The Buick Regal is a midsize car built from 1981 to 2020 over 6 generations. Most were assembled in Canada — 88.4% of those on record. Engines offered: 4-cyl, Hybrid, V6, V8. Worth buying? It holds up well, with the usual caveat about model years at 4.0/5 — and the year you pick matters far more than the badge (best and worst years →).
What the Regal is
The Buick Regal is a midsize car that Buick built from 1981 to 2020 — 40 model years. Our measurements put it at 6 generations, the current one starting in 2018. It has been offered with 4-cyl, Hybrid, V6, V8 power. Its closest siblings in the Buick range: LaCrosse, Riviera, Century.
Where the Regal is built
A badge says where the company is registered; the VIN says where the car was bolted together. We counted the first three characters — the manufacturer identifier — across 2,614 Regals on record.
| Assembled in | Share | VIN starts with | Years seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2G4, 264, 2B4 | 1984-2017 | |
| the United Kingdom | W04 | 2011-2020 | |
| the United States | 1G4 | 1982-1999 |
Check your own: the first three characters of a Buick VIN decide which of these 6 lines your Regal belongs to. What every character in a Regal VIN means →
Got the full 17 characters? A free VIN check on a Buick Regal adds what the decoder can't see: open recalls, theft and total-loss records, and the safety ratings for that exact build.
Regal generations, and what changed
These boundaries are not copied from a brochure — they fall out of the measurements. Where the Regal's length or wheelbase jumps between consecutive model years the platform changed: a facelift moves a bumper by centimetres, a new generation moves the whole car — for the Regal that gives 6 distinct generations below.
| Generation | Length | Wheelbase | Weight | vs previous | Weight change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-1975 | 545 cm | 290 cm | 1873 kg | - | - |
| 1978-1987 | 508 cm | 275 cm | 1428 kg | -37 cm | -445 kg |
| 1988-1996 | 488 cm | 273 cm | 1371 kg | -20 cm | -57 kg |
| 1997-2004 | 498 cm | 277 cm | - | +10 cm | - |
| 2011-2017 | 484 cm | 274 cm | 1633 kg | -14 cm | - |
| 2018-2020 | 490 cm | 283 cm | 1858 kg | +6 cm | +225 kg |
Buick Regal tire size, oil type & owner specs
The fitment Regal owners look up most — tires, wheels, oil and batteries. Exact wheel and tire sizes decode from your VIN or the driver's door-jamb placard; the universal items are listed below.
Exact tire, wheel, oil grade, capacity and battery group are added per trim and model year — decode your VIN above for the factory fitment. Universal items shown as-is.
What engines does the Buick Regal have? Power & range
The Buick Regal is offered with 4 powertrains — 3.6L 6-cyl, 5L 8-cyl, 2L 4-cyl, 2.4L 4-cyl Hybrid. Here's the lineup by engine, transmission and drivetrain — 4 for the Buick Regal, against one or two on most rivals.
| Engine | Displacement | Transmission | Drive | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V6 | 3.6L · 6-cyl | Automatic (S9) | AWD | Regular |
| V8 | 5.0L · 8-cyl | Automatic 3-spd | RWD | Regular |
| 4-cyl | 2.0L · 4-cyl | Automatic (S9) | FWD | Premium |
| Hybrid | 2.4L · 4-cyl | Automatic (S6) | FWD | Regular |
Horsepower, torque and fuel-tank size decode from your VIN — exact figures vary by engine and trim.
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov (engines, drivetrain, range, charge time). Horsepower & torque from NHTSA vPIC on VIN decode.
The Regal by the numbers
What the federal and market records say about the Buick Regal. Each line opens the full breakdown by year.
| Topic | Regal | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Recalls | 173 campaigns | NHTSA, all years |
| Owner complaints | 3,592 filed | What breaks and when |
| Reliability | 4.0 / 5 | Best and worst years |
| Crash safety | ★★★★★ NHTSA | Frontal, side, rollover |
| Insurance | $1,441/yr | Estimated full coverage |
| Used value | 348 listings | What it sells for now |
Frequently asked questions
What kind of car is the Buick Regal?
The Regal is a midsize car, built from 1981 to 2020 across 6 generations. Engines offered: 4-cyl, Hybrid, V6, V8.
Where is the Buick Regal made?
Across 2,614 cars in our records the split is: Canada (88.4%), the United Kingdom (9.7%), the United States (1.9%). The first three characters of a VIN identify the plant's manufacturer and country — that is where these shares come from, not from a press release.
How many generations does the Regal have?
6 by our measurements, the latest starting in 2018. We draw the boundaries where length or wheelbase jumps between model years — a facelift moves a bumper, a new generation moves the whole car.
What is the Buick Regal warranty?
New models carry 3 years / 36,000 miles basic cover and 5 years / 60,000 miles on the powertrain. Worth knowing: across our complaint records the typical car reaches the halfway point of its faults at five years, so most repairs land after the basic warranty ends.
Is the Regal reliable?
It scores 4.0/5 in our data. The honest answer depends on the year far more than the model — see the best and worst years, and when this car starts to break.
How do I check a specific Regal?
This page describes the model; it cannot tell you whether that car has an open recall or a branded title. Run its VIN against the records — free, and matched to the exact production run.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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