2006 Chevrolet HHR Consumer Reviews
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
We own a 07 and have put 60000 in under 2 years and have loved this car our avarage mpg 28 my wfe was recently in an accident at 60mph and walked away with only bruises the car did its job! we are currently buying an 09
VS
Critical Review
We have owned our HHR for 2 years. HHR is an engineering marvel and for those who like its exterior look and feel, you will hear nothing but great. It is definitely best as open road touring. The HHR is a relatively quiet driving car. That said - most people do not like its styling and this is reflected in the HHR's poor resale value. No one wants one. Manufacturer milage estimates are bogus. Our experience: around town are 18mpg/ open highway 27mpg MAX. (in flat valley driving). Hills and the 2.4liter 4cylinder engine kill any fuel economy. Nevertheless, admittedly, better than SUVs. This auto has a flywheel-like coast feature that once at speed keeps the car rolling forward. It's also sluggish on accelleration. The lack of typical engine braking after removing foot from pedal and its sluggish accelleration causes you to constantly be on your brakes in traffic (which angers other drivers often). The body metal is so thin and ribbing beneith so sparse that when closing rear door hatch it bent within a month of purchase. During waxing I leaned on the curved (stronger part of) engine hood and in dented just from minor weight of my hand. Chevy knew about the issues but refused to repair. The front windshield side posts are in such a position that when you turn, the posts block the driver's view of side/adjacent traffic on BOTH right & left sides of the vehicle all the way through your turn. The manufacturer sound system seems to have quality but Chevy mounts its front speakers under the dash near your legs. No speakers are overhead or mounted in the window posts, so the potential quality sound is muffled. The only woofer is mounted sideways at the very back of the cargo compartment behind the seats. Seats block the sound and if you carry anything in the rear at all (which is everything since the open cargo space IS your trunk) then the woofer is completely blocked/muffled. I'm a small man 5'8" and nevertheless on long drives, the side of my knee is so smashed against the hard-plastic lower center dash that I'm in serious pain lasting for upwards of an hour status post destination. The interior total cargo space is small. And one might be able to stick a 6ft step ladder all the way into the front dash panel, but though I haven't tried it, I seriously doubt the guy above who claimed to have placed an 8ft ladder inside. The roof racks are for show. The Tule & SportsRack distributor would not sell me roof racks because the Chevy specs can't handle enough weight. I never got use to the weird placement of the window buttons during the 2 years I have owned my HHR. The parking brake is in the way of the cup holders and funky arm rests. On an on. I just would not recommend an HHR. Spend the money and buy a Ford Explorer or Saturn Outlook - you'll be much happier.
2006 HHR Reviews
Showing 8 of 908 reviews.
Most reliable vehicle you’ll ever own
She ugly
3 years ago My 01 Volvo finally died on a work night an hour from home. So I landed on a sketchy buy here pay here and what did I see? The UGLIEST car I ever did see. 2010 Chevy HHR in dark red in my price range with 108,xxx miles. Two signatures later and I was on my way. In three years the speedo sits at 170,xxx miles yes 20k+ miles a year! I have put into it a turn signal $(18 & 15 mins) , hub assemblies & brake pads ($110 & an hr&1/2), a door handle ($15 & 25 mins) and a headlight connected that melted ($25 & 20 mins) and tires ($400) She’s ugly, she’s outdated and has zero tech, and her stereo/speakers are garbage, BUT she is sturdy, she starts she goes rain shine snow everyday, she is spacious, she’s safe. I purchased a new car with all of the bells n whistles of modern amenities and she is set up safely waiting to be my teens first car in a year because I know without a doubt she will see at least another 100k miles. But the ugly car.
Large cargo space. All seats fold down flat for cargo. Very reliable
Front interior lighting minimal. Battery is in the rear trunk compartment. No inside trunk release
I purchased my 2007 Chevy HHR 2.2 l engine in 2018 at that time it had 119,000 mi on it.(One previous owner) Today in 2025 I have 164,000 miles on it. I have had no major issues with my car. I had the air conditioning replaced in 2022. At that time I had a tune-up done on it. The mechanic said it still had the original spark plugs. This car just keeps on driving. Others have reported it having over 300,000 and 400,000 miles on theirs. The car is very versatile you can haul 2x4x8 pieces of lumber all of the seats fold down perfectly flat you can haul anything with the the high head room. My car has been very reliable I haven't had any mechanical issues. I intend to keep this car until it won't drive any longer. I thoroughly enjoy my car I get many compliments on it. The only thing I don't like about my car is that there is no interior lighting in the front other than on the rear view mirror which gives you no light. And the battery is under the back compartment next to the spare tire which makes it very difficult if your battery dies you cannot get into the car by the back hatch. You have to crawl through the car and pull up the floorboard to get to the battery there is no trunk release which is unbelievable.
gas mileage and interiors space
not a lot of power
I bought this car new with 22 miles and I've never had a car as reliable and versatile as this one. I just recently reached 300,000 miles on my odometer. And it has not slowed down the original engine despite being lackluster in power, it is strong in longevity. No complaints and every time I consider a new car, I can't find one with better gas mileage or interior space. Now I don't have a car payment and I'm just saving money every month. Love it!
I love my 2008 .HHR This is my second one. My first was T bone. Totally lost. Was told that the car saved my life. Any other small car , I probably would of been killed. I truly wish they would bring that car back. At one time we had 3 HHR's in the family. Small car, I don't really think so. My boyfriend used to haul all of his band equipment in his HHR. Please bring them back. Best car ever.
This car is an overall hassle to maintain, just for reference if you want to replace the headlights on this bad boy you have to take the front tires off to access the sockets from the wheel well
Good milage low maintenance costs
Front suspension needs replaced every 60K miles.
I have put over 60K miles on this used vehicle. I had a shop do a 100K inspection and some some steering parts, the front brakes and rotors were replaced. Just over $700 on the bill which included all an oil and coolant change. The previous owner replaced the front struts at 50K miles. I am doing it again at 116K $140 in parts and a couple hours in labor. Looks like this will need done every 60K miles. Other than the few light bulbs, I have replaced, the only trouble I have had was a software glitch that caused the power steering to not werq and the OEM battery died after 12 years. I get 25mpg city and 31hwy Faults; The window switches are low on the dash rather than on the door where they belong. They fixed this on later models. In my mind it is slightly under-powered.
I have my car maintenance to Tire Factory in CoolidgeAZ. I'm looking to sell my car only because I'm moving in Nov-Dec. I love my car. Its a good dependable car. Tires are 1 year old, I use high mileage synthetic oil that I change when do.
high roof
gas
very durable-heavy metaled car. plenty of room for heavy or tall people. door locking system needs improvement and gets too Hot inside and on the engine. consumes too much gas. if you turn the radio and ac off you might get enough engine power to pass someone on a hill. it has a covered engine which seems to have protected it from the environment with very little mechanical problems.
