2018 Chevrolet Malibu vs 2018 Toyota Camry
Two midsize cars, compared on what actually matters when you're buying used:
what breaks, when it breaks, and what it costs you.
2018 Chevrolet
Malibu
5/10
Fine to drive, cheap to insure, but the 1.5T's vacuum pump problem can eat a whole engine at 60-80k miles — know that before you sign.
VS
2018 Toyota
Camry
8/10
Boring on purpose, bulletproof by design — the 2018 Camry is the car you buy when you're done buying cars.
Milo scores the 2018 Toyota Camry higher — 8/10 against 5/10.
By the numbers
Green is the better number — higher on every score, lower on failures, complaints and recalls.
| Chevrolet Malibu |
Toyota Camry |
| Known failure points | 6 | 6 |
| NHTSA complaints | 694 | 731 |
| Safety recalls | 6 | 8 |
| Service bulletins | 12 | 12 |
| Reliability | 52 | 85 |
| Cheap to own | 58 | 88 |
| Fun factor | 38 | 45 |
| Holds value | 35 | 78 |
| Enthusiast cred | 15 | 25 |
The most expensive thing that goes wrong
2018 Chevrolet Malibu
1.5L turbo (LFV) vacuum pump seal failure sending metal debris through the engine, damaging the exhaust camshaft and timing components
$4,000–$7,50055k–90k mi
2018 Toyota Camry
Piston/engine noise on early-production 2.5L A25A-FKS engines (recalled batch)
$0–$6,000100k–150k mi
If you buy one, buy this one
✅ 2018 Chevrolet Malibu
2018 Malibu Premier or LT with the 2.0L Turbo (RPO LTG) and 9-speed automatic — more power, no vacuum pump drama, plus better interior materials and adaptive cruise on Premier.
✅ 2018 Toyota Camry
2018 Camry XLE or XSE with the 2.5L four-cylinder, mid-to-late production build date (post-August 2018) to sidestep the early piston recall batch, with all fuel pump and vacuum pump recalls already completed per service records.
Narrowed it down? Get the full report
This comparison is model-level.
Milo's report goes car-level — the one you're actually looking at:
- A line-by-line negotiation script
- The pre-purchase inspection checklist
- VIN-specific open recalls
- What it's really worth right now
- Your next 15,000 miles, forecast
- Hidden features & money-savers
Run my free report →
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Scores and findings blend documented NHTSA recalls and complaints with
patterns synthesized from owner communities. Always inspect the specific vehicle and
verify open recalls by VIN before buying.