comfortably, but the competition is fierce. Prices start at $24,700.

It would be premature to start writing an obituary for the midsize sedan. The Honda Accord is about to enter a new generation, the Toyota Camry is still a favorite in its class. The Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5, meanwhile, have breathed new life into the category’s traditionally unadventurous styling approach.

If we were taking bets on which car might be next for the chopping block, though, the Chevy Malibu seems an obvious contender. This generation is seven years old and things are starting to fall away. Like the more powerful engine option and various little features.

It’s hard to think who might buy a new Malibu. Government agencies, perhaps, and rental fleets. Every rival is newer and offers fresher technology. And although the pricing of the 2023 Malibu undercuts leaders like the Accord and Camry, the ownership experience and subsequent resale values tip the scales away from the Chevy.

A change of name for the top Premier trim means that the Malibu model lineup this year is LS, RS, 1LT, and 2LT.

2023 Chevrolet Malibu Pricing

The 2023 Chevrolet Malibu starts at $24,700. At the top end is the 2LT (formerly known as Premium) starting at $31,500. A package including adaptive cruise control is offered with the 2LT, costing $1,000. Other main options are generally cosmetic.

For comparison, the new-for-2023 Honda Accord begins in the region of $26K, which is the same as the Toyota Camry. The Subaru Legacy has all-wheel drive as standard, yet starts at virtually the same price as the 2023 Malibu. The Nissan Altima, Kia K5, and Hyundai Sonata are priced from about $25K

Before buying a new Malibu midsize sedan, check the KBB.com Fair Purchase Price to see what others in your area paid for theirs. Rivals from Honda, Toyota, and Subaru have better resale values.

Driving the 2023 Chevrolet Malibu

Out of the two drivetrains that used to be available, Chevy has stuck with a 163-horsepower 1.5-liter engine/continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) combo and discontinued the 250-horsepower version. Which is a bit like choosing kale instead of almost any other food.

Like kale, however, it does what it’s supposed to. It’s just not an experience to be savored. And this engine makes the 2023 Malibu the least powerful car in its class. Newer midsize sedans can still achieve better fuel economy, though. And some can offer all-wheel drive.

Even so, the ride quality is comfortable, the handling is completely predictable, cabin noise levels are acceptable, and if this was all the rental car company had left, we wouldn’t demand to see the manager.

The main positive aspect is that forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection is now included in every new Malibu. Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert is still optional across the lineup.

In other driving-related news, an electronic parking brake is also standard.

Interior Comfort

Compare the cabin of the 2023 Malibu with something more contemporary like the Hyundai Sonata, and it’s readily apparent that automotive interior design has developed quite a bit since 2016, when this generation of Malibu debuted.

For example, all trims have an 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is small by today’s standards. The Sonata, by comparison, offers a 10.25-inch display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The Malibu is not young enough to be modern, not old enough to be old-school.

The timeless quality of human accommodation, however, is another matter. The Malibu does well here, with ample space in both rows. Rear legroom is generous at 38.1 inches. And trunk space of 15.7 cubic feet is respectable for the class.

Changes this year see leather upholstery and heated rear seats no longer being offered. What used to be a leather-wrapped steering wheel is now swaddled in simulated stuff — standard in the RS and 2LT, optional in the 1LT.

In versions with cloth upholstery (all but the top trim), the map pocket at the back of the driver’s seat has been deleted. And the trunk mat becomes optional. This seems unnecessarily cheap.

Exterior Styling

Riverside Blue Metallic, Sterling Gray Metallic and Radiant Red Tintcoat are new colors for the 2023 Malibu midsize sedan, replacing similar hues.

Both Midnight and the Sport Editions offered with the top two trims feature black exterior elements. So does the Redline Edition package, but they’re enlivened with a few red accents.

The 1LT loses LED taillights as standard. They’re reinstated with any of the above packages.

Other deletions across the lineup include heated side mirrors with LED turn signals, bright sill plates, and a dark chrome grille accent.

Favorite Features

1. Wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
Smartphone integration without cables is a handy convenience feature. The whole infotainment system is user-friendly and includes Wi-Fi as standard as well.

2. Keyless Entry Keypad
Optional in all but the RS model, this is a 5-digit keypad set vertically in the driver’s side door pillar. It means drivers can lock their keys in the car and go surfing or something equally key-unfriendly, yet still have access.

3. Automatic Parking Assist
Available only as an option with the top 2LT trim, this function steers the car into a parallel or perpendicular parking space. The driver handles the throttle, brakes and gear selection while keeping hands away from the steering wheel.

4. Wireless charging
Although the 2023 Chevy Malibu is some distance from the cutting edge of technology, at least the top 2LT trim has wireless smartphone charging as standard.

5. Teen Driver
When newer drivers in the family ask to borrow the keys to the Chevy Malibu sedan, a standard pre-programmable key fob can control things like audio system levels, set speed limits, and provide an in-vehicle report card.

6. Buckle to Drive
Another standard feature with young people in mind. This encourages getting into good habits by not allowing the transmission to be taken out of Park before the driver’s seatbelt is secured.

Engine & Transmission

One minor change under the hood this year is that the turbocharged 1.5-liter engine gains 3 more horsepower. The difference won’t be perceptible, but it is a little thirstier according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), returning 30 mpg in the combined cycle, as opposed to 2022’s 32 mpg.

We must bid farewell to the 2.0-liter alternative, since the 2023 Malibu sedan is propelled solely by this smaller 4-cylinder unit. It makes 163 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque on a diet of regular gasoline, going just to the front wheels through an automatic transmission.

1.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine
163 horsepower @ 5,700 rpm
184 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500-3,000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 27/35 mpg

3-year/36,000-mile Warranty

Chevrolet’s new-car warranty is for 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever happens first. The powertrain is covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles.

KBB Vehicle Review and Rating Methodology

Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.

We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.

Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.

Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)

We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.

More About How We Rate Vehicles

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