Chevy Equinox Cargo Space: Seats Up, Seats Down, and What Fits

For a 2025 gas-powered Chevy Equinox, cargo volume is 29.8 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 63.5 cubic feet with the rear seat folded. Chevrolet also advertises 63.5 cubic feet maximum for the 2026 model. Older generations differ, and the first-generation Equinox has the largest published maximum in this comparison.

Equinox generation	Model years	Rear seats up	Rear seats folded	Loading detail
First	2005–2009	35.2 cu. ft. max.	68.6 cu. ft.	Sliding rear bench; flat-folding front-passenger seat
Second	2010–2017	31.4 cu. ft. in 2010	63.7 cu. ft.	Rear bench slides nearly 8 inches and folds 60/40
Third	2018	29.9 cu. ft.	63.5 cu. ft.	60/40 split-folding rear seat
Third	2019–2024	29.9 cu. ft.	63.9 cu. ft.	Nearly flat load floor; storage below the cargo floor
Fourth	2025	29.8 cu. ft.	63.5 cu. ft.	60/40 split-folding rear seat; hidden underfloor storage

These are cargo volumes, not cargo-floor length or liftgate-opening dimensions. Cubic feet help compare overall carrying capacity, but they cannot tell you whether a rigid crate, dresser or sheet of material will pass through the hatch.

First generation: 2005–2009

Chevrolet’s 2005 specification sheet lists 35.2 cubic feet behind the rear seat, measured at its maximum cargo position, and 68.6 cubic feet behind the front seats. It also identifies a sliding rear bench and flat-folding front-passenger seat, useful for a long, narrow load (2005 Chevrolet Equinox specification sheet). Published 2009 specifications repeat the 35.2- and 68.6-cu.-ft. capacities (2009 Equinox specifications).

The seats-up figure requires an important qualification: moving the rear bench rearward for passenger legroom reduces the cargo floor available behind it.

Second generation: 2010–2017

A 2010 Equinox is listed with 31.4 cubic feet with all seats in place and 63.7 cubic feet maximum (2010 Equinox specifications). Chevrolet’s 2010 brochure confirms the 63.7-cu.-ft. maximum and says the MultiFlex rear bench travels nearly 8 inches (2010 Chevrolet Equinox brochure).

Chevrolet still published 63.7 cubic feet maximum for 2017. Its brochure says the bench can slide rearward for legroom or forward for cargo, and both rear seatbacks fold (2017 Chevrolet Equinox brochure). For seats-up loading, bench position matters more than a single headline figure suggests.

Third generation: 2018–2024

The redesigned 2018 Equinox provides 29.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.5 cubic feet with that row folded, according to Chevrolet’s 2018 catalog (2018 Chevrolet Equinox catalog).

Chevrolet literature raised the published maximum slightly for 2019: 63.9 cubic feet, with the rear seats folded into a nearly flat load floor (2019 Chevrolet Equinox catalog). The 2023 brochure gives 29.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 63.9 cubic feet behind the front seats (2023 Chevrolet Equinox brochure); the same figures appear in published 2024 specifications (2024 Equinox dimensions).

That 0.4-cu.-ft. difference is too small to settle whether a particular object fits. Treat 2018 separately when comparing advertised specifications, but measure the individual vehicle for a rigid load.

Fourth generation: 2025 onward

The redesigned 2025 gas Equinox has 29.8 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 63.5 cubic feet with it folded, equivalent to 845 and 1,799 liters. Chevrolet also says the body is 2.5 inches wider than the outgoing model (Chevrolet’s 2025 Equinox specifications).

That extra exterior width does not produce a higher headline cargo volume: the 2025 maximum is 0.4 cubic foot below the published 2024 figure. Chevrolet continues to advertise 63.5 cubic feet maximum, a 60/40 split-folding bench and hidden storage under the rear cargo floor for the 2026 Equinox (Chevrolet’s 2026 Equinox page).

Equinox EV cargo space is different

The Equinox EV does not use the gas Equinox body. Chevrolet lists 26.4 cubic feet behind the second row and 57.2 cubic feet behind the front seats—6.3 cubic feet less maximum volume than the 2025 gas model (Chevrolet Equinox EV specifications). Confirm whether a listing says “Equinox” or “Equinox EV” before comparing cargo figures.

Measure the opening before loading

Published volume does not establish whether a dog crate, cooler, dresser or building material will fit. For example, published 2024 specifications provide cubic-foot capacity but leave cargo-floor length, liftgate-opening dimensions and wheelhouse width unspecified.

Measure the actual vehicle in four places:

1. The liftgate opening at its narrowest width and height.
2. Floor width between the wheel housings.
3. Floor length with the rear seat in its normal passenger position.
4. Floor length with the rear seat folded and the front seats adjusted for the driver and passenger.

Also account for the hatch’s slope, the height of the load floor and any gap or rise at the folded seatbacks. Flexible bags can use irregular space that a rigid box cannot. Cubic feet are useful for comparing Equinox generations; direct measurements settle whether a specific load fits.

If fuel use also affects the model-year decision, compare the separate Equinox MPG guide.